The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1866-03-24
Tle Great Fire in Cincinnati.
=. Loss Nfor4g So, 1000, goo,
FULL PARTICULARS
,ySfS rom IN. 6o6smlisielalo f ys..Srday.

ton felaLlVe 10 tue CnhuCeS VI SSSoPS
from Pixies Opera house, in case of an
alarm of fire there. Peal on peal rang
the alarm bells just then, and ''Pike's
opera.house burning was the cry. 1t
was haifpast eleven we sailor five or
ten minutes earlier Fortunately, very
fortunately, thesimmense audience con-
gregated to witness the gorgeous beau
ties of sMidsummer Nights Dream, "
had all dispersed and sought their homes,
The first spark of FIRE which presaged
the terrible. catastrophe we are about to
chronicle, the most destructive perhaps
ever witnessed in this city, was first com.
| munieated to the scenery back OF the
stage, the immense mass of which, OF
canvas, oil and paint was all IN mass OF
flames in two or three minutes. In hve
minutes the flames had wrapped the
whole magnificent interior of stage and
auditorium, and burst through the rear
norton of the roof. On the wings of the
draft thus provided, the flames shot np. to
a great hight, and Tapped over on adjoin-
ing buildings. The night darkness was
illuminated with the immense sheets OF
flames which hung over the doomed or
nament ofthe city-the palatlal seat OF
the drama and of music. Soon huge
masses of black smoke burst from the
cornice ofthe Fourth streetfront windows.
Gradually the light, like the rays of the
morning sun in midsummer, cleaned
through the windows, and told the story
of utter and complete destruction as they
burst through the glass and shot out
| their forked tongues and spit huge flakes
of flaming substance high In the air. AT
Quarter of twelve the scene was excl
t;ng in the extreme, The half square
bonnded by Fourth, Vine, Baker and
Walnut streets, had dome of luridly
cleaning flames, through which columns
Of smoke shot up, and from which show
ers ofsparks and lunches of flames float
ed upward, and then descended upon the
burning mass below, and upon the bright
" illuminated streets, where tens of thous-
ands we congregated, gazing in awe
upou the terrible work of the destroying
element. The dome and ceiling, with
their gorgeous and artistic ornamentation,
upon which the eyes of citizens and stran-
gers have gazed in silent a imiIa:ion, fell
With the roof, with a terrific crash, and
there burst upward dazzling light,
binding in its intensity Then fell the
ornamental portion of the surmounts OF
the front wall, and the total destruction of
all was plain. Slowly but surely the ire
crept down through the various stories of
the edifice-through offices and studios
steadily down to the magnificent stores,
running the entire length of the building
on the first floor of Fourth street, into the
wealth of literature, the tens of thous-
ands worth of books of Carroll's store,
the valuable stock of Summers sewing
machines, the fine music store. of w. U
Peters, and Philip Phillips pianos, the
immense goods stored in the Adams Elk
press rooms, the college rooms of Bryant s
Commercial Institute, the editorial room
of the National Union, Harpef 8 job print
| ing establishment, with its valuable ma
chfnery, and all the dozen offices besides.
AT half past IL the destruction was com
pIete, indeed. The masses OF flame had ID
entirely replaced the noble edifee-all
that,renained of Pixies Opera-house was
| the grand front, or rather half of it, which
stubbornly stood erect as of old, while the
snitefuI fire wreathed out throug h the
| skeleton windows and Rugged the stones
as though graphing with them to wrench
them from place. The elegant ornamen-
tai arch endured to the end, AL through
lit could be seen immense piles of burning
timbers and valuable goods.
1t this time the illumination was aw-
fully grand. There was no darkness. A
thousand bon.fires could not have made
the brightness more complete; and the air
for many squares around was hot with the
breath of the conhagration, and crowded
with cinders and pieces of burning wood.
| which descended upon hundred house
tops. From the rear and west side of the
| Opera-house the flames marched with
overwhelming strength to the extensive
stables of the Adams Express Company
and the buildings of the Cincinnati Daily
Enquirer.
The fall of large mass of wall upon
the rear of the Enquirer building insured
| It's partial destruction, and soon the hames
were communicated to the rear of the first
| and second floors, and rushing onward
crept throughlthe front windows, and told
| their story to the firemeu, who crept up to
4 prappIe with them. But with the same
power already so terribly used, the de-
youring flames wrapped the structure in
| their embrace, and the work of destruc-
ton was soon far advanced through the
lob rooms, where were stored nearly
500, 600 worth of cuts; through job press:
es, and composing rooms and editorial
rooms; through the engraving rooms oil
Jones & Hart-all totally destroyed.
THE TOTAL INSURANCE ON THE ENQUIRER
OFFICE
/ is S47, 1000. The loks in the job rooms is
very heavy, the largest power press in
the West being one of the valuable pieces
of machinery destroyed.
~, JOHN ROBINSON
Hoses all his show bills for the coming
circus season, which were printed and
stored in the FASTING rooms His loss
4 will amount to several thousand dollars,
\ and is uninsured. His valuable cuts
went, of course, in the general wreck.
OTHER BUILDINGS.
On the south side of Baker street, the
old frame, used formerly as a house OF
prostitution. and recently as a gambling
house, was burned, and on the east side,
fronting on the north side,of Baker
street, the gambling house No. was
partially destroyed, the roof and top
story being consumed.
on FOURTH STREET,
Next east OF. the opera-house, the wall
paper store of Holmes & Son was soon
wrapped in FIRE, as well as the stores oil
F. P. Haldy, and A. j. Clark, furnishing
goods, their stock being almost entirely
ruined.
ADAMS EXPRESS.
The men sleeping in the Office of the
company were startled from sleep, and
Immediately rushed to the safes and Sc
cured the treasure in the money packages
and valuable papers. The books and
valuable papers Of the Office were nearly
all destroyed. We are informed that,
early in the course of the fire, red hot
bolt, like that of lightning, fell through
the ceiling and struck the floor. This
portion of the 0pera.house was the last