Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1866-03-29
The Great Fire In Cincinnati.
Destruction OF Plke,s Opera
House, Enquirer once. and
Adams Express once. SC.


Pixies Opera Hsuss building and adjoining
structures. The FIRE was discovered abou,
half-past eleven o'clock, and, it is thought.
originated in the scenery back of the
stage. The gorgeous spectacle, midsummer
Nights Dream" has been the attraction for
some nights at tho Opera House, and had
just been witnessed by an immense audi
ence. The theatre, at the time of the FIRE,
was vacated BY all except the watchman on
duty, and he gives no satisfactory account
of the origin Of the fire. From the Com.
mercials description we make the following
extracts:
The frst spark Of FIRE which pressged the
terrible catastrophe we are about to enron.
ice, the most destructive perhaps ever wit
messed in this city, was comm unicated to the
scenery back of the stage, the immense
mass of which, Of canvas, oil and paint was
all 10 mass Of flames in two or three min
utes. In five minutes the flames had wrap.
ped the whole magnificent interior Of stage
and auditorium; aud burst through the rear
portion Of the roof On the wings Of the
draft thus provided, the flames shot up to
great hight and Tapped over upon adjoining
buildings. The night darkness was illumina-
ted with the immense sheets of flames, which
hung over the doomed ornament of the city
-the palatial seat Of the drama and Of mu-
sic. Seen huge masses of black smoke
burst from the cornice of the Fourth street
front 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 tongues and spit huge fakes Of fam
Tag substance high in the air. At quarter
OF twelve the scene was exciting in the
extreme. The half square bounded by
Fourth, Vine, Baker and Walnut streets,
had dome Of luridly cleaning flames,
through which columns of smoke shot up,
and from which showers of sparks and
lunches of flames foated upward, and then
descended upon the burning mass below,
and upon the brightly Illuminated streets,
whore tens of thousands were congregated,
gazing in awe upon the terrible work of the
destroying element. The dome and ceiling,
ton, upon which the eyes OF citizens and
strangers have gazed in silent admiration.
fell, with the roof, with a terrific crash, and
there burst upward dazzling light, blind
ing in its intensity. Then fell the orna.
mental portion Of the surmounts of the front
wall, and the total destruction of all was
plain. Slowly but surely the fire crept down
through the various stories of the edifice-
through offices and enthusiastically down
to the magnificent stores, running the en-
tire length of the building on the FIRST floor
of Fourth street, into the wealth of litera-
ture, the tens of thousands worth of books
Of Carroll's store, the valuable stock Of
Summers sewing machines, the fine music
store of w. y. Peters, and Philip Philips
| pianos, the immense goods stored in the
Adams Express rooms, the college rooms Of
Bryant, Stratton Il DeHan's Commercial
Institute. the editorial room Of the National
Union. HarpePs job printing establishment,
with it's valuable machinery, and all the
dozen Offices besides. AT ,alf-past IL the
destruction was compete,< indeed. The
masses OF flames had entirely replaced the
Opera House was tho grand front, or rather
half Of it, which stubbornly stood erect as
Of old, while the spiteful fire wreathed out
through the skeleton windows and huqged
the stones as though graphing with them
to wrench them from their places. The ele-
gsnt ornamental arch endured to the end,
aud through it could be seen immense piles
of burning timbers and valuable goods.
All this time the illumination was awfully
grand. There was no darkness. A thous.
and bonfires could not have made the bright
ness 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 descend
ed upon hundred housetops From the
rear and west side Of the Opera House the
flames marched with overwhelming strength
to tho extensive stables Of the Adams Ex-
press Company and the buildings Of the Gin
climatic Daily Enquirer.
The fall of large mass of wall upon the
rear Of the Enquirer building insured its
destruction, aud soon the flames were com.
muncated to the rear Of the first and second
floors, and rushing forward crept through
the front windows, aud told the story of
their power to tho fremen, who crept up to
grapple with them. But with the same
power already so terribly used, the devour-
ing flames wrapped the structure in their
embrace, and the work of destruction was
soon far advanced through the joh rooms
whore were stored nearly 100000 worth
OF cuts through job presses and composing
rooms and editorial rooms through the en-
craving rooms of Jones h Hart-all totally
destroyed.
Mr. Pixies loss is over million ofdollars,
on which there is insurance Of not over $40.-
600. Nothing is left to him, of all that
magnificent property, save the smoking
ruins and fire covered grounds.
When Mr.. Pike heard the alarm he was
in his room in the Burnet House, fronting
on Vine street. Looking out, he saw the
flames rush in food through tho roof. in
the neighborhood of the chimney stack -
While he was upon the street for few
ninutes, some scoundrel picked his pocket.
taking bis watch. This Mr. Pike described
as adding insult to injury, +" He viewed
the tremendous scene, in which million of
his property was vanishing, from the roof
of the Burnet House, With more calmness
than the majority of the multitude OF specta-
tors. Whatever dauntless spirit and un,
wearied energy on his part can do to repair
his great loss, will certainly be done. lie is
entirely unable to account for the beginning
OF the calamity, and if it were not that he
is unconscious of having an enemy in the
world no would think il must be the work
OF an incendiary. The private watchman,
constantly on duty in the building, is unable
to account for it, He thinks the first ap.
pearanee of the fire was in the upper part
of the house, near the roof.
Mr.. Morris Simnonds, acting manager of
III ha Al