Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1867-04-03

The confiagration at this point presented
most unusual appearance. From the
sixth story downward, the hotel presented
its ordinary aspect; the lights were still
| burning in the rooms, and there was nei-
ther flame nor smoke to be seen. But from
the broad plane of the roof, rose up pyr-
amid of flame, roaring and cracking with
| irresistible force and fury. .a
The extension OF. the fire downward was
gradual. On the sixth, the flames ran down
the elevator and appeared on the third
l.story, but their progress appeared to be
slow. AS they spread over the roof the
eornices on the east and west sides COM
nenced burning, and large fragments came
laundering down on the streets, causing
considerable danger to firemen and others.
| 1t is said that as early as half-past nine
o'clock the Chief of the Fire Department
ANNOUNCED that the building could not be
saved; but it was not for more than an
hour after that that the fact became appa-
rent to the spectators. The fire then began
TO work downward, and every moment
gathered in fury. About half past eleven
O'clock the flames were bursting through
all the upper windows. From room to
room they passed, gathering strength every
moment, until the whole building, no long
| er on the roof, but in the interior, was
blazing pile of fire. The scene at this time
was of a character which none who wit
messed it will ever forget.
The huge building looked like vast fur
mace burning with intolerable heat and
| fury. The countless windows gave insight
| to a whirling vortex of fire that streamed
up with a wind-like rushing sound, sweep
Ting into the still midnight air perfect
avalanche ofsparks and fiery particles that
| were scattered far and near. From the
breaking eorniee came showers of blazing
| fragments that strewed the street with div
ling fire, and every moment from the inside
| l0ff fho h1il ino hoo rA of
breaking timbers and falling partitions.
The streets, as far as the eye could reach,
were a dense mass of humanity, and the
sea of upturned faces," showing in the
| red glare, looked as if countless multitudes
were watching some dreadful catastrophe
which appalled, and afflicted all.
> THE REMOVAL OF GOODS.
/ When it became a settled fact that the
building was doomed to complete destruc-
/ ton, the property from the different stores
was hastily moved, and most of it was
| transferred in safety. From the burning
l hotel perfeetstream of articles offurniture
was poured forth, which was piled on dit
/ feI ent streets. Sofas, chairs, beds, costly
i mirrors, and every conceivable article was
4 to be seen in every direction you went.
The following is list of the stores in the
. building, fronting on Washington avenue !:
4 East side of the entrance-J. r. Parson.
tobacco and cigar store; Wm.- Sigerson &
1 Co, real estate agents; E. Nennstiel, piano
4 ware room; j. G.. Elms, European hair
store; D. G. Thompson, merchant tailor.
| On west side of entrance-Office of Ornis
Sugar Company; Gerhardt, hair-cuttng
SALOONS; Manning & Zepp, piano wareroom;
I.ewandovski Sc Friese, millinery and Paris
dreSsmaking. e t' ~
There were several other parties whose
names will be given in to-morrow's issue.
! FALLING OF THE WALLS.
4 e, At about eleven O'Clock it became evil
/ dent that some of the walls could not stand
much longer, and the police commenced
| clearing wider space on all sides around
the burning building. The crowds swayed
slowly back into the darker streets, and
j faces full of interest and wOnderment. Now
and then, at the falling and crashing of a
| floor or staircase, numb were seized
4 with panic, and endeavored to rush away
on a ''double quick" but soon turned, and
their gaze became again fastened on the
scene with a sort of weird fascination.
/ Pyramids of flames shot up from the roof
to great height; fiery tongues Tapped
around the cOrnices, and volumes of de-
| Vouring fire poured forth from every win
dow in the vast edifice. The air was still,
and huge clouds of dark smoke Gn which
shone millions of sparks, like golden etars1
hung over the scene. At every crash a
column of blacker smoke shot upward,
soon to be painted by the red glare.
| The excitement was great, and the peo-
pie awaited with intense interest the
crumbling of the walls, which seemed in
evitable. The light rendered distinct the
skeleton of the interior. Partition walls
were falling every moment, and all was
one grand illumination from the basement
to the roof. The fire wardens, firemen and
policemen fitted around in the Immediate
4 vicinity like demons in the bottomless pit
So they appeared to the spectators in the
streets, and on the housetops. At length
there was great crash in the center near
the main entrance, which filled the whole
street Washington avenue) with fire and
| smoke. There was a cry that the walls
i were falling. The whole east end on Sixth
street, with a portion of the Washington
avenue front, swayed, reeled, toppled and
fell with tremendous crash, which shook
the buildings all around. This happened
about half-past eleven o'clock. The inter
est was now concentrated on the Seventh
Istreet wall. 1t must soon succumb. Some
of the back walls on the Green street side
had already gone, and every particle OF
, the woodwork was rapidly being con.
: sumed. At about twelve O'Clock the mid
! die portion of the west wall crumbleC
: down a shapeless mass of ruins, and the
} fire now lighted up scene of completed
desolation.
|, 1t was rumored that several persons had
been lost by the falling of the Sixth street
front, but we presume it was without
foundation, as the street had been effectu-
ally cleared of spectators half an hour pre-
vious to the crash of the wall. When we
left the scene nearly the whole OF the
Washington avenue front was standin g
but the fire had consumed everything com
bustible about the building. About tht
last thing that remained was a pair of lace
curtains, which fluttered in third story
window. on the Seventh. street aud Wash
ingtOn avenue corner, when everything
else appeared to have been swept away.
Il INCIDENTS.
S AS might be expected, during the prog
ress of the fire, many curious and note
worthy incidents occurred. Thieves were
of course, on the ground, and piled thei
orcupation actively. A number of arrest
: were made by the police, and not few
D scutfles, &C., occurred.
In the hasty removal of luggage and fur
niture of all kinds, not few articles wer
q lost.
J In another column will be found the ad
: vertisement of Mr.. Bailey, offering $25 re
n ward for the trunk of his wife, which wa
O lost during the excitement. Mr.. B. is bu
4 a short time married, and the trunk los
e contained his wife's bridal trousseGu, val
e ued at something like $4,000.
, SUPPOSED LOSS OF LIFE.
1t Is not definitely aScerCalDed LnaC our
ing the progress of the terrible conflagra
(, ton single life has been lost. There wer
II rumors on the subject, but we could nC
i trace them to any authentic source.
" As the fire reached down to the firs
II story a number of explosions took place q
IS intervals, whether from gas or caused b
n confined air, we DO not know. 1t is sal
= that when one of these explosions Occurre
e two men were throwing out goods from
II second-story window near Sixth street, an
y that they disappeared Immediately afte
e hut whe ether or NOT they eScaned we are ILL