Brownlow's Knoxville Whig. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1866-1869, 1867-06-26


Destruction Of the Entire West ring, ltith
the agricultural and cedar rare acorkS.
p Loss Not less Than $50, 000- The Aili-
tary Called out to Keep Back the Conuicts.
Noble Conduct Of a Portion of the Prs
onerS.-SceneS and Incidents of the C0afa-
grafton. - -. go, -
At eight o'clock last night, as the bell at
the station house on the Square was sound
ing a slow, measured call for the assemb-
ling of Conservative meeting at the mar
kethouse, which was to be addressed by the
candidates for the General Assembly, it
suddenly changed its long, heavy tones to
the loud, quick and startling notes of a
| fire alarm. The black clouds that frowned
! from the western horizon were quickly
lighted up, and seemed flashing back in
strange splendor the bright coloring gath
cred from the greet lurid flames that were
rolling upward from what appeared TO be a
large building in the western portion of the
city. 1888 i - 4s.yr, : r..t ,z.a--
Little attention was at first paid TO the
alarm save by the fire department, but in
a few minutes word spred from lip to lip
that the Penitentiary, which is situated
near the western boundary Of the Tenth
Ward, was burning, and that there was
little hope of saving any portion OF the
mammoth structure. IN ~
The streets leading westward were
thronged with people, some Of whom turn
ed back on considering the distance to be
walked in order to reach the spot, but hun
dreds of others pressed on, eager 10 witness
what threatened TO be one of the greatest
CONGREGATIONS they had 3 ever witnessed.
The great mass were not long in reaching
the place, but all the entrances to the court
were closed and guarded when they arrived,
and they scattered themselves to various
points on the outside to watch the progress
of the flames.
Within the prison and the court all was
hurry and excitement. The entire west
wing, comprising the extensive agricultu-
raj and cedar ware works of Messrs. Hyatt,
Briggs & Moore,, in which one hundred
and fifty eonviets have been daily employed
was wrapped in a mass of red, roaring bill
lows of flame, which rolled upward and
outward as If to sweep everything in their
way either above or below. The bell in
the cupola was ringing out loud alarm,
which was almost drowned by the din of
voices, the crash of falling timbers, and the !
mingled roar Of the engines and the con- |
fagratiOn. 81 as.-Htes q
Eclipse engine, No. 2, was the first on |
the ground. Itwas quickly rushed into the |
court, where, from one of she cisterns, it |
threw the first stream, and checked the pro- /
gress of the clement in the north wing, the /
destruction of which seemed certain, much /
of the adjoining sheds being wood work
The greatest fears prevailed that the con-
victs would make a strike for. their free
dom, and the whole Forty-ffth Infantry, /
stationed at Cumberland barracks, under
Lieut.. Col. Woodward, was called out to /
keep them back, Company G, Captain
Burke, was the first to reach the place, but
in very short time every company was on
the ground, and posted so as to close all
avenues Of escape from the burning prison.
The convicts were all hustled into the west
wing of the building, which would be the
last to burn in case the fire spread, and the
twenty-five guards, ali heavily armed, re-
doubled their vigilance as the danger In
creased. Muskets were glittering from theI
little guard houses on the outer walls, and
the appearance of the infantry outside.had
the effect to dampen the hopes Of any Of
the prisoners who had contemplated escape, Il
and none Of them seemed to- care to risk
death in a break for liberty. Not one of
them escaped. A
About hundred of the convicts, whom
it was thought could be trusted, were
turned out to assist in staying Che flames
and they worked nobly When the north
wing was second time threatened, and the
fire was bursting through the roof Of the
blacksmith shop, long line Of them was
formed, extending from the roofs Of the
sheds adjoining the north and west wings.
I..xr
wall, and bucket after bucket of water was
passed rapidly up from cistern, while
streams from the Stoekell and Hamilton.
which were drawing from Lick Branch,
were pouring over from without.
The scene inside the Court was hides
,ribably grand. The red light Of the
names illamed the whole place, bringing
cut Ia bold relief the grim old walls and
he barred windows Of the gloomy cells,
while every movement Of the strange mass
d soldiers, citizens and couyicts was dis
lnetly observable as they hurried TO and
no IN efforts to stop the progress Of the
aging element Every bucket, every well, ,
very cistcrn, was taxed to the utmost, and
nc cry Of Water Water Pass along
ne water, boysl echoed and re-echoed
rom every quarter. A guard OF dozen '
soldiers with glittering bayonets stood at
ne entrance, watching the movements
within, and now and then casting an eye
owsrd the west wing, from which the anx- a
Gus faces Of closely guarded convicts were p
'eerlng at every available point.
Two thousand feet of hose, at times sns-
aiming pressure Of two hundred and g
wenty five pounds, were run out from the
'tockell, while the Hamilton sent q stream
trough fifteen hundred feet. Two hoso
arriages from Cumberland barracks WoTe e. e.
rought out by Lieut. Bower, and were an
sed with those of the fire department. q
he eisterns inside the, court giving oat, u
he Folipse was sent back to town, the city .ei
ZINC 6een left without an engine. The e
tocxell worked admirably, and the whole sn
re department creditably acquitted itself =
At half past nine the main building. or IN
1uthern wing, took fire, but by pronps use =
buckets, and the protection Afforded by 1
&c graveled roof ii was soon placed out Of &c q,
anger. er