, 1869-03-31
DAMAGING FIRE.
The Opera House and st. 5nmes
Hotel In Imminent Peril
Destruction Of $4,000 Worth Of
Carpets and Wan Paper.
8dude Hall St. James Hotel, and
opera HOUSE SLIGHTLY injured.


Chicago has the reputation Of being prolific In
sensations, and prpbshl5 In that Inc she "a fully
up with the age. There VIZ very narsow escape
yesterday, md Chicago wns very near being de-
psived CT m Opera House. and OF the exhih.t1ona
OF the 6snye4h and Yankee Robinson The WV
II came nbout Whs this: The sleeping apartments
occupied BY the servants Of the st. James Hotel
are located in the rear Of that building, directly
over the Gture Of Measz Spear, Prince Hal
brook, SoaL - aud 81 State street. and adjoining
The Opesa House These bed-roo1ns OF ualtaeks-
for they arc more Ike ha17nckz than bedrooms
are turntshed with bnnks ranged over
each other. similar to the stecrngc Of On
emisant ship, There are four bunf1 In
each room. and the beds or uattrcsca4 o. what
ever they may be called, consisted Of lnna1nmAale
1nAtezial, such a cora husks, st1aw, md shasnga
This may not make SOFT Injurious couch, and Ia
tact II does not but for fuel II cannot 10 SURPASSED
AL that Ia necesarJ to set IT going is spa1k That
was s1pplled BY \ nuo coming from the bofes-room
of the hotel and paszug through the bedroom In
this hue was round hole, where once upon time,
perhaps, but not yesterday, stose~pspe Fas m
serted Through this hole bparks were U me nAnlt
OF entering Tie rooML une came yessfasy1 ~. ana
hrsEA, shns1nga, and straw on drc- THIS Is sup
posed to be The origin Of :he ire and Ia the oniJ
satisfactory e1plsnssion 1ss. gTsns \, ~. I'M.
PENDING danger was Mary Aag'lIrc- Maff vas
e.cx and occupied one Of the bunEK- SnH 1Fnelifd
something burning. aud turned out as fast a. fAe
could u course, she left the burning apartment
and gnve the al111n- While she w1s dunc so the
IRE Brrcad with onainous rarldity. The alarEn-
No s. sounded at s: 20, and soon the faithful nrr-
men were Oh the ground to wage var with and
Eudue Their constant enemy.
Ietorc proceeding further II Is for the
FAKE oi lucid!ty, to ttate that the burning rooms
ffpnted on IN open space asouttwcutF feet square,
bounded on the norh, south and east by the It
james Hotel, and nn the west hI the npcSa House
wall The bottom Of this court was styligtt that
admitted light 10 the rear Of the carpet store of
Sreas, Prince Holt'rooI t}Fer the fooms arc
the dressing apartments OF the Music Hail, and In
the wall Of The Upera House are windows looking
oIt from the dress circle. ~
When the fsemen aHtyed-and they wrFc not
Of rrc through the windows Of the room, and ca1-
rcd by tic current Of a!1 up the enclosed space,
feat % s,asshed M The Lick ground 9iass Ia the sty-
light below and the debris fell Into the etorc- As
soon a. JoeaEble the hose were carried up the
to the niatn entrance Of the Music HALL The win
LoGh Wete opened ami seEen streams OF water
poured on the nnnnes. The dr. WAS we'll tnan-
afc'l, anil in half al hour Was completely e1til-
gnisie-t.
TIE safety Of The Opera House was scr1ously en-
dangencd. The 1amcs shot upward, and, licking
The glass Of the Opera House wtulowA- smashed
it. and besan 10 cut up c4pcfs Inside Fortunately
snmc Ha.cuck patent tre eztnsu4hera we're ou
hlAd, and were used with excellent effect On the
other side Of the court the tre catered the win
dows OF tho IosIc Hall, Rud went ~ far as the tn
Terror of the ro1u scOrchtug the floor OF fhc hal
coEs. The Tpoms we're Quilted, and the furniture
.nl bctIltnx destroyed. Mr. David DoaneIlv, IRE
MN tn the nts1o7h. COMPANY. eas burned
Slightly IN both a11ns while ga1lantly mnllng his
way through the tTe. -,....-..-.-.
Fortunately the nre was confined within boundA
lind ten minutes more headway been allowed Il
nothing could hAve sared the OpeTa House, Music
Hal and hotel There certainly should be = fire
vail between the Opera House and the anluckJ ST.
JAmea, which seems destined 1t sofne day to sue
cumb to nre- This u its second escape Whether
II arose from cnrclcssncss or not mikes no differ
euce- The fHct thai the nrt was there rruualns,
and the suriy, unTacious manner by which u WIS
thtngs cannot he nuShed up, and they ahouId not
be. Had the IRE broken out twelve
houss earlier or Inter, when the
Opera House ras crowded WITH 1000 people, there
would have been nice time Snpposc the r1se vas
rut out al quickly It yesterday, and that no
consequences would not havc been entireiy avert
Cd. A panic In the Opera House would result In
frantic rnsh for the du0ts, In which the stronger
would Lear down and crnah the weaker. The
hnre contemplation os Rueh G catastrophe Is awful
Measures should he adopted to cfectuailJ screen
hotel. Until ,hen, lsreons will Dot feel tafe while
In the building. ..
the damage ~ns ~ follows: The Autc Hall
reception room WAS destroyed, the p1nellilg OF
the Opera House window wAs soorched, and the
carpets IN the Etorc Of Spear, Prince llolhroof
were hooded With water, s1.l the NJ James room!
were completely gutted: Nos s and 81 etst'
street, occupied by T. ". q. Partridge Co
dry goods merchants we're slightly damaged
Spear, Prince uolbfook had Just received thet
spring stock Of goods, md were the heastes
loserE The frrn est.1atcs the damage At ao0n
Some $1,000 rolls OF wall pspet were ruined b.
water. 1asseiA, CARPETS and co!Tlces were oadl!
damaged. Their insurance u a. fDllows: