The Cairo evening bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1868-1870, 1869-03-27
FIRE.
Destruction Of the Cairo Bulletin Once.

.
The following account of the destruction Of
the Bulletin Office by fire, having appeared
in only part of an edition issued on the eve
ming succeeding the fire, is Reproduced in
this number:
The destruction of the Bulletin Office by
fire is already known to a majority Of our To-
cal readers.
About four o'clock on the morning Of the
22d, the colored utility man Of the establish
Inent built ups fire in the front stove, as was
his custom, that the Office might be suitably
warmed by the arrival Of the printers. In u
few minutes thereafter he discovered indica-
tion. of FIRE between the ceiling and the roof.
Finding himself unequal TO the job Of ex,n-
gushing it he rushed to the street and raised
the alarm. The whole city seemed wrapped
in the profoundest slumber, being encour-
aged thereto By a dark, gloomy, rainy morn
ing. Several minutes elapsed, therefore be-
fore anybody responded 10 his call. Had not
n heavy rain fallen during the night ard tho
roughly saturated the roof the entire build
ing would have been snveloped in flames by
the time the engines arrived and commenced
work. The streets were so very muddy that
Il required considerable force TO move the
engines and TO arouse the neighborhood, at
such an hour, was the work of several min
utes' very precious time. During all this in
tsrval the ere was making destructive head
way, 90 that when the first water was thrown
upon II, the entire roof was involved, and the
room filed with smoke and fame.
The few persons who reached the ground
during the early stages Of the fire, succeeded
in saving the books, the deck, a few eases of
type and small quantity Of stock, worth.
Independent Of the book accounts. probably
two hundred dollars To the persistent, tise-
e.s and we'll directed efforts OF the hremen
we are indebted Cor all the balance that was
saved. When they ceased their labors The
charred walls Of the building were left stand
ing, the floor partly burned, supporting the
debris Of the roof and ceiling and ;hc Job and
newspaper presses, Eve in number, damaged
but not ruined. The job Office, the completest
in the state, perhaps, outside Of Chicago, was
entirely destroyed, scarcely single font Of
typo remaining uninjured. The stock, %
which a considerable addition had been made
on Saturday with all the Office furniture.
stands, cases, cabinets, wood and metal letter,
and the thousand other articles that enter
into the makeup Of first class job and news
paper Office, were burned 10 ashes and melted
into shapsless piles Of metal. The presses
were saved by playing upon them continu-
ously 10 the neglect Of less valuable material.
The total loss cannot be accurately stated,
but we give $500, independent Of the build
ing, for what We conceive TO be n close sp-
Proclamation. The building cost about 1000.
A large portion Of the newspaper type, being
in the rear end Of the building, upon which
the engines played quite vigorously to save
the cylinder press, was saved and to this
fact the appearance Of the Bulletin this eve
ming may be attributed.
The establishment was entirely uninsured.
The fact that fre-engines were within a
sione's-throw distance coupled with the fur
iher fact that the building was never left
alone gave assurances of safety that csuacd a
postponement Of the proprietors purpose TO
insure
We are crippled by the fire quito serious
ly; but that We are not overwhelmed the
regular appearance of our paper this eve-
ming amply testifes. We are grateful to our
iremen who so manfully battled with the |
"devourng element" and rescued thsrefrom |
= nucleus around which may gather another
office; and we are also thankful to the many
kind friends who extended all the assistance |
that could, under the circumstances, be rem
dered Beyond this, We are stimulated to
renewed effort by the encouraging words and |
manifestations of sympathy that greet us on
all sides coming alike from party friends and !
party foes. If any one rejoices over our Sc
we're loss and consoles himself by the thought |
that il is crushing and irreparable, that ndi-
vidual will live to be chagrinned by the
knowledge of our full recovery from it, for,
like the invincble Capt. Dexter, "we are
here to stay and our foot being still upon
the path, our watchword is now as it has been
forward"