The New York herald., 1870-12-26
4 DREADFUL CHRISTMAS GREETING.
Seven Lives Lost and Many
Persons Missing.
another Horror SllrOuding the City OF Bis
aStrFS in Gloom.
INCIDENTS OF THE FIRE.
SPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE HeSALD.

Not year has passed successfully, suddenly
and without a shadow Of premoniton-this city was
plunged into depth OF gloom almost without
parallel the annals Of any city tins Continent
by the falling IN OF the oor OF the Court OF Appeals
in the Capitol building Since then nood has spread
desoaOn throughout the Stale 10 add to the list OF
horrors that have marked the last decade in this
beautiful land, and now / have TO chronicle Gala
nifty which, coming at the time 1t does, makes us
feel that Is written by the ates, "Cty OF the Seven
Hills thou art doomed
THE DEMON or FIRE
has again ravished II and added TO The destruction
VI property and loss OF life. Desolaton. destruction,
death, come hand in hand with the Ice King. Last
night-Christmas Eve, which never, even In the
dark days OF civil strife, was aught but a
time Of merry making and rejoicing throughout
the Ola Dominion-f0und nearly every house
In the city the scene OF festvity. Christ
morning found the cypress where the holly
had the night before. Al hali.past two O'Clock
A. M. a canopy OF fire hung the whole city. In
one short hour, certainly, fve II not more souls
were, not hurled but dragged slowly into eternity,
through the most horrible death-gates known 10 hui
manly. Only Dante, in his widest Nights of poetic
Imagination. could have depicted Une-half the
no. Tors or
THE BURNING spOTswooD HOTEL.
Not since the burning OF the Old theatre has Rich
mOnd witnessed such a scene,
Built without any brick partitions above the first
foor tine flames having once gotten a headway, any
attempt to check them was worse than futile In a
few minutes after the fire was discovered BY the
watchman, who happened TO pass the pantry where
a stove had been negligenty allowed to burn, and
which, becoming red hot, communicated to the
noor, 1t had crushed with lightning speed from
cellar TO garrett and by the time the
Fire Department had become thoroughly or
ganized for WORK the whole interior OF
The immense structure sheet OF
living fame-mad, wild, hissing name-in lis
resistless, desolating sweep hurliDg athwart the
frosty sky of burning timber, like some vol
canic demon laboring to digorge isel--now silent,
as II to gather new strength; now roaring crack.
ling, laundering, as IL striving to drown
THE sHRIEKs OF IT'S VICTIMS,
the hoarse confused cries OF the remen the shriIl
whistles OF the engines and the agoniZing hum OF
the swaying crowd OF citizens below ready 10 do
and die In the cause OF humanity, but powerless.
Here Is q mother barefooted on The frozen streets,
and just the cry OF fire had startled her her
Blumbers raises thar most agonizlug of cries,
'sAvE MY CHILDRENm
here brother looking frantically for n sister,
a wife pleading for some tidlngs Of her husband,
who when last seen Drawing fire and smoke to
some relation there man stupened by hor-
spirit knows not the meaning Of the latter word
and who having saved one friend, preparing to
rush again into the jaws OF death TO another
Here is young
SAM HINES,
Who has Just brought two friends from the fourth
story out and rushes back for third who is at
the window of his room from the street below; but
now the stairway is in flames. Only one chance re-
mains is jump. He prepares the fearful leap.
Ipra,a tufII l,tr,
Too late; the fire nend has claimed him. volume
Ol black sitting smoke envclops him; angry, forked
flames leap like serpents' tongues rom without the
mass, and his gallant soul is In eternity.
Creeping, writhing, Kissing during he lulls OF the
winters blastrushlng as 1t springs fresh from Its
lar-the demon finally sezes upon two large build
ngs adjoining the hotel. Then the scene il possible
pecomes more fearful than before, mingling as it
does the failing OF walls aud the crashing OF the
noors with the other
HORRORS OF THE SCENE
At one time II appeared If the destruction of
the whole block was inevitable The night was the
seyerest OF this winter the spray from the streams
falling hail upon the hali-ressed inmates OF the
hotel, rs they stood watching the means Of egress
from the building TO il the next that rushed out
brother, sister, husband, wife, son or daughter
or TO give word OF encouragement to some one
poised between two horrible forms OF death and
powerIess, except TO CRY out above the din below,
..sAvE Me / An BURNING ~
This heartrendng appeal rang ont from more
than fifty windows, and rang out only once. 1t Is
not known positively that there were more than five
actual victims Of the flames, but the universal fcal
ID that this does not approximate the number
One short hour and the fire hend had done It's worst
Its progress had been stayed, but Jwo-hrds OF the
block fronting Main street and running back
nearly the same distance was a fiery cnarnel lake
still smoking and seething, but conquered.
When
TIE FIRE FIRST BROKE OUT,
and the wild cry rang through the house, repeated
from mouth to mouth with frantic and despairinq
energy, your correspondent, whose room was IN the
left wing OF the building the third story, woke up
and, after getting some clothes, rushed into the
long passage, now filed with smoke. terrible
scene met the eve through the smoky atmosphere.
The forms OF half-dressed males and females could
be seen rushing, they knew not whither ana shrek
ing with despair Proceeding further to The head OF
staircase all egress was blocked up with an lndls-
crimlnate mass OF luggage and people trying to
cape. Rushing then to the right wing or the build
ing another staircase reached which brought
one to the second oor and here the long corridors
but served as cues to conduct the name through the
building. Continuing on, the ground floor is reached
at last and then the cold Icy air strikes the face
PITEoUs SCENE.
Here ! saw the wife OF Captain McPhail in her
bare feet with blanket wrapped around her, while
her husband, half dressed carried their infant
child, whose piteous could he neard above the
din OF the falling tlmbers ana crashing floors. Bnt
here was
AN ACT OF CHIvALRY
worthy OF mention. A Young man named Towers
.sprang forward pulled of his shoes and gave them
to the lady, and, divestng himself of his overcoat,
wrapped the child in 1t and carried II distance OF
several squares to the house OF friend or McPhas.
Again there was another cry,
"A MAN AT A FIFTH STORY WINDOW ~
4 looked up, and there q. A. SchaifteT, the
State superintendent OF Public Printing, clingng
80 the Sill OF nth story window. His feet reach
the upper OF glass in the fourth story window,
and lie kicks out the panes He places has feet on
y oh hia hon In N Of