, 1870-12-22
TIE WASHINGTON FIRE
Destrlction OF tho Centre Market
Esuusc-7gYo Men Burned to Death
threat 1.oaM Of PROPERTY.

Ue&tf{1E11Dn OIL R0G GGn1fo NAFAcS
Hsousc-7,vo Men Burned TO Death
threat Los. Of property.
Irvn. the Eashing'oa Iatr.st, pte. IL.
Opa Of the most destructive conaagfAtion4
with which ouE city has oeen visited ia / long
tine. Occurred yeAt6nsaJ morning. Tbs pile
Of Nood.shecs, Hty1ed. b5 courtesy. the Centre
Market, which for 70 1ouR has d,sgraced our
70 al who have the interest Of the city 1t
heart, uas totally destroyed by fire., toEether
with vast amount Of provisions, etc, etored
therein.
Shortly after O'Clock fire. xas discovs1ed In
o1e Of tie i1te1or shtds Of the tnatket-bouse,
" Officer Arnold. who Immediately turned IN
IN A]alm from Boz 20. Sca.cely had the hrs
Jet Of frs been seen, than half dozen o1hefA
shot mp IN ~ many different places, and soon
the Nbhls north wing Was hi1loay sos OF Tire.
which 1eaped, and M-Hed, and cracked in ma
fury. ~ II eager to vent its spite before 1t
could he checked by the hand Of man.
Ihs Nhele heavens were iuumin ated with
lutid glaze, and perron standing 1t . dis.
tAIce OF two hundred yards from tho flames
could easily read newspaper by the light
tEe1cft1u.
A vast crowd OF persons Of al ages, eexes,
AID conditions hAd by this Tina assembled.
AID, though some attempts were mads to save
Intense heat rendered them almost abortive-
The e1orta OF Ill we're then directed to- the
rear, wLich had not AZ yet caught fire, But
tcarctly would the effort be male than the
giant toneuns ct fame would leap forth and
selze upon the roofs. which, bsin8 talred over
aid As dry as finder. were consumed Ii rap
idly AZ grass before praills fire, rendering
enhance to the buildings foo1htrdy.
A horde Of rats .usbed ont ~ the flames
approached tbtir hiding o1A:e4, preferring
death from blows to death By turning. ana
certainly this waa tho oniy 'uaiezons feature
OF the spectacle. for it MAS \ scene OF wild
grandeur, aud struck awe into the soula OF
The gazere-on. behofding as thov did nature's
most powerful agent 80 felfalIy exerting
ittelf.
Tbs Fire Department responded promptly,
AID as promptly set TO work Engine No, i
took I.1ss at the El1g Oh Nlntn ss1eo-; No. :,
1t Wills 0ptra House; No ), At the cornar
of Eighth tt1ett aud the Avenue; No. 1, At
the Gunner OF Sesenth and Lonisi.na aveuuo;
and tie Henry Addison, from q -osgetoxn. on
Seventh .tfeel, lust beioE the avenue. TAe
men Of the latter engine we're AIN :st stiael
BY the heat. but, nevclthc!e6e, rendered gaod
service. Tho Metropolitan HOOK and Lsddes
we're needed. FlEe heavy streams OF water
we're dsshed upon the tirc, but 1t WAS found
ukeleeH TO tFv to save any OF the market bu,ld-
ipEa, and therefore the attention OF the hre-
Mtu Nhs trrnad to tbs houses on Seventh and
Ninth stteers, ~hich werc in .mminent danger.
Fortunately, theta was but Gttlu wind, or the
cotssqceuces would mcHt Assuredly, have
been DISASTROUS The woodwork OF tho doors
AID windows Of the American House and tbs
house ciacent VAS warpEd and hlistered by
tho heat, aud al1zge pllte-glsea in the Seventh
street door Of Ir. Samuel Naconfa grocery
was broken. Through this aperture, Lieu
tenant kelly, Sergeant Johns7n, and ofRse1s
dozen keys Of powder and other explosive ma-
terial, and boro them OF ut the risk Of being
blown to ntons- In spite Of Al! the e1ettious
Of the fltemen, aud they worked like bezvers,
the whole group Of buildings Was soon Que
vast vast shee. Of susging fame, aud al that
nnuic..ing to tho houses on sayenth
and Silth stIeets, which wes enec-
tnalls accomplished. The only bulll.ug
in Market squire that eecspcd WAS tho fl ID
market and the Line OF stalls parallel, which
can ne rendered ft for use BY tomorrow.
TO uriyo at, sona placing It a. high ss s4o0,-
0o0. Ii u fItain that nearly every dealer in
tho market Lost something, 2ud yo1y little
Was saved. The loss viii fall upon those,
too, WHO are hut littfa able tc stand il. An ong
the lcsers were Mr. McElfresl,. SlOu; Auler.
Sir. aassenEeimer- $500; Coleman L s'on,
800; Edward Hauereley, S5o5; Mt. L.ese
s1o0; 3lr. Whi,n.lre, $40: Iohn Scott, 99o
| Jeecph Fisher, $50: s. II. Donaldson, $50
| Joseph Norton, $1,000: II. C..LaFontatue
| q. ". Miller, Alfred Les, Alfred Jones
bradley Bios Chtiies brown, Dsnrien1
Eros., Benjamin pette1l, Mr. cfoSiey. Mr
hcayicet loress. The latter aloue lost Il 500
| The origin Of tho fire is unknown, It il
| rhtd that Mr. Mesnahau waa In his etalf, ot
Ninth street, late at night, and he may h1vi
accidentally communicated fira to some CON
buat1ble matter without observing it Th
l 4$%A ~ hi nr3A
for the fact that tho Hlmea burst forth in sev
| cta1 quarters almost einult ,ueously, nrEu,
that the fiEe tn tho first instance re sched th,
gas pipes. which EXPLODED throughout th,
market. On the ether hand. aEd tl,is SEEM
to be The presalling impression, II is contend
| This appears the moro plausible theory, =
two mcn were eeen leaving the Seventh stree
wing Of tho market bnildipg \ short time be
fore the flames busat forth.
After the fire lad been nearly oxtingusshSd
| at d lstc hour yesterday morning.. tn
cha,red aua shastly re.uains Of two n,eu wet
| recovered ttom the ruins Of tho atall OF Alr
| Alfred Jones. on Ninth street. tbs bDdie
were nlnott entirtlr consumed, and pyeaeute
htr1ic appearance. They were carried
the Central Gusrl House to await identifies
tion. On one OF the bodies wss found pacl
age Of letters. which, having fallen unde
meath tho unfortunate mar, vera prescrve'
frurz . hict, II sras a>cettaincd thst his nau
Wis II. A. lloyd. On the finger Of the 9th,
uns a 1,'ain gAld ring.
The s;at,on-h honee WIS thzanEefl during Il
Il morning with anxious parties ~tioee frien'
=. wrro msssipg, and a number Of 1alies c1u
Hto thu1dettd and wcrh at the tesrful spe
t&cle-
About O'Clock the brother ct Dovd idcni
led his remainr, and shortly alterEAra Il
other corpse WAS recognized as Solomon Has
mord, huckstsr, ! yonne rnsn s'oas
vesrs OF age, we'll and fsvorably known in Il
| city.
Mr. BOYD was shout Is years o. age, n
tive OF Prince Georges County. Maryland.
came to this city soon after the war. and y
employed ~ = messenger in Que Of the d
pa1tmen.r. OF late he has baen acting Is o.
Ut tbe conssabulsry Of the Grand Army Of Il
llepublic. He was yourE man OF = gen
Temperament, and Was much beloved by I
[ ansrcihiaa.