Juniata sentinel. [volume] (Mifflintown, Pa.) 1846-1873, 1871-10-18
FORMER DISASTROUS FIRES.

The appalling disaster which has over-
taken Chicago recalls Ike fearful calaIni-
ties to other cities Of the great Ares Of
history, those III London in 9s2 and 1887.
in which great portions Of the city, in
cluding ST Paul's csfhedral were burned,
are still read Of with great interest,
though the records are but meagre In
1912 another grea: fire. devastated the
city. beginning on the southwark side and
communicating 70 the other. and hemmed
in large crowd of people who were
standing on the bridge. Over 1000 Of
the unfortunate creatures, in attempting
to escape the detourrng element b5 jrrr.
ing into boats and hargss. were drowned.
BY the fire in London, Septem6e- 2Sth,
A. ID. 1866, known as the Great Eire5
400 streets were laid waste 1920 houses
were burned. eighty nine churches, which
number included old st. Pauls, second
time destroyed, the city gates, custom
house, Royal Exchange, Lion College,
and Guild Hall This terrible fire thus
covered with ruins i36 acres, and forced
100000 people to encamp in the open
air in lslingfon and HigEgase fields -
London has had many large fires Since,
but nore whose devastations Nave ex-
tended beyond certain districts, small IT
area, except or July 2lst, 179f, when
600 houses ard an Ea,: India warehouse
filled with saf,peter were burned, sfl,-
900, 900 being lost by the confagration.
The stories Of the great fires in New
York city in the last century are inter
esting. Those who saw these great con-
fagrations are now slumbering in their
graves. but many of their children live
to repeat the oft told story Of their child
hood. These fires occurred wren New
York was occupied by the British troops.
, the first one breaking out on august 26.
! l776, when 493 houses, all on the west
, side of Broad way, from Whitehall to
) Barclay streets. were made food for the
flames. On August 7, IT'S, 800 bui@-
r ings were destroyed in another confa-
grafton the buildings being principally
| located around what was then known as
| Conger's wharf. on the East river. At
both of these fires great difficulty was
experiereed in obtaining sufficient sup
ply of water to be of any service. As
in Chicago. gunpowder was used 10 Blow
up the buildings
: On the 10th Of December, 1885. New
York was swept BY the devouarins ele-
. men., and 64S of the most v-luble storos,
: the Merchants Exchange, The South
Dutch church and proFehsy Vailed at
more than sis. coo, OCD, was soss in She
r flames. This confagration took place in
the 1st ward, east of Broad WY, and be-
low Wall street. On July 10. 1895,
} another great fire occurred in the city,
between Broadway, Exchange place.
| Broad and Stone streets. and s., 900 600
were lost
Ore Of tbe largest fires in the United
States. Of last yeirs, was that in Port
land, Me-. on July 4. 1866. Sixteen
a
hundred buildings were burned, with
loss Of $4,000 0Co5 upon which there
was an insurance OF So, 500 O09.
The great fle in Coustantinople on
the 5th of June, 1870 excited sensa-
ton even at ,his remote distance. Over
1000 buildings were burned in this great
} confagration, and 900 men, women and
children lost their lives About S25,-
600, 900 was the estimated loss
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