Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1871-10-14
THE GREAT FIRES OF THE PAST.

Among the great eonfia yratious of the past
that of LondoR, in September, 1SCe, will always
stand pre-eminent for its terrible destructive
ness. 1t followed upon the great pla que, which
had carried of oRe-thiTd OF the population i'm
the previous year, and swept over nearly ave
siNths of the space included within the city
walls at that date. 1t lasted four days AMI the
ruins covered 436 acres. II a. strOved 20 churches
Qncluding St Paul's,) the Royal Exchange, the
Custom House, Guildhail, Zion College, and
many other public buildings, besides Il, 90 pri-
waite houses. -Four hundred streets were entirely
laid waste and about zoo COO of the inhabitants
Of the city were obliged TO encamp for some time
in the open fields of Islington and Highrate
The most disastrous fire in London since that
date occurred on the 18th of March, 174S. when
200 houses in the COrnhill Ward were DESTROYED
Many destructive fires have occurred I'm the
British metropolis at later dates the most recent
worthy OF special note being the burning of the
cotton ard other wharyes of Tooley street, in
June and July, i5Cl. The fire continued raging
with greater or less fury for nearly a month.
Several persons were killed, and property was
destroyed 10 the value CT f2,OOO, 900.
4, ON the 9TH of May, 1s42, fire broke out in
the city OF Hamburg, Germany, which ragged
with great fury for tour days, DESTROYING about
one-thlrd OF the city. Sixty-one streets, con-
Iainlng l,iiI houses, were utterly laid waste,
al q thousands Of people were rendered home
less There were few public buildings of value
destroyed, and that portion of the city was
quickly rebuilt, in a much more substantial
manner than before.
In this country great fires, especially before
the day of improved fre-engines, have been
comparatively frequent. In New York during
Sept, mbCr, l176. coon after the CITY came into
the hands of the British five hundred houses
were destroyed, forming at that time a large
part of the town. The buildings were rather
huddled together at the lower end of the island,
and were mostly of wood, and the district west
of Broadway and below Cortlandt street was
swept bare. New York was visited by another
great contiagration-the greatest in its history
on the 10th OF December, 1895. Six hundred
warehouses. and property to the extent of over
s2O,0OOctO, were consumed. On the 9th of Sep
TENDER, 1899, the city had another severe vista
ton, when forty-six buildings and property val
ued at S10,000,000 were destroyed. The next
confiagration OF large extent took place on the
18th Of July, 1915, when three hundred and two
stores and dwellings in the lower part of the city
were destroyed. These, however, were of COM
Iaratively inferior value, the whole loss
amounting to S6,000,0O0. -Four lives were lost
on this occasion. Since that time owing to the
increased efficiency of the means employed to
prevent and extinguish fires, they have gener-
ally been confined to a single building OF q small
group.
In the same year OF the last great fire in New
York, (1Si5,) Quebec suffered terribly from the
same destroying element. On the 18th of May
a IRE broke out in the FaubOurg St Roch,
which destroyed 200 buildings before 1t could
be quelled. Several lives were also lost. Ex-
actly one month later 800 buildings were
burned, and by these two CONGREGATIONS nearly
tWo-tLiTds of the city was laid in ruins The
pecuniary less has been stated at SIS 600 600 In
the same year, on the 18th of June, nearly the
whole town of St Johns, Newfoundland, was
less.
Albany suffered from a great confederation
on the 9Th OF September, 1913. Six hundred
buildings, besides steamboats,, piers and other
property, valued altogether at 50 600 COO were
burned Twenty-four acres of land within the
city limits were covered with ruins.
81 Louis had great fire in May, 1S49 when
fifteen blocks of houses and twenty-th three steam
beats were consumed, causing q loss of over
s, GOO COO. WV.
Philadelphia has been fortunate I'm having few
great fires, ut one occurred in that CITY on the
sth OF July, 1880, which destroyed $40 buildings.
These were OF inferior value, and the whole loss
was but 81 900 600, Though % persons were killed
drowned and 100 injured.
large portion of San Francisco was DESTROYED
in 1851. On the Sd of MAY fire broke ont which
consumed nearly 500 buildings, causing a loss
month later, on the ed of June 500 more build-
ings were burned, valued at So 900 900 more
Twelve acres Of land in Syracuse were burned
over on the Sth Of November, 1856 About loo
Duldlngs were destroyed, and the loss OF prop
erty amounted to 81 900 600.
The scene most naturally recalled by this
fearful disaster in Chicago is the terrible ceIe
braGon OF the Fourth of July in Portland Ne
In lee6; The leading facts of that great event
are still fresh in the public mind. The fire, be-
ginning in boot shop on High street. swept
north, and destroyed in its course nearly one
half OF the city. The pecuniary loss was about
slo,oeo,00, and one fourth OF the population
were rendered houseless.
1tseems probable from the reports thus far
received that the terrible fire in Chicago has mo
parallel in modern history, unless In the confia-
grations kindled by war. Even the great fire Of
London, though relatively more destructive, did
not equal it in absolute extent. The London OF
that day was little more than two-thirds the
size OF the Chicago of to-day, having les than
1850 inhabitants; and If, as reported, two
thirds of Chicago is in ruins the desolated terri
tory is far greater than the fve-sixths of london
said to have been laid waste in 1886.