Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-10-14


homes, were crossing the river before the
| advancing columns of flames. The wind
whistled and howled through the streets,
and the bright light of the fire every moment
grew brighter. The heat in the vicinity Of
| the fire became intense, as the winds famed
the glowing timbers to whittier heat.
Still in the lower part of the city in the
vicinity of the great hotels and business the
feeling among the people was more that of
| commiseration for the sufferers i'll tho West
eide than apprehension for their oNn safety.
They did not as yet fully believe that il would
cross the river. Still the wind roared
through the streets, and still the flames
blazed and cracked among the timbers of
fast consuming dwellings and shops along
Jackson street, and north of that street on
the West Side. The crowds in the streets,
in the eastern part of the city, were every
moment growing larger; the noise was in
creasing. 1t was now fully evident that the
fire engines could do nothing to resist the
onward march Of the flames. A feeling of
uneasiness began to pervade the thronging
multitude in the streets.
TIE FIRE CROSSES THE RIVER.
1t was now a little after II o'clock. The
fire was raging along the West Side up to
the river, extending from Jackson to Adams
street. Men forgot the flight OF time-mo-
ments became hours. Some buildings in
the neighborhood of jackson street, on the
East Side, were proclaimed to be on fire.
The jackson street bridge was all ablaze.
The hearts of the people on the East Side
sunk within them. They row fully -real-
lied the magnitude of the danger. The
winds were blowing great sheets Of fire
down into the heart of the city. Strong
men trembled, women shrieked, and chill
dren became frantic.
In an incredibly short space of time the
fire had reached Wells street, and with an
other leap the stately buildings on Lasalle
street were all ablaze. From Jackson street
northward the fire column seemed to leap
forward to Adams, Monroe, and on toward
Madison street. One of the finest quarters
of the city was now swallowed, as it were,
in a vortex of fire. No pen can fully de-
scribe the condition of things at this time.
STREET SCENES.
Truly it would be impossible to find Ian
guage to describe the scenes which followed
the announcement that the fire-fiend had
crossed the river, and was rapidly making
way through the very centre of the city.
1t was now midnight. The heavens were
lighted up with lurid glare, the vast surg
ing multitude swayed to and fro, while above
the roar of the wind, and the cracking of
the flames, rose the confused noise of shout
ing men and waiting women. Merchants
were gathering up their most valuable an
ticles, such as books and papers; landlords
were arousing their guests, and advising
hasty departures; men, loaded with the
most precious articles of the household, fol-
lowed by awe-stricken women and frantic
children, were rushing away from the fire
demon as rapidly as the thronged condition
of the streets would admit; women, sepa-
rated from their families, gave utterance to
shrieks that rang out clear and shrill above
the horrible roar of the devouring flames
and the wild moan of the wind as 1t swept
the fiery deluge along in its march of ruin.
Vast smoke clouds lowered over all the
central and northern part of the city. The
fire-light, reflected back from the dense
smoke, shone with baleful red glare that
was truly awe-inspiring. Strong men grew
powerless, and became frantic in face of the
appalling calamity.
PROGRESS OF THE FLAMES.
By u O'Clock the fire had made consider
able progress on the South Side, and in
another hour it was raging with great fury
as far east as Wells, La Sale and Clark
streets, and as far north as Monroe and Ad-
ans streets. The wind all the time was
blowing perfect gale from the southwest.
Great mass OF flaming boards, shingles, etc,
were carried by the wind to the distance of
half block or more and deposited on roofs,
thus creating fires in advance of the main
column. The first rush toward the North
Il, -, hot
quarter was suffOcating. People could
scarcely breathe. The course taken by the
alarmed multitude now set in toward Mich
igan avenue and the lake shore. The whole
space between the buildings and the lake
was soon filed, and as far south as Lake
Park and even further, were collected, per-
haps, 100000 people by o'clock on Monday
morning,
No pen can describe the scene presented
at 2 O'Clock on Monday morning. The
whole central portion of the city was in
vOlved in ruin. 1t were useless task to
essay to deal in particulars. individuals
were lost sight of in the vast surging multi
tudes turned into the streets. SO particu-
lar localities lost all notice amid the general
ruin of an entire city. And still the multi
tude increased along the lake shore and on
lowed TO remain there. The fire fend was
in close and hot pursuit. Several blocks on
that avenue were ignited from the flying
flakes of fire, and the great crowd was
! pushed further toward the south.
! At this time the fire had extended east to
<abash and Michigan avenues, and was
! moving n&th toward the river. The board
! of trade building, the courthouse, the Met
ropolitan hotel, the post-Office, st. James
! hotel, Sherman house, the fremont
! house, Matteson house and vast number
| of the best business houses in the very ce1-
tire of the city, were all burning. Before
! daylight the whole district between the
river and Wabash avenue, and from jack
son street, was one great fiery furnace.
| Several blocks of magnificent structures on
/ Wabash avenue, extending east to Michigan
avenue, which it was thought for time
would resist the fury of the fiery tornado, al
last succumbed, and were speedily made into
a shapeless heap of ruins.
ALONG THE LAKE SHORE.
The intense heat of the fire in the city
! had forced the vast multitutes collected
along Michigan avenue back to the furthest
verge of the beach, and southwark into
Lake park, and even down to Cottage
grove. The day dawn found not fewer
than $1,000 people exposed to the vino
and mist of the lake, whe had been but {
| few short hours before surrounded by the
comforts of home.
! 1t is impossible to describe the scene pre-
scented by these now houseless, homeless
and in many cases penniless people. Hithel
had been brought the old, the infirm ant
the sick, rescued from burning homes. Il
was indeed pitiable sight to see the pale
emaciated and suffering men, women anC
children, renewed from comfortable touches
and laid out in the open air with perhap:
! only blanket or two under them, and only
the smOke-bazed sky for a covering abOy,
| them The amount of suffering thus en-
tailed upon the helpless sick, cannot b
! estimated.
| A sLEEPLESS NIGHT AND HOPELESS!
DAWN.
All night the fire fiend continued its dreaC
work of devastation. Strangers had beer
hurried from their quarters in the hotels ant
compelled to take their chances, in TIN
general chaos into which every thing wa
thrown by the untoward calamity to TIN
city.
All night the huuying throngs had beer
driven before the fast-traveling flames
Goods taken from burning houses TO local.
ties supposed to be safe were soon endan
gered again, and had to be removed to still
more remote sections of the city, or aban