Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1871-10-20
The Great Fires Of Modern Tines

The Great Fires Of Modern Times.
From the rsl Mo!nes Rcesstey. 80 Ffaili Be-
As All accompaniment to the ac-
coant Of the Chicago fire, we present
ashort statement Vf ell the great
|confiagrations Of modern times. We
nave CLEANED these statements from
many diffarehts0nrces: sA
rHk cReAr rms IN IoxpoS \,
occurred on the second day of Sep,
tenber, 1866, aud lasted four day 8 aud
lights, aud In that time reduced 10
shes five~sixths nf the whole city
within the walls. The ruins covered
space of more than a mile long and
I half mile wide. TIE value on
buildings and goods consumed was
about $50, ,u0U. .O00. Thirteen Thousand
swo hundred houses were burned.
lover 200 ,00O persons were thrown out
of house and home, and had to en-,
camp at Islingtou aud HighAate
aeids In the s1hnrbsof the city. Dr..
Llngard gives the following aceounts
OF the fire IN his English History: !.
During the day the wind which.
blew from the east, hourly augmented
IN violence; and the fire spread with
astonishing velocity, isaping from
roof to roof, and frequently igniting
lnouses at distance and Id apparent
security. The following night-.if
night says an eye witness, that
could be called which was as light as
tay for miles around, presented a
anhgnificent but appalling spectacle.
A vast column of fire mile In dian,
Ester,a was eecu asoelsfllng 10 the
Eclouds !; the flames as they rpeo were
tent and broken, and shiyered by the
| Jury of the wind: aud every b1asf
scattered through the air innumera-
ole flakes OF fire., which falling on
lnlnaWmable substances k kindled new,
CONGREGATIONS, the iurld glare OF the
sky the Oppressive sheat OF the at
and The falling Of houses and
lchurchea, combined to fill every
ureast with aston.shment and terror
While the storm continued, the con>
hagratfon babe defiance to all the OK.
ertions OF hntnan ingenuity or pow.
ler. AZ last with the ard OF gunpow.
Ider large openings were made, and
the confiagration, being thus prohib-
Iited from extending Its ravages,
Igradually died away, though snpnths
Telapsed before the accumulation of
Iruins ceased to present appearances
OF heat combustion.,' :
THE BURNING OF MOSCOW.
AS Napoleon Bonaparte was march,
Ing his army into Moscow on Sent.
10, 1872. the Russian authorities de-
termined to burn th ci ty rather than
allow IL to be occupied by him.l--
fhey accordingiya distrihuted com.
buslible material throuvhout the
city, ready TO be lighted should his
army eater it. His entry and at
tempted occupation Of M0scow and
the subse Inent burning OF the city
" the Russians, are matters OF hjs.
tory, from witch we quote the fol-
Iowinf. sN a5u&S4 ItAlHsf t4sk5
ION Wednesday, Sept.5, 1872, Ma
poleon took up Lis head quarters i'm
the kremlin. aud OF the same day
the fire broke out in the shops of the.
kitat Gorods lheg night Of the I8th
was Illuminated by The fire of a gen.
erai conf1agration. The explosion OF
the balloons co. flame which vese
seen falling from the tops of towers,
showed The means which were jboiug
taken 10 spf6ad &the hfe. Al vast yea
[of hame Illuminated the horizon for
miles. and announced to the mn hap
py Muscovites who sLili linecred
near the town. that thelr hon51 = "a
longer existed. Tho dif&f6nt 66 ~
terA OF the town took 0fo: 6uf61 !.
and disappered all ~ ofi0s. Hen ~
Of calcined and blackened stones In
dicated the spots where houses had
stood. The silence of terror was
only Interrupted by o roaring like
that of the waves Of q stormy sea
this was produced by the wind,
which, driving with violence the
torrent Of flame. hurried afar and
VIDE the destroying element. From
time To time whole buildings fell with
orann. Whenevef tlte eye turned
nothing could be seen but smokiug
ruins. or devouring flames. Ever and
anon was heard the mournfui toll of
bell which sounded like the signal
passed between one and another
equal OF destruction. In spite Of the
vigilance OF the sentries posted at the
houses, the fire spread M IL 10 had
been driven by an Invisible power.
Although 4 great part OF the town
was built or wood, II took many days
Fof general conflagration to CONSUME
it, AT last In most quarters Of. the
town there were left 60 few traces OF
habitations that the streets could
hardly be recognized. Human bod
les half burned, and the dead ear
casses Of horses, cows and dogs. lay
In the midst of the ruins. 30, 900
houses, besides a great number of
palaces, were reduced TO ashes :;
scarcely 5000 buildings were left
standing. The private losses By the
destruction of houses and their con-
tents was calculated at not less than
$50, ,000. 900 sterling, ($i50, ,000, ,0O0j and
this was probably under the mark
Tue first torch which set Moscow
abIaze, was said to have been sups
piled by Count Rostochone, the Gov
ernor Of the city. -
FIRES IN CALIFORNIA.
The city has been. several times
partially destroyed by fire, which
Becm TO have been of more frequent
occurrence there than III any city on
record. OF the fires that have Wis
tied Constsntinople, shout the larg-
est is one that occurred I'm 1852, by
which $500 houses were destroyed.
cosFLAGRATroNsAr JEDDo.
Dorffnin his "Recoilections of
Japan, relates the pArticulars Of
great fire which ragged twelve hours
In the city of Jeddo, and which seon-
sumed all the houses. and everything
within the space OF three leaeues
(pine milesl In length and snnile
| and half In breadth. Among the
Ibuildiugs destroyed, were fifty-seven
| palaces oE PrIncc6 and there we're
/, ,2r0 persons either burned To death
or drowned, among whom was The
daughter Of the Prince OF AVN
Their walls OF clay, tfmbers and par-
titions OF deal, mated roofs, and
roofs Of shingle, sufficiently account
ed for the extsns Of catastrophe. -
The fire was at last extinguished by
/ rain.
I 10 our own country we have also
had some terrible confiagrations ),
I which, however. sink into insignia
kcanse~1h 1hens onmparsd with this
1Fi's's| ;..
Oh SdS l16k lsye v DscsfsSer, 1895
fho sa<,nk du~truoffva n - that ..,~,