The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1871-10-14

within them in darkness-the most hated and
detested thing in times of disaster and catas'
trophe. They ran l. crowds about the streets,
| meeting crowds rushing from opposite dlrec-
tions, and, In their fright, trying to push tnelr
way through the dense masses Whlch encoun-
| tered them, were tramped down and many OF
them crushed to death in the desperation oi
| the moment.
The vessels in the river then took fire, and
as the flames ran up their masts, seized the
rigging and danced like fends upon the spars,
leaping about from one yard to another. the
scrlption. But there was little thought of the
picturesque among those who witnessed 1t
all was horror and dismay.
An awful spectacle was presented when the
fire, having swept down the river, reached
Lake street. An eyewitness OF the scene
says that the body of the flame presented
| front OF halt semi-cirCle, and behind 1t was
a raging, roaring hell of fire half mile deep.
Nothing material could withstand the surge OF
this tremendous sea of fame. On its advance
northward il had driven the Inhabitants Into
Lake and South Water streets and on to the
| bridges, much as prairie fire stampedes az
| frighted animals. The streets were filled with
distracted people, panic-strcken and hud,
died in mob almost as terrible to behold
as the roaring confiagratlcn. Until now
some instinct seemed 10 have pointed
out this section as beyond the reach OF
| the fire. But when 1t was seen that the ocean
| OF flame was irresistibly whelming everything,
| all dependence on human means OF succor was
| lost Looking down on this awful assemblage,
lit as 1t was By the flaming crimson lghf, ana
hearing the norrid human tumult ABOVE the
cracking of the oncoming fire, 1t seemed like
| the appalling realization of one OF those OLD
visions OF the day of judgment. Au over
whelming sense Of catastrophe beyond the
power OF man 10 arrest, robbed this srrging
riot of wretches OF the usual petty considera.
tions OF life. Those who were strongest and
most cowardly, Knocked the others oo%n In
their delirium; men, women and chlldr IN we're
trampled upon by human herds that fed with
out reason hither and thther, uttering the most
pitiful groans and cries of distress. When the
fire seized upon Lake street, overlapping the
magnificent stores and warehouses which eX-
tend from Lake to the river, and iSniting them
and all their costly contents as If they were so
much tinder, horrible sight was presented,
| for now the thousands were hemmed In be.
| tween the fire and river The stampede was
sickening beyond the power OF words TO tell.
Men and horses were jammed on the bridges.
| Women and children cnging alike to each
other and the most precious OF their house
! hold effects; some of them with their clothes
nearly torn from their bodies ran bindly
| about screaming and moaning. All distinc-
tion of class AID nationality was lost. This
| narrator crossed the Wells street bridge and
reached the track of the Galena Road. He
does not remember how he crossed 1t. 1t
seemed to him afterwards that he was lifted
upon the human waves and thrown blinded
and confused into The opposite street. Here
the smoke was pouring In dense pillows over
the walls and through Wells, Lasalle, Clark
and Dearborn streets. As he turned 10 look
back fiery cincture stretched all round TO
the south and west, and through the smoky
cross streets burned the red glare OF the on
rushing fend with dlstended jaws and lurid
lips. The streets looked like vast oven doors.
At last the morning dawned-and upon what
scene The sun rose lurid as seen through
the smoke which hung above the city like a
curse. That VIII ch at night had been awful In
Its grandeur, looked desolate and wan In the
early light The burnt districts looked like
hell with the fires burnt out. All along the
path of the storm was marked with black and
smouldering ruins. AS one passed down South
Water street and up Market TO the river, care
| fully picking his way through the yet smoking
casionally start up as motion OF the foot ad-
mItted air to the wood below, most horrible
and sickening sight blasted the eyes. Men,
driven by that blind instinct which makes
them, though hopeless, return to the scene OF
that disaster which has ruined them. sought
the spots where once their homes had stood,
and, sitting down on some pieces Of fallen tim
Der, actually wept and wrung their hands In
anguish. One OF these wretched beings sought
his home, and In stepping on hali-charred
beam caused it to spring up, and from beneath
1t came sckly odor. He madly turned and
prIed away the timber, and saw beneath 1t the
dead body Of his son, young man CT about
twenty years of age, who, probably returning
to the house to save something he priced, had
fallen In the flames and been burned to death
roasted alive.
Throughout the day the fire continued with
out cessation. 1t seemed as though the ele-
ments had become demoniac. The wind blew
hurricane as though for the express purpose
Of aiding the flend of ire, who would enter
street with a roar as though goaded on by
demon, yet more malignant than himself who
was driving him to frenzy. Then the fire rush.
ed on at the houses, seized them, and they
were whirled away In smoke and fame, or sent
with cracking walls and bursting beams top
pling to the ground. Yet amid the rage their
fall could scarcely be heard. In streets border
ing on the river. as those In the rear Of Kinzle
and South Water, walls fell with sullen roar
into the water which seethed and fOamed for
moment and then closed above them unrutled.
In Wabash and Michigan avenues, and In all
the places where the richer class of citizens
live, when the fire came the distress vas awful.
Women who had never known what care
was, and consequently were, as one would
suppose, utterly incapable of bearing with
eQudulmlty SuSi u Soioluity % thc uCsli uS'iou
OF their homes, yet here there were many in
stances of heroism and love worthy TO be sung
In story. Mrs. Id, OF Wabash avenue,
had been deserted by her servants as soon as
1t became certain that the house was doomed;
they had gone of, taking with them whatever
they could lay their hands on. She, her daugh-
ter, and her invalid husband were alone In the
house, and the flames we're rapidly approach
ing. There was no help to be expected,
for everybody was bent on saving what he
could Of his own property. There was not
moment to spare, and the two women actually
carried Mr. Id away in their arms and
brought him In safety beyond the reach of the
fire. Such instances were numerous alike
among rich and poor.
Throughout the day the conflagration ragged,
and all hopes Of extinguishing It seemed to be
lost, for the wind yet continued to blow with
terrific force; and when night again came a
new horror was added. Bands OF drunken
aud infuriated men roamed the streets, chant
Ing ribald songs and bent on pillage. 1t seems
singular, yet all experience shows 1t to be
true, that in times OF great disaster men are not
chastened, but the worst part OF their nature
is reused to action. They become moral
maniacs. These men and half-grown boys
broke Into several stores and houses. probably
in search rather of whiskey than OF plunder.
In some instances barrels OF Intoxicating
liquor were rolled into the streets, the heads
knocked in, aud then took place scenes which
battle description in their utter and disgusting
besliality. Men drank till they fell down in
their tracks, and then others took their places,
the bodies of the others who wallowed
IN thn fars q m ino