The post. [volume] (Middleburg, Snyder County, Pa.) 1864-1883, 1871-10-26


night Of the 10th OF December, 1885.
At between eight 4 nine o'clock on thu.
evening tho FIRE was discovered 10 the
store No. 25 Merchant, Street, q mar
row street that led from Pearl toto Ex.
change Street, near the then Pos,
O0i;c. Tho flame. spread rapidly,
and at 10 o'clock forty Of tho most
valuable dry goods s,orss 10 tho city
were burned down or on fire. Tho
narrownes, Of Merchant street, and
the gale which was blowing, aided
the spread Of he destructive element
The night was bitterly coll, aud,
Though the 6rcmen were most energct.
ic, the freezing Of the hose and the
water 10 their defective ongin's, aon.
bined with their suiierings fron the
weather, made their efforts of little
avail. The fines sprcaI north and
south, cast aud west, until almost
every building on tho ora boun lei by
Wall, South aul Broad streets, anj
Coenties slip, was burnin,, gnttoi or
levoled to the ground $50 buildings
were destroyed they wsro Of the
largest and most costly description,
and were filled with the most valuable
goods. The to'al loss was $4,000
900.
PHILADELPHIA, 1859
This fire originated about four o'clock
on tho afternoon Of July the 9th, 1850
10 a store at 7s North Delaware ave.
nue.. 1t was beyond control whom dis
covered, AMI som spread, despi itc the
most strenuous effort to prevent it,
to the store houses adjoining. When
the fire had reached the cellar Of the
building in which it hal originated
TWO explosions occurred which rent
the walls of tho building all threw
ilikes Of cJmbustiblc matter in all d.
rections, setting fire to many other
buildings. Su ldcnly a third and most
terrible explosion occurred, by which
children werc killed and several build
u number of men, women and
iogs demolished. This disaster causel
a panic among the tircmeu aud spec.
totors, aud in the effort OF all to es-
capo from danger many warG
trampled upon and injured. Some
were thrown into the Delaware aud
o,hurs jumped to get away from the
falling bricks and beams sent up
from the burning building by the cX-
plosion. The number Of persons who
lost their lives by tho explosion was
about thirty, nine persons who jump
cd Into the river in a fright were
drowned aud abjut one hundred per-
sons injurrl. The area over which the
fire spread contained about four hun.
dred buildings The ,o,s was abolt
oue million dollars, aud til, fire wolld
be comparatively small one had
there been no loss OF life.
rITrsBuRG, lsi5.
Pittsburs, Pa. was visited by most
destructive coufagra,ion on the 10th
of April, ls4j, Twenty squares, con
tanning about eleven huudrcl buill-
ings, wore burned over, 81 sh)rt was
the time between the discovery of the
flames aud their spread through the
city that many persons were unable
to save anv Of their household goods,
while others, having got theirs to the
walk, were compelled TO a,c and leave
them to be seiz,d and destroyed by
the element. The merchants were
equally unsuccessful in saving any.
thing from their warehouses, Tho
loss was cstimatnd at $4,000, 900.
PHILADELPHIA, 1868.
The most terrible c9uaagration Of
which Philadelphia was the theltre-
after that Of Of July, lS5o-occurrcd
there 90 the morning Of February s,
1868. Like its predecessor i; brought
death to many, and iu the most horv
rible and painful manner. The fire
originated among several thousands
of barrels VI coal oil that were stored
upon an open lot on Washington sLeeet
near moth. The flames spread thro'
the oil as fit had been gunpowdsr,
and in a very short time two thou
sand barrels were ablaze aud sending
huge column of aame aud smoke
upward. The residents Of the vicinity
awakened by the noise Of the bell le
aud fremcn, and frightened BY the
glare aud uearness Of the FIRE rushed
ip their night garments into the
streets TINT we're covered with snow
and slush. The most prompt to leave
their homes got Of with their lives
but those near the spot were the fire