National opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1865-1874, 1871-10-27

previous year, ,rpd swept over nearl
, five-sixths of the space included With
the city walls at that date. l llste
, acres. 1t destroyed eighty nine churchC
incluliug st. Paul's), the Royal E,
> change, the Custop-house, Guidhal
,, Zion College aud many other publ
luildings, besides l3, 800 private houses
-Four hundred streets were entirey lai
waste, and about 200, 900 Of the inhabi
tauts of the city were obliged to encam
for some time i'll the open fields q
lslington and Highgate. The most dis
astrous fire in London since that dat
occurred on the 25th of March, 17iS
when 200 houses in the Cornhill War
were destroyed. Many destructive fire
have occurred in the British metropoli
ut later dates, the most recent worth
of special note being the burning of Tia,
cotton and other wharves of Toole,
street in June aud July, 1861. Th'
fire continued raging with great or les
fury for nearly y month. Several per
sons were killed and property was des
troyed to the value of f2,000, 900.
Ga the 9TH of MAY, 1912, fire broke
out in the City of Hlmburg, Germany,
which ragged with great fury for -four
days, DESTROYING about one third OF the
city. Sxty-one streets, containing L.
TAT houses, were utterly laid waste and
thousands of people were rendered home
less. There were few r bic buildings
Of value destroyed, and lat portion Of
the city was quickly rebuilt III much
more substantial manner, than before.
In this country great fires, especially
before the day of improved fire-engines,
have been comparatively frequent, and
New York has had her full share. In
September, 1776, soon after the city
came into the hahds, of the British, 800
houses were destroyed, forming at that
time large part of the town. The
buildings were rather hudlled together
at tue lower end of the island, and were
mostly of wood, and the district west OF
Broadway and below Cortland strest
was swept bare. New York was visited
by another great conhagration, the
greatest in its history, on the 10th of
December, 1895. Six hundred ware
houses, and property to the extent of
over $50, 900, 600, were consumed. Our
oldest inhabitants still remember the
horrors of that terrible disaster. On
the 9th of September, 1889, the city had
another severe visitation, when forty-six
buildings and property valued at SlO,-
900, 900 were destroyed. The next COLI
Migration Of largo extent in this city
took place on the 10Th of July, 1S45,
when 302 stores and dwellings in the
lower part of the city were destroyed.
These, however, were OF comparatively
inferior value, the whole loss amounting
to So 900, 900. 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 generally been confined
to single building or small group.
In the same year of the last great FIRE
in New York, 1916, Quebec suffered
terribly from the same destroying ele-
ment. On the 2S,h of May fire broke
out in the Faubourg st. Roch which
DESTROYED 1,500 bull lings before it could
he quelled. Several lives were also lost.
Exactly one month latter 1900 buildings
we're burned, and by these two contlagra-
ions nearly two thirds of the city was
aid in ruins. The pecuniary loss has
)een stated at IS, 900, 900. In the same
7ear, on the 18th of June, nearly the
vhoe town of ST Johns, Newfoundland,
vas destroyed, and 5000 people were
endered homeless
Albany suffered from great con-
Iagration on the 9th of September 1913
six hundred buildings, besides steam
'oats, piers, anl other property, valued
Together at $3,000,0O0, were burned.
'wenty -four acres of land within the
itv limits were covered with ruins.
st. Louis had great fire in May,
$40, when fifteen blocks Of houses and
wenty-three steamboats, we're consumed !
ausing loss of over S3, 600, ,0C0.
Philadelphia has been fortunate in
aving few great fires, but one occurred |
n that city on the 9th of July, 1850,
'hich destroyed $50 buildings. These ,
'ere of inferior value, aud the whole I
,ss was but 81, 500. 000 though twenty .
We persons were killed, lime drowned,
nj l20 injured
A large portion of San Francisco was I,
estroyed in 1851. On the 81 of May Il !,
re broke ont which consumed nearly l.
500 buildings, causing loss of S3.- :
10000 and several lises. A little over y
month later, ON the ODD of June, 800
ore buildings were burned, valued at
3, 0O0, 600 or more. o
Twelve acres of land in Syracuse were II
lrned over on the Sth of November, a
,56. About 100 buildings were destroy c
|, and the loss of property amounted
, 81, 900, 900. @
The scene most naturally recalled by 1
lis fearful disaster in Chicago is the Il
rrible celebration of the Fourth of y
Ily in Portland, Ne, in 1866. The h
aiding facts Of that great event are still a
esh in the public mind. The fire, be-
nning in boot store on High street, 81
fept north, and destroyed in its course {,
,arly one-half of the city. The pecu- p
ary loss was about e15, t0000C, and I.
ie-fonrth of the population were rem is
red homeless. n
1t seems probable from the reports "
u far received that the terrible fire in
licago has no parallel in modern 81
story, unless in the confaprations fl
ndled by war. Even tine great fire OF c,
,ndon, though relatively more de- f.
ructive, did not equal it in absolute c.
tent. The London of that day was :"
tie more than two-thirds the size OF bi
e Chicago of to-day, having less than
0, 0o0 inhabitants two thirds of Chi of
20 is in ruins, the desolated territory =,
far greater than the fve-sixths of 70
,ndon said to have been Laid waste III kr
66. m