The Fairfield herald. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1849-1876, 1871-01-18
The, Fire in Richmond.

We CoPJ luc lolloWilg SIa Plt
description Of the late terrible CON
h.gation in Richmond from the New
York Herald. The writer was one of
those who barely escaped with their
lives ~ s''''h'
Not year has passed since
swiftly, suddenly and without shad..
ow Of premonition-this city was
plunged into depth Of gloom almos
without parallel in the annals OF
any city on this continent, by the fall
ing in of the ffoor Of the Court of APP
peals III the Capitol building. Since
then FOOD Had spread desolation
thoroughout the State to add to the
list of horrors that have marked the
last decade in this beautiful land,
and now I have to chroeiclc cllami~
ty, which coming at the time it does,
makes Us feel that it is written by the
fates, Getty of the Seven Hills, thou
art doomed"
THE DEMON OF FIRE.
has again ravished it and added to
the destruction of property and loss
Of life. Dcsolatidn, destruction,
death, come hand in hand with the Ice
King. Last night-Christmas Eve,
which never, even in the dark days Of
our civil strife, was aught but time
of merrymaking aud tejoci ng
throughout the Old D,minion-fouud
nearly every house in the city the
scene Of lestivi,y. Christmas morn
ing found the cypress where the holly
had becu the night before. At half
past two o'clock a. NJ, a canopy Of
lire hung over the whole city. In
one short hour, certainly, Eve if not
more Souls were, not hurled, but
dragged slowly into eternity, through
the most horrible death gates known
to humanity. Only Dante, in his
widest flights of poetic Imagination,
could have depicted onc~half the hor
rors OF
THE BURNING OF THE spoTswooD
HOTEL.
-, Not sinUe the Burning Of the old
Theatre has Rich,hond Witnessed such
u SGehe.
Built %ithodt any brick partitions
above the first floor, the flames lav-
Ing ohco gotten headmay, any at.
tempt 60 Check thcni was Worse thaR
futile. In a few miRutes after the
fire was discovered by the Waterman.
who happened to pass the padtry
$kcre a stove had bcen negligently
allowed to burn, and which, becoming
red hot, communicated to the floor, it
had rushed with lightning speed from
cellar to garret. and by the time the
fire department lad become thorough
ly organized for work, the whole in
terror Of the immense structure was
one sheet of living hame-mad, wild
Kissing fame in it's rosistlcss, de-
solating sweep, hurliHg atfwaft the
frosty SKY masses Of burning timber
like some volcanic demon lahoriGs Go
disgorge itself : now silent; as II to,
gather new strength; now foaririg;
cracking, laundering, as If striving to
drown ~ "S ."' .'
THE SHREKS OF IT'S VICTIMS,
the hoarse, confused cries of the fire.
men, the shril whistles of the engines
and the agonizing HUM Of the swaying
crowd of citizens below, reddy to do
and die in the cause wof humanity,
but poTerlcSs.
GAVE MY cfILDREaW
Here brother looking, frantically
for sister, or wife pleading for
some tidings of hor husband, who
whom last seen was Drawing fire and
smoke to save some relation there o
man stupifSed by horror and fear; be-
side him' another, whose gallant spirit
knows not the meaning of che, latter
word, and who, having saved one
friend, is preparing Ito arush.a aagainrinto
the jaws Of death to rescue another
Here isyoung. 1.,
SAM HINES .as..
who has just brought two friends
from the fourth story out and rushed
Back for third who is seen at the
Window Of his room from tho street
below ;bnt now the stairway is in she
flames. Only one chance remains |; it
is to jump. He preparesfor the fear
full leap. Brave hearts will catch
him, If he brushes them. POO lats1 4
che fire f'end has claimed him; A
volume of black, sitting smoke onVel.
ops him angry, forked flames leap
like sorpeuts' tongues from withou,
Che mass, and his gallant soul iso in
eternity.
Creeping, writhing, Kissing during
the lu1ls Of the wintor's blast--fush
ing as ii springs fresh from it's ,lair~s
the demon finally .soisus upon twt
large buildings adjoining 1.-The, hotel.
Then the scene, if possible, becomes
moro fearful than before, ntingling al
II docs tho falling of walls and the
crashing ofthe floor with tho 9th
or
HonRoRs OF THE SCENE.