The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1871-10-19

The suffering on the north side is heartrending
to witness.
Great Fires Of the Past.
| Among the great confagrations of the past
that of London in September, 1865, will always
stand pre-eminent for its terrible destructive
ness 1t followed upon the great plague, which
had carried off one-third of the population in
the previous year, and swept over nearly five
sixths of the space included within the city
walls at that date. Itlasted four days, and the
ruins covered 436 acres. It destroyed eighty
nine churches tinciutling ST. Paul's), the Royal
Exchange, the Custom-h house, Guildhall, Zion
College, and many other public buildings, be-
sides 1920 private houses. Four hundred
streets were entirely laid waste, and about 2O0,-
900 of the inhabitants of the city were obliged
to encamp for some time in the open fields OF
Islington and Highgate. The most disastrous
| fire in London since that date occurred on the
25th of March, 174S, when 200 houses in the
Cornhill Ward were destroyed. Many destruc-
tive fires have occurred in the British metropo-
lis at later dates the most; recent worthy OF
J special note being the burning of the cotton
and other wharves of Tooley street in June
and July, 1861. The fire continued raging with
! greater or less fury for nearly month. Several
| to the va}pe of E2000,00O.
On the 5th of May, 1912, a fire broke out in
! the city of Hamburg, Germany, which ragged
with great fury for four days, destroying about
one-third of the city. Sixty-one streets, con-
tanning 1,747 houses were utterly laid waste,
and thousands of people were rendered home
less. There were few public buildings of value
destroyed, and that portion of the city was
| quickly rebuilt in q much more substantial
manner than before.
In this country great fires, especially before
\ the day of improved fre-engines, have been
comparatively frequent, and New York has had
her full share. In September, 1776, soon after
1 the city came into the hands of the British, 500
houses were destroyed, forming at that time a
large part of the town. The buildings were
rather huddled together at the lower end OF the
slandj and were mostly Of wood. and the dis
.trict west of Broadway. and Glow Cortlandt
street was swept bare. New York was visited
| by another great conaagration, the greatest III
its history, on the 10Th of December, 1850
Six hundred warehouses, and property ITO the
extent of over S2O,0OO,00O, were consumed.
| rors of that terrible disaster. On the 9th of
September, 1889, the city had another severe
visitation, when forty.six buildings and proper
| ty valued at $40, 100000 were destroyed. The
next conHagration of. large extent III this city
took place on the 10Th of July, 1S45, when 3o2
stores and dwellings in the lower part OF the
city were. destroyed. These, however, were OF
comparatively inferior value, the whole loss
amounting to 100000. -Four lives were lost
| on this occasion. Since that time, owing to
the increased efficiency of the means employed
ITO prevent aud extinguish fires, they have gen.
orally been confined to single building or
small group. ~. :. .gu lHs
In, the, same year of the last great fire in
New York 1915, Quebec suffered terribly from
the same destroying element. On the 18th OF
May O. fire broke. out in the Faubourg st. Roch
which destroyed 1900 buildings before it could
be quelled. Several lives were also lost E1-
actly one month later 1900 buildings were
burned, and by these: two contagrations nearly
two-thirds of the city was laid in ruins: The
pecuniary loss has been stated ut SS, 5000, 900.
| In the snlne year, the 18th of June, nearly
the whole town of ST.. Johns, Newfoundland,
was destroyed, and 5000 people were rendered
homeless. !. ..a.- l. Il 4 - -.
Albany suffered from great confagration
on the. 9th of September, 1913. Six hundred
buildings, besides steamboats,, piers, and other
property, valued altogether at SS, 900 O00, were
i burned. Twenty four acres OF land within the
| city limits were covered with ruins.
| St. Louis had great fire in May, 1919, when
| fifteen blocks ofhouses and twenty-three steam
boats were consumed, causing loss of over
$3, ,OOO, 900.
hilldelphia has been fortunate in having
| few err at fires, but one occurred in that city
on the 9th of July, 1850, which destroyed 800
buildil gs. These were Of inferior value, and
the WIN lie loss was but 81 500 900, though TWEEN.
ty-fye ersons were killed, nine drowned, and
| 12O inju ed. ..
a S.:ge portion of San Francisco was de-
stror.d in 1851. On the 3rd of May fire
h1oke out which consumed nearly $500 build.
! ings causing loss of $500, 600 and several
lives. A little over, a month later, ON the 22nd
of June, 500 more buildings were burned, val
ned at S, ,00O, 900 or more: :,
over on the 9Th of November, 1850. About
100 buildings were destroyed, and the loss Of
property amounted to Sl,O00,000.
The scene most naturally recalled by this
fearful disaster in Chicago is the terrible cele-
bration of the Fourth Of July in Portland, Me,
in 1866. The leading facts Of that great event
are still fresh in the public mind. The fire
beginning in a boot shop on High street, swept
north, and destroyed in its course nearly one
half of the city. The pecuniary loss was about
S15 600 600 and one-tourth of the population
were rendered bouscless.
1t seems probable from the reports thus fal
received that the terrible fire in Chicago has
no parallel in modern history unless in the
conAagrations kindled by war. Even the great
fire of London, though relatively moro destruc'
tive, did not equal it in absolute extent. Tho
London of that day was little more than two
thirds the size of the Chicago of to-day, hay
ing less than 25000O inhabitants; and if, a:
reported, two-thirds of Chicago is in ruins, the
desolated territory is far greater than the i've
sixths of London said to have been laid waste
in 1866.
- The Chicago Tribune, of Sunday morning
TINS prefaced its account of the fire on Satur
day night-a preface that events have invested
with the character of Porteenttous prophecy, /,