The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1871-10-25

smoke-cloud. The mantle of night I'M
rolled over the luffIed waters of the
lake. The lurid freight of the still
burning city cast il great glare over
the scene. But never in the history of
man has day closed so sadly with so
many thousands of people watching by
the smouldering ruins of their homes.
Never before has night fallen on ruins
SO vast, so suddenly made.
THE SCENE At NIGHT.
If the day had passed so sadly and
SO terribly, the night came OH with
still gloomier prospects. Toward even
ing some train loads of provisions had
arrived, and an effort was made to
supply the Immediate demands of the
most necessitous. The pangs of hun
ger were in many cases arpeased.
But the smouldering ruins still fit
fnlly blazed here and there, with a
strange, wild light, marking out dis
tinctly the devastating track of the
tornado of fire that had swept through
it.
Further away doomed up the grand
and glowing light of the fire cloud, as
it rolled away beyond the river to the
northward. The clattcr, the noise the
buzz, hum and confusion which had
prevailed during the previous night
had sobercd down somewhat. The ex-
Vibrating effects of the first great
storm of excitement had passed away.
Exhaustion had succeedcd; the 1.-the
movements had ceased. Men moped
acknowledgement sobbed themselves in
to uneasy slumbers wherever they
could fiEd a place under the broad can
opy Of Heaven. The wailings of dis
tressed and homeless chrildren came
borne in snbducd murmpr Oh the night
wind. Policemen, wearied by theil
constant exertioa, lost, their watchful-
ness, and moved about with vacant,
listless air, while the ghonls that haunt
cd the scene of disaster piundered at
will. Devils wearing the form of men
went abont robbiug the helpless and
insulting the feeble and defcnceless.
The sick, carried from homes of COM
fort and laid under the trees in, the
parks and on The beach. expired unat-
tended by groups of sorrowing friends,
died alone, with the earth for coucl,
and the sky for canopy.
Even amid the terrible scenes which
were sufficient to move the very stones
to cry ont i'll an agony of sympathy,
there moved amid tho wreck an d
through the smoke filed streets, beings
wearing the forms of men, but with
minds and hearts filled with more than
satanic maiignity, with deliberate pur-
pose and prepared torches, to assist
the uncomfortable conflagration to a
more speedy triumph. hear that two
of these genii of destruction were
caught with saturated shavings in the
act Of setting fire to q house and were
hanged Immediately on a lamp post.
1t is also stated, and shall be only too
happy to confirm the report, that five
other human ghouls were caught while
maltreating and robbing the helpless,
and snmmarily shot.
But why multiply horrors 2 Why
seek to convey to sthe minds Of Others
the distress of our own. The details
of this unparalleled calamity would fill
u volume. Your correspondent,
wearied by watchfulness, was glad to
welcome the dawn of another day,
which would bring to him relief.
A LAST LOOK.
The passengers depot of the Chicago
and Alton road had been saved, but
the freight depot was burned. The
Milwaukee steam fire engines here have
been using water from the river. The
streets are full of women and children;
teamsters charge exorbitaHt rates; the
Adams street bridge melted away in
great part, and there is no crossing ex
cept for foot passengers.
| Incendiaries are at work in every Sec
OF the city, and half a dozen were shot
down on Monday night for attempting
to fire buildings.
Fuller, Finch & Fuller's building is
| the only one left standing on the south
side of the river. This is a fve-story
brick. Only two banks are standing
-one on West Randolph street, and
the other OH Twenty street.
The postoffice has been moved to Bur-
lington hall. No bread can be pur-
chased anywhere in the city, and per-
sons coming from other cities must
bring their own provisions. The stock
yards are all safe, as also the Pullman
palace cars. Thousands of persons
crowd tile temporary termini of the
railroads, anxious to escape from the
fire and poverty stricken place, but
are unable to get away in consequence
of lack of funds. Not one of Potter
Palmer's buildings are left standing,
and he is considered almost penniless.
The property of the Sturges' who were