The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1872-12-20
The Ruins Of BOston-Their Pictures
que Grandeur.


Gaths Correspondent with the Chicago Tribune.
Pass, gentlemen !" he said, and, in
another minute we were under the rope,
and in perfectly quiet and abandoned
piece of wide street, right opposite the
great new post-office. It was Devon
shire street, and all before us we're the
ruins and the low flames, covering
many acres, and very striking and pic
tur&que as they still consumed in the
dark night, Illuminating the wretched-
ness of each other. A rim or frame of
other buildings, scorched but erect,
girt around this great crater of flame
and void on every side but one, and
there we beheld moving lamps of green
and white, dropping along the harbor
on vessels, or shining down the bay,
and, by the palpitating flashes of great
coal heaps, we could see the water it.
self, and some masts withdrawn from
the danger of the ignited wharves.
Where the streets of the burnt district
passed out of it beyond, wall of
blacker shadow, still revealing some
perspective of things plain to be seen
along its rejecting side, met the view
but the tall remnants in the foreground,
bearing their martyrdom of slow fire,
absorbed nearly all cur consideration.
The ruins which I saw in that more
narrow space of desolation were more
imposing, drawn closer together, than on
any like piece of ground after the
Chicago fire. One very high chimney
high and thin, like a shot tower
rose on q slender stem of masonry to
the fullest perfection of its former self
every brick in place and along it the
fire far below shed from every side
such equal illumination that it looked
white as ivory to the very tip. 1t might
have been one hundred and fifty feet
high. Thanking this chimney were
several porticos of iron columns, sup
porting tier or two of granite blocks
apiece, the granite rounded like great
powders but the effect at small dis
lance was that of a number of Grecian
orders surveying each other after some
ancient sack and waste. The corners of
brick structures, were two walls, meet
ing at right angles, buttressed each
other, stood more frequently among the
re manning witnesses of the city; but in
the distance there were early the whole
broadsides of gables Clipped off the
caves, and sharpened up in profile, and
standing there unsupported like the
spurs of higher mountains farther back
and invisible. The eye at one time
could grasp thirty or forty of these
shaggy, or slender, or nondescript forms
of masonry tottering in the black
heavens, polished with light to their
8 lmmits, and often Redeemed there with
Goals still slowly wasting, as if some
sacrifice was extended to barbarian's
deity. Below this higher stage of ex-
ceptional trophies of the town, lower
stage OF ruins rose to q more intel Sc
and far more numerous
than the first I; and still below the sec
ond were hundreds of clumps of mere
heaps of tumbled masonry, choking the
flames and fiues of each other. At last
where the outlines of cellars gaping
open, and lurid with the winters coal,
all on fire at once and emitting gases
and, in these cellars, the gas pipes
twisted off, burned like the taper bear
ers of the Nemesis who had done and
was enjoying this thing.
Behind us the great Postoffice, tie
finest building in New England, and
never yet occupied, stood empty,
through all its open windows taking L.
Elimination on to light its iron skeleton
which stood straight and unwarred,
while the Mansard ribs abcv" the cor
nice stood also revealed against the
frightened air. But in one corner,
L. of
nmn in The second floor was split |
lown the whole face of the shaft, and
The capital was spoiled beyond recog-
nition and as the eye wandered still |
higher up the building it was evident |
hat much of all the granite under that |
corner pavilion. had split like the quar-
.ies of Quincy under the quarrymen's |
wedges.
There" said fireman standing |
,ear, who had been silent as ourselves
N the first awe of his arrival, g" there is
,he wall which saved the postoffice. But |
or that brick wall next door down
would be Mr. Postoffice at this minute!"
Yes. Like a great wing reached up
% cover it, an enormous surface brick
vail, belonging to private storehouse
which had all persisted except this wall,
TODD parallel with the postoffce, cover
ng the back of If, and only a narrow
~. y t.oa,res-u., The FIRE. burning down
Mild street, and down Congress at the
anne time, flashed up in the granite
ace of the postoffice and passed by to
lttack II in the rear, where the store
house nearly touched ii. The store
louse fell, and the united columns OF
he fire tonight around this piece of
tanding wall, and leaped over the top
# it, and peeled the granite corner Of
he postoffice. But the trick curtain
TODD like Notification, the fire swept
round farther and retreated along Lin
lell and Center streets, nearly to the
ustom house; and there stood, all
,laekened, but faithful still, the brick
raH of the private citizen guarding
he Government architecture.
A R,raf Home correspondent says he
urns small onions to good account by
lanting them in the fall In well pre-
ared beds. In Nav or June they will