The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1872-11-16
humorous incidents Of ire rsostoa
TBoston Globe, 1sth.l.

Hannnoreus incidents OF The Eoss0n
Fire.
boston Globe, istii.I
An amusing diversion was created by a
| tall, well-knit, and rather rugged specimen
| OF humanity who stood gazing at the fire
with the deepest interest. Every now and
then ne would take vigorous bite at large
hunk OF tobacco, and chew with an energy
that knew no tagging, bat without taking
his eyes from the fire, which appeared to
fascinate him. As the flames made Roadway
he moved uneasiiy, shifting his weight from
one foot to the other, aud chewed with re-
| newed animation. Each new building that
fell a prey to the fire seemed to cause him to
experience the most poignant despair. His
glance was not SO strongly marked by SYM
pathy as by anxiety. His sallow jaws seemed
20 elongate with every fresh building that
went down. His dress and appearance did not
betoken man who had any enormous amount
OF property at stake there, and the general
impression among those who observed him
was that bis alarm was caused by prospect
of losing his situation. Presently, when the
flames seemed as though they would ene1llpb
the Whole city, he turned his pale face from
the flames, and addressing q party by his
side, exclaimed with no less pride than dis
gust, Psho! 1t can't be done. The place
| amt big enough The Chicago fire knocked
this all to spIinters. Yes it did, I tell Won.
was born there, and ought to know. !
| tell you, sir, Chicago is bound to be ahead on
this fire yet and he walked away. his face
glowing with patriotic fervor and an express
sion OF the most unbounded CONTEMPT over.
| spreading his countenance for the miserable
! failure that was certain to attend all enyious
attempts OF Boston to rival Chicago In the
matter of fires.
The number Of tipsy men who were to be
seen in the neighborhood of the fire battles
computation. They sprang ND without
| warning in NIL directions, tumbIiug into the
| n2ud, stepping into man.holes, tripping over
o3structions Of every description, and pick
| Ing themselves up again with that soddep
| indifference to pain and inconvenience that
| Is SO characteristic Of the enthusiastic de.
y"tee at the shrine of Bacchus. One of these
| had large bundle wrapped in q white sheet,
which he was dragging after him through
| the mud and mire, and which had the effect
OF stc1dying him to some extent, and pre-
vented him from falling. How many people
ne swept on their feet us he pulled his
! load alter him will never now be known.
Ills progress was suddenly brought to n
stand-stilI by policeman, who seized him
| "'-N 'Ss5at W IuSStlOl &llll regarding the
! right by which he kept company with the
| bundle, but the only reply elected was stu.
| pld stare from a pair of lack-lustre ewes. n
| hiccough, and the exclamation: "Aiye.ri,
missur. Big fire down 'ere. Wha'll yer
| takc:" No shaking, hustling, or remon-
STRANGE could win another answer from him.
AT length the policeman began to drag him
away, bundle and all, when the tipsy man
| loosened his hold on the bundle and said 2:
"Look-a-here, missur policeman yer goin'
| to take me up, yer mayzwell carry mer bum
| mel, too. Pm willin'. Mines whiskey; wass
yournf" And the last seen of the pair was
the policeman dragging the bundle with one
| hand, and with the other grasping his pris-
oner's collar, causing tn, worthy to perform
series of gyratlons In which he got over a
great deal Of ground without finding 1t ne
ccSsary to take very short steps.
One woman, frantic with terror, was seen
rushing down Deyonshire street with cheap
but large looking-g!ass in her arms, which
WAS cracked in all directions with great gaps,
where pieces of glass had fallen out. Her
| face was as full of stony terror as If she had
gazed upon the head Of Medusa. Every now
and then she looked backward over her
shoulder, and the sight that met her view
seemed to fill her with an additional fear, for
she flew along rather than ran. Suddenly
she tripped and fell squarely on the pave.
ment, with The looking-ghss under her. II
was crushed into splnterS, but she, unheed
ing, regained her feet and Selling the frag.
ments Of the frame, huggsd them to her
heart and sped on her frantic course like an
arrow shot from bow.
Some Of the signs erected Ia the burned
district are remarkably funny, and show
the good nature and philosophy that pre-,
walls to so large an extent among us, and
which is so distinctive feature Of our na
tional character. One sign reads, "Remoyed
for repairs -; another, "Gone up: another,
"Grcat sacrifices here; another, "Closed
during the heated term; another, "Out Of
evil cometh goods; another, "a burning
shame; and so on to intinity. We have
not the space at command to detail all the
humors that have arisen out of, or have form
ed . feature OF, our misfortune; but such a:
we have given are fair sample Of the whole
and with these we must content ourselves
for the present.