The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1872-11-15

seen climbing underneath the wood
work Of the roof.
The engines were fairly at work
before any other store had caught.
The buildings in the vicinity were
all of granite, four stories high, and
and each surmounted with a Man
sard roof, none of them being over
five years old. Detached splinters
flew readily as the air was heated by
the terrible heat, and soon the flames
began licking the Mansard roofs on
the opposite side, far above the reach
Of the streams directed upon it from
all quarters. The fire was constant
ly in the air, and one building after
another caught on the roof, and the
flames stepped lightly along from
one window sill to another.
Every cheek was blanched as it
became evident that the whole CITY.
in one direction, was at the mercy
of the flames, which were leaping
gaily from roof to roof, and from one
building to another. The second
building to succumb was directly
opposite to that in which the fire
broke out, and was occupied by
Mofer, Muller d Elms, Harding
Bros. d Co, Bowen, Morse & Co.,
George Lide Carter & Co., and Can
on Brcs., all wholesale dealers in
dry and fancy goods. This was on
the correr of Oils place.
The heat now became internal, the
streets ran rivers of water, and every
moment was heard the sound of
granite blocks exploding, and whole
frames falling in the streets, making
them impossible. The firemen were
driven from one station TO an other,
and many an engine was kept nobly
at work while the hydrant was wet
down with hand hose, and the en-
gineer could only hold his position
while a stream of water was kept
playing upon him. Blocks of gran
ite weighing ten tons were split as
by powder, and hurled across the
wide streets, and plcnks went flying
through the air as if they were feath
ers. The firemen erected barricades
and worked behind them, but they
were burned as soon almost as they
were erected.
An hour had hardly closed before
il was evident that Beebe's block, the
finest business structure in the city,
built of granite, five stories high
with the curved Mansard roof, over
all, must go. Within thirty minutes
the flames were coming out in fiery
pillows from every window, and at
the stairway was a perfect column
of flames. This building served but
as fuel for the flames. Pieces of dry
goods went whistling across the
square, lodging on the window sills
of the magnificent stores on Devon
shire street. Beebe's block stood q
solid wall Of grantite several minutes
after the inside fell, but the heat
warped it and 100000 soon lay a
heap of stone, brick and mortar.
A hurricane now arose, and owing
to the intense heat and perfect sheet
of Goals, drove everything before it.
Every building was heated as if in a
furnace, and caught like tinder. -Four
story granite blocks seemed like
shavings, and deafening explosions
were constantly heard.
A new terror was now added to
the babel of confusion. The tene-
ment houses at the upper end OF
Federal street were fast being licked
up by the flames, and women, crazed
and fainting, were rushing too and
fro, carrying children, crockery,
clocks and bedding in their hands.
one went screaming through High
street with gstove funnel in her hands
while smother was tugging heavy
chest, which would have been a
weight for a strong man. Now and
then few pieces Of goods might be
saved by volunteers, who went in
and spent five minutes, during which
time they could bring out perhaps
hundred pices of cloth. One man,
Marshal Cotter, got out $4,000
worth of kid gloves and had them
placed on the sidewalk in a damaged
condition. He offered a hackman
$500 in vain to take the goods to a
slace of safety. In less than
hour he had to flee for his life and
the flames were not again cheated
of their prey.
The fire was now in Federal street
and the wool houses were going like
oil factories. They could never have
been attacked at a more dangerous
time, crammed from cellar to garret
with hundreds of thousands of dol
lars worth of material, which were
on hand, and which would have been
delivered to customers had it not
been for the horse disease. In one
store alone there was 100000 worth
of wool stored, which was awaiting
delivery. Minor, Beal & Hackett
had their store packed full, having
only put in the last of their winters
stock three hours before the fire en-
veloped it. March Bros. d Pierce
had Just put their winter goods in
the cellar and sent their summer
goods up stairs to be made up.
The paper houses came next, and
with the end of Federal street went
the majority of the large city deal
ers. 1t had been hoped that the fire
could be stopped short off rankin
street, but the stores there were as
vulnerable as any of the others. The
Freeman's National went at 10
o'clock, and an hour later the Ma
tional Bank of North avenue wsB in
as bad condition. The only place
where the limits of the fire were
reached is on Sumner street, where
it began. II swept in northeast
erly direction from there, and can
not tell where it will stop.
The loss, of course, is beyond COM
putation. There must be an insur-
ance heavy enough to carry under
several insurance companies in this
city.
1t is terrible sabbath that is
dawning upon Boston and we can
not tell when or where the work of
destruction will cease. 1t is safe to
say that the fire will not be checked
nntil the dav has far advanced, even