American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1872-11-30

IL
I. Western Union Telegraph and present Post
Office, State Street near Washington.
= Old South Church, corner Washington ant
Area of Fire-Greatest distance east and west
and south, three-eighths of a mile. Area in &C
an extended scale. If the flame called
| the wind to its aid and was answered with
a hurricane, man sent a cry along the
wires for aid, and from all the cities round
it came almost instantaneously, company
after company of firemen, with their ell
gines, and went CALAMITY to work. As
the great buildings fell around Winthrop
square, along Devonshire, Federal. Con-
gress and Pearl streets, it became evident
that all that region should be abandoned.
All efforts were made to stay it at Wash
ington and State, to which latter, although
it never fully reached. it was rapidly APP
preaching. Shortly after midnight L
gained the roof OF one of the highest ho-
tels in the city it commanded a view Of
the field of domoniac desOlatiOn. cannot
say, if in such moments, where excep-
tional emotions rise, one should be
ashamed to confess himself awed. AS l
clambered upon the roof, some four blocks
distant from the utmost limit of the fire,
and felt the flush of the internal heat
upon my face and the wild glory of the
eXulting confiagratiOn swim i'm its miracu-
lous brightness before my eyes, my heart
Il u
thing of horrid joy which all humanity
and all reason could not quiet. The toss
ing ocean of vivid, vengeful fire, break
ing around and submerging everything,
had in it all the grand emotion of the
ocean, but intensified to the soul in a
manner altogether Undesirable. Here,
the rioting fire waves broke against tall
building, anon they rose above it like the
tide, then with a reverberatiOn, as the
building fell crumbled and fritted beneath
it, it sent up a deluge of sparks like gold
en- spray. There was a wealth of SUBLIME
ty in the picture which, like all things
sublime, caught the mind at once. All
this time brave men were struggling
against what seemed doom. Preparations
were being made to fight fire with fire, as
water had tailed. The marines from
Charleston Navy Y ard, III their blue over
coats. came to the aid of the city authori-
ties as a guard upon the property. The
circle of the fire was rOped round, and
sentinels forbade the thief to enter or
escape. Great masses of incandescent
debris lay heaped through all the burning
district; places unscathed, but threatened,
were emptiad of their valuables as rapidly
as possible-all this while the transfixed
sight was before my eyes. Among
those who stood beside me little was said
and that in low tones. save where youth,
with all youths irreverence, talked silly
The wind veered round and mass of &C
rid, suffocating smoke was carried into
our faces, causing the eyes to run with
water, as though Heaven had sent an an
cry breath to tell us that this was scene
for tears and not for idle gazing or rap
tured wonder. l descended to the streets,
but found them impossible. Every shade
of fear, horror and terror was visible in
the strange. weird looks and distracted
nervous action of the thousands who hur-
ried to and fro. After endeavOring fruit
lessly to pick my way in the direction of
the fringe of the fire, Washington street,
l returned to the hotel. l met thin
faced, gray whiskered old gentleman at
the door, who was smoking a cigar. He
seemed the coolest man L had seen, but he
was loser by the calamity to the amount
of some hundreds of thousands. While
talking to group in the hall l was
startled by loud defamation. We
rushed out mechanically, but of course
learned nothing for the moment:
begun; houses were being mined
and blown up to make the gaps wider
over which the fire would have to stride
if it would go still further. Bold and de-
termined as was the effort. it did not sue
coed. save in one spot, near the water, at
the angle of Broad street. The wind
towards morning grew weary of its help
buildings, like the almost finished Post
Office, stood boldly out, sheltering their
weaker brethren in the rear. Water, too,
was doing yeOman's work, and the flames
gradually lost their violent sway. Along
Washington street, from Summer to Milk
street, two blocks on the southern side
were laid in ashes. Here the firemen
worked like heroes to chain down the fire.
To the north lay the portion of
the city | have spoken OF as con-
tanning the dwellings of the moderately
well to do. This was prize worth
winning from the flames. and heroically
was it wrestled for. Men trembled as they
thought of what might be if the fire once
leaped that street. 1t did not. On the
corner of Washington and Milk streets
was another prize for which the fiercest
fight was made; on the other side Of
the street it was a struggle for home; on
this 1t took a color of devctedness which
will not be wrongly stated as patriotic.
This battle was for the old South Church.
It was for the old landmark which bears
upon its front in plain. bold capitals the
legend. "Old South Church; gathered
1869; first house built 1910. This house
erected 1923; desecrated by British troops
1775.' Its chased spire seemed at times,
in the profane ambition of the fire, as il
about to look for the last time upon the
city it had watched over so lOng-watched
in hone when the colonists We're praying
and working their way to fuller freedom
watched in shame when Burgoyne's
troops used its sacred precincts for rid
ing school to train the would-be cut
threats Of American liberty, and watched
with faith and pride upon almost CEN
fury of American independence. This
was the relic of bitter, bloody and glori-
Gus times, for which they battled and bat
tied not in vain. Millions throughout the
Union will be glad to learn that the old
South Church is saved. As it was in hope
and trembling to the people that the moon
went down. so, after a while, the sun
rose red and sullen out upon the bay, az
if fearing to look upon the havoc the night
had made. The fire was burning danger
Ously in places. but for the most part in
low, lurid way among the ruin it could
not Increase. 1t was a sad sight to the eye
of day. Twelve hundred militamen held
guard over the district through, the day
Thousands visited in moodiness the scene
Of their losses, whether rs capitalists or
labOrer, as the hircr or hired When
night came down once more over this Sab |
bath of sorrow to Boston walk through |
a portion of the cooling ruins was carni- |
val of misery to the spirit. Forgetting