Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1873-07-16
INCENDIARIsM.
Concerted Attempt Last Night
to Burn the City Of
Louisville.
Three Centers Of the Business P0r
tlOn simultaneously Fired.
The Streets Crowded with Alarmed
People.

LOUISVILLE, July l6.-Three fires,
breaking out almost simultaneously in
three centers Of the business portion OF
the city, startled the whole population
last night, and attracted tens of thou
sands of people upon the streets. For a
time it seemed that q concerted at
tempt had been made to burn down the
city, and an extraordinary degree OF
alarm was felt. 1t is impossible to ex-
press upon paper the terror which pre-
vailed The crowds gathered upon the
streets after the handsome Bamberger
and Bloom blocks, on Fourth street, was
discovered to be in flames, and danger
to the Public Library building was so
imminent. Three alarms coming so
closely together gave good foundation
to the almost universal belief that the
three were the work Of incendiaries, and
every ear was intent to catch the fifth
and sixth alarm, announcing the pres
ence of the scoundrels in another por-
ton of the city.
At about fifteen minutes before ten
o'clock private-watchman Jas. A. Thorn
ton, while walking his beat on the north
side of Market street, between Sixth and
Seventh, discovered very bright light
in the second story Of Conrad Euhler' s
confectionery, No. 229 Market street,
and in a moment afterward it was dis
covered that the suilding was on fire.
Thornton, forcing an entrance, ran up
stairs and found front room in which
was stored large amount of candies
all ablaze and from appearance the fire
originated in barrel containing candy
packed with fine shavings.
At twenty-five minutes past 9 clock
an alarm was sent in from box No. 3,
situated at the corner of Calhoun and
Adams streets. We understand from
fre-alarm telegraph operators that this,
false alarm, was sent by a man who
happened to see few sparks ascending
from Longs chair factory. In the light
Of subsequent events, the statement Of
this man seems doubtful. Another report
was to the effect that second fire had
broken out from some unknown cause in
the lumber yard Of Charles Long & Bro. S
chair factory, on the corner of Washing
ton and Webster streets, but before the
engines arrived the flames were extin-
guished by means of buckets Of water.
The alarm was sounded from box 81,
but before the engines could be brought
out the flames had spread to No. ,227,
occupied by Jake Thorne, q dealer in
stoves and tinware, and TO No. 81, a
china and glass ware store occupied by
Charles Rosenheim. The FIRE had burst
from the second story of a candy fac
tory, and was rolling up along the front
of the building when the fremen paid
their attention to it TO check its advance
in that quarter. Here the fire was sub
dued, and the 6remen fought it back as
it suddenly retreated to the rear; but
at the critical moment when the Ere was
I gathering fresh force. the hose which
the fremen we're using burst and most
Of the stream wasted. The engine was
: stopped. and then the ire spread over
all the portions it had just left. For a
while the situation Of the men vas dan.
gerous. but they stood near the window
waiting for water, undhunted BY the