Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-07-16
NASHVILLE. TENN, THURSDAY, JULY l6. 1874

NASHVILLE, TENN, I
ping structure or two to facilitate its pro-
gress, but never neglecting TO bring up tne
rear and make clean work Of it. Inc me-
men fought valiantly among these shaheieS'
The most that could be done was 70 pre-
vent 1t Spreading scIthward, and this was
accomplished. 4 steamer wss statlonea az
Harmon Costrt which forms. the southern
limit on State street, and the boJs eoh-
nected Herewith did valiant service. 1hey
fought the fire into
Its Very Teeth,
and 10 enable them to do so, they reafed a
barricade out Of a theatrical sign board,
which was held in front of the pipenens
and thus the 6re was approached 20 closely
that the sign board took FIRE. The WIND
increasing in fury, it broke through the
alley dividing State street from Wabash av-
enue. Now for the first time, about .
O'Clock, the fire began to
Feed Upon the kristocracy.
1t began putting on airs, so to speak. 1t
las and Observatories. Thousands of dol
lars were consumed every minute. The
danger of utter destruction became more
imminent every moment.
More Help
was wanted, and ecscrdingly, teleganis
were sped over the wires to Milwaukee,
Racine, Joliet and other places. They
read: "a great fire is raging. Chicago Is
threatened with destruction. Send US your
fire department." r
In the course cf the night came responses
in the shape Of stal%ert men with ap-
paratus, and they did valiant service IN
| fighting the flames to a smaller limit, with
a wind blowing from the southwest, Mich
igan avenue seemed doomed to destruction.
In fact the thought of saving any portion
! 81 1t from Eldridge Court to point at least
as far north as Harrison street was aban-
dOned, and yet, contrary TO all expectations,
every house in that limit stands intact.
Every house on Wabash avenue parallel to
this was destroyed, bit the narrow alley
betWeen the two avenues stccd barrier. as
if 1t had been an intervening nOutitain.
Every house on Michigan avenue was va
Gated. The street was lined with trucks
backed up against the residences, but
about o o'clock most of the people moved
hack again. The ordeal was safely passed,
and our handsome lake front was pre-
| served. Having reached its eastern limits
the flames fed their way rapidly nUthward,
Three Blocks Abreast.
There was little use trying TO fight it in
the face. Every moment the wind rose
more fiercely, and in the vicinity of the
cOndagratiOn regular gale was blowing.
| The heat was intense. The firemen could
not stand within a hundred feet of it in the
! direction il was speeding. Hence it had to
/ be fought in the flank. There being little
| hope of saving Michigan avenue, though it
was saved, the policy seemed TO be TO fight
it into the lake by closing on its sides.
| This policy was adopted, though efforts
were not abateI 10 save Michigan
avenue.
At O'Clock all danger was passed that
| it would make its way farther southwark.
| In thai direction its limit vas reached and
the force there deployed was soon dis
| patched TO more threatening points, though
! Il was not safe 20 leave the whole ex-
| posed.
At s O'Clock the fire was checked on
Clark street, and then there was no danger
| that It would pass westward. After that
I
! Polk street south. on Clark, around 18th
street TO Wabash avenue where the engage
ment was growing
Hotter and Hotter
| every moment. When the southern and
western ends of the fire had been made Sc
cure the northern and eastern lines of a.
tack were reinforced and the enemy con
fined into narrower quarters. On Harrison
street the fend was forced to gite up Fourth
avenue and Third avenue at Van Bufen
| street. The monster was driven out Of
state street, the St. James being the last
| building 90 5uCcumh. When the fire reached
that point the interest in its IruC-css he
came Intense. Il was moving along both
1 sides Of Stale between Harrison and Van
! Buren,. nthe west side stood massive row
Cf four or five storey marble fronts. On
tie east side beyond the 81. James north
I warl, was an open space several hundred
fee. square. There was a good hope Ii a
stand was made at this hotel. The flames
/ would be prevented from crossing the open
! space. On the west side there was no such
barrier. Il was certain thar the whole row
| would 60 and then crossing Van Buren
street makes its way TO the Palmer House.
Opposite the St. James stood a four story
|
| These were divided from the building
south by single lot twenty-five feet wide,
a mere bagatelle said everybody and no
body anticipated that the little open space
would check the flames, but it did fortu-
nately. \ splendid fre-prOOf wall had
been reared 10 the south. Aiadly the flames
beat against it and went clear over the
building, setting fire to the st. James, But
this wall stood the test grandly, and though
there was fire to the south and 6re TO the
east, and not pint Of water thrown upon
il, the building stands there at this
writing.
A Savior of Untold Millions
1t was the citadel of the cOnhagration. Its
surrender would have given the whole city
over to the ravaging enemy. lnstinCtively
everyone in sight Ofthe scene appreciated
the Importance Of the position, and when
the building TO the south tumbled with a
laundering crash, thereafter harmless,
A shout from $4,000 Threats
rose high above the roar of the confagra-
ton. II was the moment of moments dur
ing the progress of the fire, and fifty was it
commemOrated. While this building stood
the brInt ana onslaught of what might be
called overwhelming odds, a four story
brick apparently out of all danger on the
corner of Wabash avenue and Van Buren,
street, took fire from the st. james Hotel.
An upper window had been left open, a
curtain was set on fire 10y a stray spark, and
in a moment the whole interior, already
filed with hot air, was sheet of flames.
As the flames shot forth, a cry of anguish
was wrung from the spectators, for itSeemed
inevitable that now two more squares must
fall a sacrifice, but fortunately the flames
: were confined TO that and the adjoining
building,andthen northern limit was reached.
} having hitherto Stunned Michigan avenue
; it now turned venOmOusly upon its way
) along Congress street and consumed the
Oceanic building, the structure that once
did duty as the fremont. One or two
others fell and then the fire was finally and
efiectually squelched just in time to save
those noble structures, the MattisOn and
r Garden houses and the Exposition build
ing.
Incidents-POwder POWerIess-
The wooden cupola of the German Evan
/ gelical Church, corner of Polk and Third
avenue was set on IRE by sparks and the