The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-02-23

dent Of the United States, and at d tim,
| when the whole people were eelebfatins
! his Inauguration. It was decided tina
without an infringement OF the freedom
OF the press the government could taxi.
eognisance OF this ineendiary writing
and hold the author atnenable to thu
law provided Tor the punishment 81
persons melting rebellion.
| FIRE.
the burning OF the ST. Asuis bridge ans
| Ccnse auencess
Especial 10 Chicago Times
ST. Louis, Feb. 1g.-At haIf-pssb II
o'clock to. night d fire broke out among
| the frame buildings on Bloody island,
| about d block north Of the bridge. The
| flames spread with great rapidly, NOV
Ing In q southerly direction, and at Ia
o'clock. reached and set fire to the east
ern end Of the bridge. An alarm was
given to the fire department. OF st. Louis
and half q dozen engines were sent
over Ascend alarm followed in ten
minutes, and half the department. was
summoned to the bridge. The engines
went out on the bridge, but on reaching
the main eastern pier, found their way
barred by wall Of flame. A ten-lneh
water.pipe runs over the bridge, and
this was tapped and hose brought
to bear on the hre, SO az to
prevent 1t from spreading west OF
the main eastern pier TO that point
However, the flames blazed with
gines were unable to reach the fire
beyond the east pier, and the last ST..
Louis department. was utterly helpless
TO cope with a eonfiagration of such
magnitude. last Of the last main river
pier the bridge extends three. Quarters
Of mile before 1t strikes the East st.
Louis grade. There is a great deal Of
wood work about this three fourths Of
mile approach, and when the flames
gained a hold on 1t they spread along
the roadways and railroad tracks, burn
ing everything ihflammable, and leavs
ing only an iron skeleton, The road
ways and tracks were full Of tar. and
the illumination lighted UP the
whole city. All along underneath this
approach and on both sides were frame
warehouses. stables, freight depots,
and tenements. These went up La
flame and smoke. adding to the in
tense heat, which 1t Ia feared will ruin
the ifon-work OF the bridge. Most OF
the telegraphie wires run over the
bridge, and several have alaeady parted.
There Is no insurance whatever on the
bridge, and it's financial condition is most
unfortunate. 1t Is now In the hands OF
representatives of Morgan & Sons and
other bondholdefs, aud the receipts
have not been paying the maturing In
terest. The money TO rebuild will prob
ably have to come from public and pri.
yate subscriptions. Under the most
favored circumstances 1t will take sew.
eral months to rebuild the railroad and
roadways. All communication by rail
with the other side OF the river Is cut off
for months TO come. The railroad com
panies will be obliged TO re.establish
temporary passenger depets on the
east side, and all transferring will have
TO be done by the ferryboats., Late as
the hour is, thousands have Hooked to
the leyee, and lamentations over the
misfortune are heard on every side,
Business men declare that no ealcula-
ton can be made Of the Loss which this
entails on st. Louis. The bridge has
come to be used almost entirely Of late
for freight.as we'll "a passenger traffic,
and the old means OF transfer has been
discontinued, 30 that 1t will take weeks
to return even to the convenience of
ante.bridge days.
MEAH ADMIRAL DAVIS.
Death ana Biographical Sketch Of the
Naval Commander
washington untohj
Death has OF late wrought sad havoc
among our old naval heroes. A short
time since we were called upon to an.
lev, and to-day it again becomes our
painful duty to chronicle the "passing
away" oil another OF Americas noblest
veterans. Rear Admiral Charles Henry
Davis died last evening at the Naval
Observatory in this city, In the seventy.
first year OF his age. For more than
forty years he has faithfully and honor
ably served the nation that to-day il
called upon to mourn his loss. Born In
Boston, Mass, on the 10Th day of Jan
uary, 1907, he graduated at Harvard
University In 1895 He was appointed
midshipman In 1923 lieutenant in 1884;
commander ia 1854; captain In 1861
commodore in 1859, chief Of the Blu.
reau OF Navigation in 1891. rear ad-
miral in 1863,
From 1914 to 1sAg he was engaged In
the United States Coast Survey, during
which time he discovered the New
South Shoal and several smaller shoals
near Nantucket, He was afterwards
engaged in examining the harhors OF
Boston. New York and Charleston
studied the laws of the tidal action
and published work on the subject.
he founded the American Nautical
Almanac and superintsnded it from
1s49 to 1856, when he was ordered to the
Pacific la command Of the st. Mary.
He was hest captain In .Dupent's ex.
petition, and assigned to the Mississippi
hotilla az the flag officer In 1894. and re-
pulsed an attack by the Confederate
heet. He attacked the fleet near Mem.
phia. and destroyed or captured all but
one vessel, and the surrender of that
city followed. He was with Admiral
Farragut at Vieksburg, and with Gen.
Curtis at Yazoo Ia 1864. He was Super
intendent of the, United States Naval
Observatory In this city frem 1866 to
1857: commanded the South Atlantic
Squadron from 1867 to 1869.
He received the. degree oil LII. D. from
Harvard University in 1865. He was
again appointed to the position of Su.
perintendent of the Naval Observatory