Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1877-06-29
TERRIBLE FIRE ArsT JOHN, NJ D.

PIE HOMELESS AND A MONEY LOSS OF
$4,000, 900.
The thriving and prosperous city of st.
John, New brunswick, was visited by
terrible fire on Wednesday afternoon Of
last week which takes rank with the great
est disasters Of recent years. or the $40
acres in the city boundaries, 400 we're
burned over, and the 1900 to 10000 resi-
dents therein were rendered homeless.
Starting in the closely built section known
as York Point, the flames swept over the
whole business section and large part Of
the residence section of the city. All the
public buildings except the court house
and Jail, all the banks, except one, all the
newspaper offices, all the hotels, aud ID
churches, were swept away, together with
the whsrves aud vessels at anchor. Scarce
Is provision store was left and great suffer
ing from hunger must have followed had not
Portland anu Bangor, Me, with the near
by towns in the Provinces, at once sent
supplies Of cooked food.
From the many columns Of published
dispatches descriptive OF this great caam-
ity we coudense the following:
The quarter devoted 10 traffic was in the
main well and soldly built of brick and
stone. But the thickly settled portions of
the city were mostly occupied by wooden
houses, like the York place where the fire
originated. A northwest wind was blow
ing at 800 on Wednesday afternoon, when
fire was discovered in McLaughlin's boiler
shop. In Il marvellously short time the
flames were carried over the whole neigh
borhood The fire ran down Dock street
to Market square, sweeping away the finest
aud most substantial buildings. All the
efforts of the firemeu to check The advance
OF the flames were unavaling. A sea of
fire began TO roll its surges straight down
the city. 1t was impossible TO endure the
terrible heat. Nothing could be done but
TO let The fire take its course. Arriving at
Prince William street the fire worked its
way eastward, burning the noble stores on
both sides of the broad thoruughiare Of
King street. At the same time, famed by
the wind, the fire swept down Prince Will
liam street, making new inruads at every
cross street and marking plainly the
doom of the city. The throng OF people
who had been burned out near York square
came down town TO be joined by greater
thrung, including men OF all classes and
conditions, high aud low, rich and poor.
The streets in the way of the roaring flames
were iammed with teams carrying house
hold aud store goods. The sidewalks were
crowded with hurrying people, who had
saved from the impending ruin only what
they could carry in their hands
The suddenness Of the disaster carried
panic TO the hearts of many. So fast did
the fire advance--especially when it reach
ed the quarter of wooden houses south OF
Princess street-that many barely escaped
with their lives. Families were separated
in the great rush Of the multitude for safe
ty; and a just estimate can not yet be
made as to the number who persisted
or are missing. one report says that 30
| dead bodies have been recovered. Only a
| comparatively small part of the city re-
mains uuscathed. The-houses were open
| ed for the accommodation of the homeless,
| but only small part found safety in this
! way. When the fire swept down to the
! wharves 1900 people took refuge on board
! the steamer New York and were carried
ever to the other side of the barbor. 1t
was the cub Of the tide, unfortunately,
| when the ragii g flames rushed toward the
| waters edge. Not only the wharves them
selves, but many vessels were burned and
/ the loss in this respect is enormous.
The following is partial list of the pub
| lie buildings destroyed: The Post Office,
an elegant new building of gray sand
! stone, ornnmented with columns of polish
! ed St. George granite, and surmounted by
a clock tower 100 feet high Bank of New
Brunswick, City Building, Custom House,
| Maritime Bank building ia which we're this
/
| office OF school trustees, ETC., Bank of No
va Scotia new building, Academy of Music
| in which was Knights Of Pythias Hall,
Victoria Hotel, odd Fellows Hall, No. l
Engine House, Orange Hall, King street
| Temperance Hall, King street, east ORA
malic Lyceum. Victoria school house. Tenn
| pie of Honor Hall, Barnes's Hotel, Saint
| John Hotel, Acadia Hotel, the Brunswick
| House, Bay View Hotel, International Ho-
tel, Virgins Orphan Asylum, Deaf and
| Dumb Institution.
The insurance on the burned property is
estimated at S5,O0O,00O. OF the companies
in this country the Atlas bad S222, 900, the
| Hartford 500, 900, the Phoenix of Brook
! Ign 100000 The New York companies
had mostly withdrawn their risks in St.
John from the fact that so large part OF
! the city was built of wood. Contributions
of money in aid of the sufferers have been
started in Boston, New York, Philadelphia
and Chicago.
THE CITY OF ST. JOHN.
ST. John is the chief city of the province
OF New Brunswick and the great CONNER
cial mart Of wide extent Of territory,
Astounding in agricultural productions,
minerals and timber. 1t is one of the old
est cities upon the continent, having been
taken possession of by the French in 1852
and settled by American loyalists at the
! close of the Revolutionary war. In 1871
The population was 2s,s05, and the conligu-
Gus suburb, Portland, contained l., $50
more. The city was well built upon a
rocky declivity, slopiug to the sea, through
which streets running at right angles were
| cut at great expense. There were 20
| churches in ST. John and Portland, of
which the Baptist are the most numerous,
and the Roman Catholic Cathedral, which
is outside the burned district, is the largest
| church in the Province. The city was pro-
| vided with excellent hotels, au Academy
| of Music free reading room under the
| patronage of the Young Mems Christian
Association, and an Academy of Music,
which also served as a theatre. The male
Orphan Asylum upon ST. James street was
| an elegant structure of red and gray sand
stone, which cost 100000, and upon the
military parade grounds there were bar
racks for the accommodation of 1000 SOL
| diers. The Custom House was one of the
most substantial structures in the country,
$50 feet long, built of granite; and it con
| tanned, in addition to the accommodai ions
for the revenue department, Offices for the
| transaction OF the provincial department
| business. The Victoria Hotel bad apart
| ments for 300 guests and was acknowledged
| to lie the best in the maritime prov inces.
| The fire department, which consisted of
three steam fire engines aud all the neces-
| sary appurtehances, has, since 1858, been
supplied with water from Little River by
works having the capacity to furnish $500, :
| 900 gallons daily.
|
MY friends, l thank you for this most
cordial greeting, doubly gratifying because
it is the voice OF New York reverberating
| to South Carolina. l came as / said to do
| IN M 1igfi