The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-02-18

The flames played around this wall for fully half
hour. and yet the wall did not orumbe the words
become cfaced TIL the wall Itself crushed by the
falling tmbers. 1t was now nearly nine O'Clock. The
flames had done their work with wonderful rapidly,
and while they rosred between the broken walls
Of where once stood the huge armory building,
Tweuty-third street itself was scene OF ruin and
desolation, the houses the north side with their
shutters closed and their walls steaming az tho
water spIashed against them from the street below,
and the block Itself turned into mound Of bricks
and broken iron and general debris.
From every side streams from the engines still
poured upon the flames. the roofs OF The houses on
the opposite being taken possession OF BY the
nromen with the hose the readily 10 get good
point of vantage from which to delugs the nre
TIE srREPLE TAKES FIRE
During all this time the graceful painted sptrc of
the church stood out In dark relief against the
background of orange colored fame and smoke
that rose from the furnace OF the ruins. 1t was
doomed, for the falling OF tho easterly walls
Of the armory upon the roof of tho church.
which the nremen had justs Quilted settled
The fate OF the sacred building The northwest corner
OF the church near the roof had caught, and the nrs
spread through the Interior, which yielded it.
ready fuel There was congregation and no wor-
shippers were coming but never church moro
brilliantly lit up within. The windows giowed with
their coIored lights, and even the windows high
up In the tower beneath the spirs were glowing
brilliantly. Surely the flames would creep up through
the funnel OF the spre, It would burn and fall Such
was the thought Of the unlocking thousands as they
the stsspis still standing out DARK against the
orange cloud through which The golden sparks
IN millions and millions were floating
and Cling But the willy artiHcer that was max.
ing tho gorgeous show had arranged another means
for hurrying the stecpe to the ground. At the sum-
init Of the spire collation. OF zinc Instead Of a
cross Tho heat and the sparks were swiftly getting
It ready for display.
TIE FANCY OF TEE YrAxEs
Al about . quarter part eight small flames or q
bright Nile green were seen playing the foliage
~ the point Of the spire and loud murmur
the throng packed along Twentytnird street back TO
Mad son square. small Jets Of this green fame
spurted outward from the zino which was pass ny or
In vapon They sbons with Intensity against
the orange cloud behind, ike q pyrotechnic
display. Soon the flames took hold Of the wood
work below the summit and BY foot clomb
downward, showing their forkod tongues from every
opening In the spirs In little while the covering
that seemed OF slate began fall of and then the
whole spirs Of fame. Its shape was early
defined, and II from aiar like an uplilted
lance OF IRE, worthy Of the grasp OF the mighty
angel that stood at the gate OF Eden when SIN arst
wrought mans ieiL In quarter oil IN hour, when
flames bad fed fat upon tmbers OF the spre it
grew lees bright only to look Tor a moment
more beautiful still Every timber oil the wasting
structure glowed cea skeleton
IRE. from which momeutariy tho bones were crum.
bling away aud sending up sh Of sparks 90 they
crashed downward The white, vaporous looking
streams from the engines swers PLAYING upon the
tower, bat aid not reach the sprs itseit and could
not have saved 1t II they did.
THE sPiRE FALLS
THIS con ion lasted Tor about quarter OF an hour
when, sno fact that the supporting timbers on
The southern side Of the spies being most rapidly
consumed, II was evident that what was LETT would
not fall outward on Twepty-shird street. Up OF the
top Was still great famUeau that burned brightly
One by the tall beams gave away, aud
amid brsa,hcss suspense the crowd watched for the
end IL soon came. lew inmates before nine
O'Clock, with oreak crash the burning skeIc-
ton bent soushward and fell over on the roof
the spiro gone and only few burning
beams, pointing skyward from the tower gave an
meanwhile had worked upward from below, and
joining fore with the Gre from above soon sent the
copings of the tower tumbling downward with Miss
"A crash and another pouring forth OF Nile green
flame. The work OF destruction the Presbyterian
church was now fairly accomplished, but the flames
still lsaped and played about what was left Of tho
structure.
THs CROWDS LEAVING.
was long after ton O'Clock before the people who