New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-10-14

70 repletion of personal and private effects in the
safety of which there was an interest more than
usually private and personal Tuesday morning
when men talked of the conlagration. there caiho
out constantly disclosures of peculiar losses LII was
not like fire which destroys two or three hnnureu
thousands of dollars represented by dry goous vi
groceries or flour. Perhaps never IN THIS city "ero
80 many things burned, within two or three hours'
the money value of which bore 80 small relatio
to the estimate which the losers might put upon
them. II WAS as if an unmanageabe conHagratlon
had swept through hundred domiciles, as IL ala
indeed at Chicago and had reduced to ashes the
cherished and costly objects and souvenirs gathereu
at large cost and dear through innulneraDie asSo-
Citations Never was there misfortune so various III
its particulars. Not only has Mr. G. vanderbilt loS'
his valuable pictures but Mr. Dion Boucicault has
lost his Ms. to him not less valuable. One distn-
guished artist will, when he arrives IN New fork
find his whole repertory of studies and sketches as
well as one picture of recognized value, consuhieu
We hear of one gentleman whose whole collection
of bric-ahrac and objects of vertu, carefully gath
cred during several visits abroad, has shared the
some fiery fate In view of such \ loss it seems
hardly fit to say anything of furnltrre, OF Jewels Oh
plate There was value enough under the TOOLS OF
the Morreu buildings on Monday morning TO SET
afoot q PROSPEROUS bank. How much OF thiS Will
be rescued 1t is impossible to say, but however
much the loss will still be immense. cyhlcaI
observer might expatiate very volubly upon the
treasures all gone to smoking ruin. Mucn has been
destroyed which money and opportunity may re-
place. but how much irreparable is there rant
ings cannot be reprinted the curious can hardy DC
replaced the unique Of course is lost forever NO
fire could possibly have occurred in the city Wnich
80 many would more or less regret, which would
hardly knows whether to be soTicst for those who
have lost books ewslry pictures, or for those VINO
have lost tables which they loved and chairs made
dear by the seCentary pleasures OF seVera years VI
maybe of several generations
Perhaps nothing connected with this disaster
touched the public mind more than the loss expe-
rienccd BIZ Miss Harriet Irving, sister OF the late
Mr Washington Irving, which involved many
family pictures and not few souvenirs OF that
eminent writer The numerous sympathetic com
ments which this occasiOned showed thaG the
author of The Sketch Book stIl mas q last hold
upon the American heart
The destruction Of these great warehouses, in the
safety of which the public had such confidence
v'i occasion much discussion Of the possibility oil
ire-proof buildings and much talk of the impru-
lcnco of maintaining edifccs for storage IN the
vicinity OF great stables Something also VIII he
said Of the ucaciency Of the storage system itself
r. vi be argued that if al this valuable and
specially qerishable property had remained ID the
homes Of It's many and various owners, any possible
los, would have been Insignificant IL comparison
with the aggregate of destruction which has over
taken it, Logically this is undcniable; but 1t must
he considered that no sufferer has lost more lndi-
vidually than be- would have lost if his goods had
been burned in his own house. He had two risks tc
guard against viz that Of robbery and that OF fire.
There may be nearly absolute protection against the
first but experience has shoFn that there can be no
absolutely positive protection against the second.
The conditions affecting these two dangers are
different in kind and in degree. There are perfectly
frrproof buildings, but now know that tho
Morrcll buildings were not freproof; nor arc we
certain that except as to the vaults they pretended
to lac.