New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-12-13
AMEs OF FIFTY YEARS AGO
.,,, opr,TEsT FIRE THIS CITY HAS SEEN.

,yr., wears ago, New-IOrk was Just RECOVERING
<.n, =. visitation of Asiatic cholera which h"u
tnotap ont first in 1882 and required each season
;,ca The epidemic was a1out over ana inc Guy
was congratuating itself upon the ProSPo'' :"
ntsrinc mon an era of prosperity when on Nednes-
Sav night. December 16. between and . ocloch' a
c. hrota ont nj No % Merchandise, near the ONCE
- Jts Vornipg Courier Gad NCr- York inquirer which
sce,t the business part of the town causing lo'S
tor which il took years to recover. MeTchahl-st'
wos marrow street running from IearI-Sl' mo
Frchange-st.. near the then Post once DuituinE,
upon the discovery of the fire the CITY Han pen an"
che fire bells were rung, and the men OF the Noi"i-
tea, Fire Department dragged their machines 10 'Ho
scene aided by many other citizens, but thc'ehS'V'
ware of little use The night WAS bitterly cola Win
.ampestnous winds, and the streets were co'cIcu
with snow. Water could only be obtained from
the river and it was Pumped INTO the lio'o II
ga in mart aud choked the flow. The bremen
worked zealously stamping upon the hose to break
the ice and laboring at the pumps, but soon 'ounu
.ho, tbeir efforts were totally without effect, anu
trned from their unavaiing laborS al the machines
70 tbe saving of property. MANY OF the bulldlhSS
oro nav storehouses with iron shutters ana copper
roors aud al intense was the heat of the c0hlaRd
ti,n that tho metal was melted and ran on the 10
in streams The harbOr was lighted up oIli''.n,,9
the wafer being described by chronicler Oh III"
svent az ooking like blood. The gale was to"d'"
the East River and the tendency OF the uos'Iuc'N0
flames was in that direction, though INC u"Lir'
snread also toward the north ana s0nth' III all
.eventeen blocks of buildings weIo destroyed,
covering thirteen acres of ground. zone old report
says iorty-fve acres.) The number Oh puluihHS
leyelled with the ground was 64S.
Soon after the breaking out of the fire. every
milling in the area bounded by Wall, South ana
Rrood sts. and Coenties slip was either burning
was already quilted OF levolled to the ground. No
bnildingS were burned on the west side OF Br0ad,St
nor in Wall-st. on the north side from broad 10
William SITS, 1.-The course oil tne hre pelng III ~,
circular direction at the rear of these streets Inc
strnctnres destroyed were the largest shipping and
importing houses filled with valuable imported
goods Tho marble Merchants Exchange, when
had been supposed to he tTeprOOt, was swept away
like so much finder. The Post once was burned
though large part OF the contents was SaSeu; nc
ot,ceS OF the great bankers tue J0Sephs the Aliens
and the Livinrstons, and the PhmnlX Bank dlsap-
pear-d in the As tue lire continued 10 maze
headway 1t was resolved by Mayor Lawrence ana Il
council Of citizens TO blow up buildings enough -
cut Oh the supply Of material Powder was bI1nEht
from the Navy Yard IN BrooklEn ana huhl9rt %, oi
structures were blown up Inc Pl"SloSN VI '"'
flames was arrested. 49,.
There are many accounts of the fire available for
consultations out most OF them were written long
afterward and the large majority refer to the ia.t
that "New-YOrk, PhUnlX Ike mas risen Ioih us
ashes" .... ,,.,.,. ,.o.r,
oftervrard bv An eyewitness "On the night OF the
18th of December. 1880, was slttlllS WIN Il
literary friend about o'clock III one Oh the private
boxes of Hambin's magnificent Bowerv Theatre.
Suddenly the big bell OF the CITY han boonel i"ud
md long over the metropolis, and flre. IRE
echoed around and within the theatre. we were on
in an instant cushing out of the Slammlng doors.
and onward toward the scene OF the ConHdeia l"H'
which was 'g!aring on Nlght staI W eye AVA, r
Water the Tontine Coffee House had caught ana
dark smoke IN huge masses. tlnge win hlchcilnS
flashes OF bright flame, was bursting IRON All Inc
Ir
II will well remember was intensely cold mere
was but little wind, but as the rc advanced lHtIe
was plainly perceptibie the food OF IRE III the ar.
.Onr great fire travelled south and west faster
than a man could walk. Wafer irole III al the
cutters; thick ice coated the hydrantS, cruhcHed
The hose pipes that epcumbcrod the streets, and lay
in Hoes where there was shadow from the neat
aud the flame But in a little while no water was
wanted. Engines were soon useless. ana no eh'T.
getlc 'Sykcsy was required to take tHe Dult.
Clouds OF smoke, like dark mountains suddenly
rising into the air. were succeeded 10y lolE udh'T>
of flame rushing to the zenith ana roaring Tor tLcr
prey Street after street caught the te'TlhIc
torrent until over acre alter acre th%re vas 9oon
ing al ocean of iamol All OF tins saw ana part
Of II | vas The printing office OF the hhc'T,
booker at first IN south Nlllan-St.' was InoI'u
three times far beyond the prevailing IRE, hut u
was gradually follo Sed by the raging enemy ana
sAs we were standing upon the roof of the EX-
change looking down upon the scene Wheh ID HIu-
nrogrrss buildings lar beyond the Inc OF IRE and IN
no contact tn It, burst in iiames IRON the interior
The thing, observer. HI lpC4Ni ia mn I'd"
and was attributed TO incendIarIeH but there were
no lncendares suspected III onr great hre' "hai
latent power enkiudled the inside OF these advanced
huildlnrs while externally they were untouched !
A scientific writer contendcd at the time thihh IN
the Old DQily Advertiser, that AT certain period
there is what he Gale an lniammaOle vacuum
In the air, which is seli-lgultng ANA ITcsstlbIe'
q The Morning Courier and Nec- York Enquirer got
out an edition at a. III; OF December l. living
haif-coumn. double loaded account OF the Ire
headed A National Calamity, hut WIN h'a -Ic
details At = p. another edition was iSsHeI GiN-
ing the same account with the cOnclse dddlioh me
fr1 continues undated Tins papcr also SAID
Z The Journal Of COmHtfrcs, Times. DdHy Id'"ttsD'
CazefIs and American will not appear to-day. Tie
two first removed their printing materials. Ihc
Jou,pal of Commerce requests ne to say that they
hope to appear tomorrow: The aily GozeH- and
american are burned dOWh -. A.. :,.
OF the city, though few families were deprive" OF
their dwelling houses. 1t IS related that Only one
person asked Tor pubic assistance IHOuSH P'o"cI9
Of aid were freely given Every insurance company
I'm the CITY was made bankrupt which added laISe\
t. the hardShips. meeting OF citizens was carer
nv the Mayor at tho City Hail. and 1t was rcsoi ed
to unite in vigorous eNertions 10 repair lhe loss
which fOun to be about 9Zo,OO1U ~" nn no
Ran. of the United States advanced T2,ODOOoo
fbr city authorities raised pG,O0O,Ouo II Donub ;
Congress authorized the Collector at New Ok 70
extend the time for the payment OF bphas gym ,oI
the duties on the imported goods DESTROYED ana
ordered the surplus money ~ inc 1uIieu 9I'IcH
Treasury transferred TO New-Iotk J he disaster
was believed to have been tie direct re- uiJ % /"
water famine and in spite of the great Dow the
citys finances had received, 1t was resolved 10 push
The work on the CTotOn waterway the construci Ion
of which had already been determined upon. The
first water through the CrOton Aqueduct was
brought into the city in S42, though the work was
not Completed until ls45. The area which was
burned oye r now contains some Of the hnc't Duud-
ings in the CITY; the Drexe building. the Mills
builLing the Custom House the Cotton EXchanFe-
the heart of the city's wealth 1t was before the
fire. .,,.
The fire of 1880 unprecedented in the value
of property destroyed. though it has since been
exceeded by the Chicago, Boston and Portland hres'
Tie greatest ire New-York has seen since began
july 20, 1915. II swept Broadway from Exchange
Mace down destroyed bOth sides OF Exchange
down to William-st The flames were turned into
Marketfeld-st and there qucnchcd The loss at
this time was $6,OOOOOO.