Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1885-11-16

rriH.. Middle Atlantic States fair wealth
~;icAl changes in temperature, winds
i,r,.aIng variable. To morrow fair, Slightly
va,,ncr weather is indicated.
, ;IEuoRAELE NIGHT.-It may have oc-
,rry.d 10 some, but not to the majority OF
~, t,cop:e, that 10 night is the thrtieth an
niyrr,ary Of IL memorable event in Alexan-
i,i,'> h!s;0ry-an event which threw dense
c,,5ul oyet the city aad draped her il the
,.,,e ha.i;plculs Of mourning. we refer
:. .Ua i.c--;Ee ever memorable Hrc-0n
Kin. street, wien seven of our best citi-
y.ns were in he twiukl!rG OF an eye hurried
iat3 eternity. Yes, three decades have
e..,,,. since !hut Terrible night, during
which ti!ue $50 generations have appeared
rff,,i. gils, aYeus. If life, while scorcs-hGn-
i.,,,-yeu thousands Of those who at the
gi..e referred - he!pcfi 30 make up our
h... IN. population have entered ire spirit
world, ,nG ihcir places are no" ii!led by
children aad grandchildren. II was tne
six,eclth day OF November, 1919, ut mid
NIGHT when tie startling cry Of lire WAS
heard, supplemented hy The h'aFSS 'laS's 0!
the w..,chm"n's hons followed ty The
s,,.i. ,C r,:s,!img f,e; ana excl ed voices.
,,as 40, jra.neG that Alr. James Z.
Imj,h's-,s. i, .,osc (;hrn kept by Mr.. J. I.
D,y,,I4 ,,,s -. ire Tne department inai;,
sraw. mas Al efficient o"c, %nd quickly
,.,.,;r,1 a. la: sca;!c nl:t a:tvr i somewhat
rrti.;s lr.ii..t,r via. Tie tlameS, succ2cG2&
~ l,,:i IL 90 iitimg lhcm 20 the building III
which they on.iu;.tet As stated ahuye, ii
VA aAogl T. o'ciGcls when the lire alarm
MS so..!.:cd and ri four next morning It
rs % mach u..ii;-r control that the build
jn., WAS being freely entered OF the hrst
floor. where ,unEcrS OF tir"men were
IT'LL engaged throwing water aGd using
c,h". ;hDA' TO mpre eli"Clua!y qucnch
villa. remained q the devouyng c,emeat.
Na;!t. thu, engaged, obiviuus oi the i'm.
ps..in. fate that awaited them, the west
s.,h,c wall Of tho building fell with box
r!n.~ crash, carry lug away the second and
first floors, ana buryiug seven of the IRE.
l.eu who were standing on The latter in the
debris. The appalling scene which followed
he4ga:s description. The heated bricks
l!om the wal .,! Tie water which had been
lhruwn fron, the engines created dense
slenln, causing q panic among these VINO
had escaped from the catastrophe, while
buried with the bricks, mortar and
spliater8 were seven human beings, the
groans from those who had not been Killed
outright adding additional ho!rcr TO the
picture. AS soon as possible willing hands
We'd in unearthing the unfortunate men
one Of whom was still alive though
he expired blu: few hours afteIward-aad
though the work was prosecuted rs quickly
as possible it was eleven o'clock before the
last body was recovered. The Eames Of
the victims were soon !carned-Geo. Plain,
Robert l. Taylor, James W. keene, VIM. ,.
Evans, }. Carson Green, David Appch and
John 4. Reach the latter the only one
taken out alive, and referred to above as
haying died soon after being extricated
fen The Rubbish Several ether persons
wpu were on the the FIRST floor were more
or less injured by the crash amoog them
john began, q well Known Colored man,
tst! liviug> yho had TO be dug out of the
.u;ua. Iii" sad affair threw the deepest
@oom over the entire city. bringing bust
ness 70 a sanHs;iil and nothing else for
days after was discussed. The funeral Of
those killed took place on the following
Sunday, the rcua!ns of Messrs. Reach and
Appich being iGtcrred in the mcrnipg while
those Of the five others were carried TO their
last rc.ting place by large procession in
the afternoon, when ii might DO said With
cut much exuggeration that the entire pop;
ua.on turned out, while minute guns were
fired and other tokens of sorrow manifested.
There was a citizens meeting on the Satur
day following the catastrophe, presided oyer
BY George p. Wise, esq.,, then Mayor, at
which u resolution was passed requesting
the City Council to offer reward Of live
thousand dollars for the apprehension of
the party or parties who fired the building
it having previously been demonstrated
that the conilagration was thu work Of an
incendiary The fire was first discovered
by two OF the city watchmen:, who in their
rounds had reached the corner Of King and
what was then known as Water streets.
Their attention was attracted by the smell
of burning straw, and upon proceeding up
King street opposite the i'l-hted build
ing they discovered smoke issuing from
its upper story. They sounded the alarm
and upon the house being entered it
was found that the nccndiaEy had used
candles and lamp wicks saturated with cam
phcHe oil, while here and there trains OF
powder had been laid 10 the straw crates of
dishes and china ware. The loss on the
stock was estimated at between 900 and
$4,000, which was covered by an insurance
OF $4,000 The companies, however, which
mad issued the policy refused to make good
the loss, rs they contended the fire was the
work OF an ipcendiary. a long and tedious
law Suit followed in the courts OF this city,
after which the case was transferred 10 the
Cuircpcr ccurt, in which tribunal the liti-
cation Was proceeding in 1851. when it was
stepped by the breaking out ofthe war. The
author Of this lamentsble affair was never
known, and probably never will De until
that day when THAT which has been done
in secret shall be proclaimed upon the house
tops" The store-the scene of the memoir
able catastrophe-wass subsequently, rebuilt
and was at first used as cutters store
During the war it was turned into restau'
rant, afterward into liquor store, and at
this time is utilized as stove aud junk re.
pository There was fire in the same
building few years ago, and the lecol!ec
ton of the disaster related above deferred
some of the older fremen from entering for
few minutes.
@At THIS time twelve w:tchmcn guarded the
town at nigh, while four po.iccmen-or coEstahle
rs they were iermcd-sccd rs conservators of the
peace during thcds Nearly all the former have
died i'll tho thirty years ,ha. haze elapsed, Charles