Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1889-10-25
TALMAGES CHURCH BURNED.
The Brooklyn Tabernacle De-
stroyed by Fire.
Electric Light Wires Thought to
Be the Cause.

DR. Talmages church, the Brooklyn Taber-
nacle, has been completely destroyed by fire,
including the furniture and magnificent
organ.
At 2:45 A. N. Patrolman McCaffery, while
patroling his beat, saw flames issuing from
the small window over the main entrance of
the Tabernacle. He at once sent out an alarm.
The Fire Department responded promptly.
The flames made rapid progress and before
the water could be directed on the building
q solid column of fire Illuminated the sky.
A second alarm was sent out and, realizing
that there was no hope of saving the build
ing, the fremen directed their efforts toward
saving the surrounding houses.
Within half an hour the immense building
was mass of flames. The heat was intense,
causing the firemen to keep at a respectful
distance, peeling the paint from the houses
opposite and destroying nearly every pane
OF glass in the buildings within 800 feet of
the Tabernacle.
Inside the Tabernacle the auditorium re-
sembled a huge furnace, the flames licking up
everything with wonderful rapidity. In
twenty minutes after the discovery of the
fire the wooden and iron glrders supporting
the roof gave way and fell with tremend-
Gus crash carrying with them both side walls
and large portions of the front and rear main
walls Simultaneous with the crash an inn
mense volume of flames, smoke and sparks
mounted high in the air. After the collapse
Of the roof several streams of water were
turned upon the burning mass, but it was
not quenched until nearly. every vestige of
woodwork had been destroyed.
With the morning hours came thousands
Of people who gazed upon the ruins of the
famous Tabernacle They were kept at
safe distance, however, as the remaining por-
tions of the front wall were liable to fail at
any moment.
All that remains of the once handsome
building are the front and west gables al
most intact and portions of the rearand side
walls, which are completely bare The i'll
terror of the building was completely Quilted,
not vestige remaining of the organ, plat
form. gallery, seats or other furnishings.
! The wooden doors in the main en-
frances were consumed by the flames,
while the entrances themselves are
filed with masses of brick and other debris
The polished marble pillars which orna-
mented the base of the front gables and the
sides of the entrances are intact as is also
the small sign bearing the name of Sexton
John Dey in gold letters at the left of the
east entrance.
How the fire originated is a complete mys-
terry. Some of the firemen charge it against
the electric light wires which were put in the
Tabernacle. The flames could not have
been started by the furnaces, as there was no
fire Of any description in the building.
1t is conceded that the fire started in the
gallery as the flames first discovered issued
from the windows facing Schermerholn
street, directly in the rear of the gallery. No
fire had been started i'll the furnaces since last
spring, the trustees not considering the
weather cold enough to render the use of the
heat necessary.
! A member of DR.. Talmage's family saw
the flames of the burning Tabernacle and
aroused the Doctor from his slumbers. He
mounted to the observatory at the top of
/ his house, and there for a time watched
! the flames. After becoming satisfied that
| it was the Tabernacle that was on fire he
! dressed himself and, accompanied by his son
! Charles hurried to the scene, reaching there
| in time to witness the falling of the roof
He was very much overcome by the destruc-
ton Of the building, and was soon induced to
return to his house, after seeing that the
! building was doomed to destruction.
DR.. Talmage, with the consent of the trus-
! tees of the Tabernacle, has issued an appeal
/ for liberal response to the request for a
! fIInd of 500 900 to rahnilh the ohurnl,