Waterbury evening Democrat., 1891-06-24
THE WORLDS GREAT FIRES.


OF all Ages.
Among the great fires Of history, un-
doubleday the burning Of the Serapeum
library at Alexandria, in the year GAO, by
the Calip Omar l., is most widely mourned,
as the destruction of SOC, 900 volumes cut of
much Of the record of human knowledge at
that time. The general impression of the
no doubt, augmented in great measure by
the alleged answer OF this Saracen con-
queror, who replied to the protest against
the burning with: "H these books are
against the Koran they are pernicious and
must be destroyed. If they agree with the
Koran they are redundant and need not be
preserved" and it is not generally remem-
bered that Julius Cesar burned a large
library of 100000 volumes at Alexandria,
known as the Brucian Library, B. @. 4s.
nearly 700 years before the burning Of the
Serap@um Library by Omar I.
At times of sack and pillage Jerusalem
has been burned time and again, the most
noted instance being at the siege by the
Romans under Titus during the year 70,
when a faction called the Sicarii set the
city on fire in many places, and eventually
LOO 900 Of the inhabitants persisted by fire
and the sword.
Two notable examples of contagious
stopped by conhagrat1ans are the burning
Of Moscow by the besieging Tartars in
July, 1870, when the plague was stopped,
and secondly the fire in London September
z, 1866, which also stopped the plague, and
1t has been unknown there since.
The London fire is properly called the
great fire OF modern history, because the
reforms which were started in consequence
of it are living issues in the municipal af-
fairs OF to-day. The fire was caused by an
overheated bakers oven, and in the course
of four days 1t swept over 436 acres, burn
hnnGn1 QOh poIr "a
cathedral, causing damage estimated to
be 910, 5000. say SIS, 500, 900.
Under the direction Of Pepys the fire was
stopped by blowing up buildings, which
was, at the time, the only method of re-
ducing a fire that had grown beyond the
capacity Of the small fire engines. These
were on large tubs, and threw stream OF
water directly on the fire, as hose was not
invented until ten years later u672) by Van
der Heide.
The cities Of America, on account Of the
| larger amount Of wood in their construc-
ton, and the prevalence Of irresponsible
methods of building, have suffered severity
| from fires.
The first devastating fire in America was
probably the one occurring in Boston,
March 20, 1760, when 400 dwellings and
| stores were burned, causing loss Of G100,-
| 600.
In the colony of Massachusetts, Bay
| regulations in regard to construction Of
chimneys and matched roofs were made
1 as early as March 16, 1880, and various
4 enactmentS were made at later dates. The
Il ordnance at the town meeting of Boston,
l March IA, 1915, made provisions that each
householder should have ladders long
enough to reach the ridge Of his house.
and pole about twelve foot long, with a
good large swob at the end Of it," and
various graded penalties were provided
for those not conforming to the law,
Philadelphia has been remarkably free
from confagrations in comparison with
other large cities. 1t does not appear tc
| have been visited by great fire until
| January 8, 1850, when q fire along the Della
ware river front, at Vine street, extending
over eighteen acres, caused a loss Of life
estimated as high as thirty-three, in ad
dition to 100 wounded and a pecuniary loss
| of 81 100000.
I New York was visited by q severe con
flagration in the southern part Of the city
| on December 16, 1885, which extended ovel
an area of forty acres, destroying 81
houses and causing loss which has beer
estimated as high as $4,000, 900, on which
| there was only $S,OOO,OO insurance-al
\ amount which ruined several inSuranc,
l companies.
One of the first Of the more recent con
flagrations was the burning of Portland
Me-, July 4, 1866. The fire was caused by
boy throwing firecracker into a cooper
shop for the avowed purpose Of soaring tn
workmen. In this respect the act was al
unparalleled success, the damage being
about $10.000,000.
The Chicago fire, October 8, 1871, was on
OF the largest in all history, devastating
an area of three and one-half square mile
and causing loss Of about $3.50, OOO, 900, OF
which insurance was paid to the amour
of about $100,OO0,OO0. Two hundred an
b fifty lives were reported lost in the fire.
Thirteen months later to a day Bostol
was visited by fire which extended owe
an area of sixty-five acres, burning tn
best mercantile buildings in the city an
l causing damage Of SIS, 0O0, 900. on whic
, | there was an insurance Of over $1,000 ,OO
! Scientific American.