Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1891-05-21
BrG FIRES IN HISTORY.

Among the great fires of history, un-
doubtedly the burning of the Serapnum
Library at Alexandria, in the year $40,
by the Caliph Omar /, is most widely
mourned, as the destruction of 500, 900
volumes cut off much of the record of
human knowledge at that time. The
general impression of the importance and
significance of this fire is, no doubt, aug
mented in great measure by the alleged
answer of this Saracen conqueror, who
replied to the protest against the burning
with: IF these books are against the
Koran they are pernicious and must be
destroyed. II they agree with the Koran
they are redundant and need not be pre-
served; and it is not generally remem-
bered that Julius Caesar burned larger
library of 200, 900 volumes at Alexandria,
known as the Brucian Library, B. G. 4S,
nearly 700 years before the burning of the
Serap@um Library by Omar /.
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 20, when faction called the Sicariti
set the city on fire in many places, and
eventually 100000 Of the inhabitants
perished by fire and the sword.
Constantinople has, ike all Oriental
cities, suffered severely from fires, a large
part of such losses being undoubtedly due
to the fatalism of the MohaInmedans,
who bow to their kismet. Said a sultan.
"If it be the will of the Allah that my ia.
vorite city burn, it is the viii of Allah.
In Dillaway's quaint account of travels
in the Levant in 1907 it is stated that the
sultan is summoned three times to fire
in Constantinople, and if the fire lasts
one hour he is obliged to attend in person
and bring mules laden with piasters for
the firemen.
A great fire at Rome, 12 B. c., caused
the Emperor Augustus to take measures
for increasing the defense against fire,
which had been hitherto in the hands of
bodies of police, numbering 90 or 80, sta.
toned in various portions of the city, and
volunteers. He appointed new officers
with the rank of magistrates, who were
entitled to wear magistrates robes. Each
was attended by two lictors and provided
with fire organization of 900 slaves.
1t is probable that this was not entirely
satisfactory in its operation, because six
years later another fire caused him to un
dertake further reforms on a scale fully
characteristic of him who "found the
city built of brick and left it with palaces
of marble. He increased the fire de
partment to scale commensurate with
the needs Of the city. Seven thousand
freemen were organized into seven bat
talions, and one battalion was quartered
in every alternate ward of the CITY,
These men made careful inspections Of
the kitchens, of the heating apparatus,
and of the water supply In the houses,
and every fire was the subject of Judicial
examination. The cost of the organiza
ton was maintained by tax of 20 per
cent ON the sale of slaves.
Two notable examples of contagious
stopped by conhagrations are the burn
ing of Moscow by the besieging of Tar
tars in July. 1870, when the plague was
stopped, and second the fire in London,
September 2, 1865, which also stopped
the plague, and it has been unknown
there since.
This London fire is probably called the
great fire of modern history, because the
reforms which were started in conse-
quence Of it are living issues in munich.
pal affairs of to-day. The fire was
caused by an overheated bakers oven,
and in the course of four days it swept
over 4S6 acres, burning 1920 houses, 50
churches, and st. Paurs Cathedral. caus.
ing damage estimated to be e1O, TIC, 900,
say $53, 100000.
Under the direction OF Pepys the fire
was stopped by blowing up buildings,
which was at the time the only method
of reducing 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 Q6y2) by Van der Heide.
The cities of America, on account of
the larger amount Of wood In their CON.
struction and the prevalence of irrespon-
sible methods of building, have suffered
severely from fires.
The first devastating fire in America
was probably the one occurring at Bos-
ton, March 30, 1850, when 400 dwellings
and stores were burned, causing loss of
100000.
In the Colony of Massachusetts, Bay
regulations in regard to the construction
Of chimneys and thatched roofs were
made as early as March 10, 1880, and |
various enactments were made at later |
dates. The ordinance at the town meet
ing of Boston, March IA, 1916, made pro- |
vision tlfat each householder should have
ladders long enough TO reach 10 the ridge |
of the house, and pole @about 12 feet |
long, with a good large swob at the end
Of it; and various graded penalties were
for those not conforming to the |
law.
New York was visited by severe con-
flagration In the southern part Of the
city on December 10, 1885, which ex-
tended over an AREA Of 40 acres, destroy
ing 67z houses and causing loss which /
has been estimated as high as $50, ,0eo 900,
ON which there WAS only 81 COO COO in /