The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1896-11-07
FAMOUS FIRES.
The Most Noted and Destructive
CONGREGATIONS of History-Chi-
cago's Big Blaze Of 1871 is the
Greatest on Record.

of lives lost or the value OF the property
DESTROYED. ranks as the greatest of history.
Over is. 900 buildings were destroyed, OF
which 3. 400 were stores, shops or factor
les. and about 100, 900 people were rem
dered homeless by the burning of their
houses. The district over which the con-
Aagration swept was three and three
foarths miles in length by more than a
mile wide. covering the most densely peo-
pIed portion of the city. 1t is said that
$50 lives were lost by accidents during the
progress of the fire and the total value of
the property destroyed was estimated at
s192. 900, 900, this estimate not including
over s4. 900, 900 allowed for salvage on
foundations and the like. Scores OF fire
insurance companies were forced to the
wall by this terrible calamity, their losses
being so great as to drive the companies
into bankruptcy The cash contributions
for the benefit of the sufferers of the Chi
caeo fire amounted within month after
The disaster. to 81, 200, 600 and the con-
tributions in the way Of supplies, food,
clothing. and other necessaries to perhaps
as much more.
The most noted fire which involved the
burning of single editice was the destruc-
ton of the great temple of Diana at Ephe-
sus in b. C. 356, on the night Alexander
the Great was born. The fire was kindled
by Herostratus, who, when apprehended.
confessed that his only desire was to trans
nit his name to future ages. He was put
to death with exquisite and prolonged tor
lures, and the Ephesian senate commanded
that. on pain of death, his name should
never be pronounced, hoping thus to dlsap-
point his expectation.
When the Russians evacuated Moscow
in 1872. after the battle of Borodino. the
car ordered the city to be fired, and a
large number Of convicts were pardoned
and released from the lails on condition
that they would do the work Of setting fire
TO the houses. 1t was well done The
entire city was reduced to ruins on Sep
TENDER II and the eight following days,
and the destruction Of property estimated
10 exceed $3.50, 900, 900. 1t was this
step which forced Napoleon to leave the
ancient capital Of Russia and begin the re-
treat which subsequently proved 50 disas-
trous
In A. d. "a ten of the fourteen NUM-
cipal districts of Rome were destroyed by
4 conAagation instigated, it is said, by the
emperor Nero. The number of lives lost
is known to amount up into the hundreds,
but the value of the property destroyed
cannot even be estimated BY the en-
peror's command thousands of Romans
rendered homeless and destitute were EN-
ployed in removing the debris and rebuild
ing the burned city Nero, to divert the
odium of the crime from himself, charged
it upon the Christians, and thus began one
of the greatest prosecutions in the history
of the early Christian church.
The Paris fires during the reign Of the
Commune in May, 1871, destroyed a
}rightful amount of property, including
the Hotel de Vile and Tuilleries palace
and many buildings of less prominence.
1t is estimated that the total value of the
property ruined by the incendiary fires,
kindled by members of the Commune,
exceeded 500, 900, 900; but this sum did
not nearly represent the loss, for great
deal of property, such as household effects
and the like, were destroyed, which was
never reported. The fires were checked
by blowing up houses in the line of the
confagations, but more effectually by
shooting the incendiaries caught in the
act
The Boston fire of 1872 is reckoned the
fourth most destructive fire of history, the
loss exceeding s75, 900, 900. One pecu-
liarity of this confagration was the fact
that buildings supposed to be fire-proof
were consumed as readily as those for
which their builders made no such claim.
CoBstantinoples greatest fire occurred
in 1870, when almost half the peninsula
on which the city is built was swept by the
confagration. No record exists of the
number of houses destroyed on this Occa-
sion, but the value of the property lost
was roughly estimated to exceed s28, 900, :
900.
In 1915 Quebec underline Hill suffered
from conhagration in which l 1850 dwell
ings we're destroyed, their value being
estimated at SO, 100000 In the same
year most of the city which remained was
destroyed by second fire, which blotted
out 800 buildings that had escaped the
previous fire.
st. Louis has suffered from three very
serious fires. The first came in lS49,
when the loss exceeded SO, 900, 600; the
second was in 1851, when 2, 500 buildings
were destroyed, the loss exceeding Sl1, :
900, 900; the third occurred in the same
year, when over 500 buildings were de-
sroyed the value being estimated to ex-
eeed So, 900, 900.
The great fire. of London in 1866
destroyed property estimated to exceed
s53, 900, 900 in value At that time a
large portion of London consisted of frame
buildings, or buildings whose wall beams
were filed in with brick, and the structures
went down before the fire like houses Of
cards The course of the fire was only
stayed by tearing down buildings in the
direction taken by the flames
In 1916 large part of Constantinople
was destroyed by fire; u, 600 dwellings,
besides warehouses and other structures.
went down before the flames. The value
of property destroyed on this occasion could
not be estimated, but was not so great as
would have been occasioned by fire of
ike proportions in other cities, the greater
part of the dwellings and shops in Con-
s:antinople being himsy, wooden structures.
In 1922 Canton, China. was almost
obliterated by fire which swept over
three-fourths Of the city The houses
usually built by the Chinese are of very
fimsy construction, being light structures
having walls of thin plank, often only of
mating, and roofs of straw The value
of such houses is very trihing, and though
on this occasion thousands of people were
rendered homeless, in less than month