Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1897-11-24
BIG FIRE IN LONDON.
Most Disastrous Blaze the Metro
polls Has Experienced
in Years.

London, Nov. 19.-The most serious fire
i'll recent years is now raging here.
In several streets adjacent to the gen.
eral postoffice huge blocks of buildings
are blazing fercely. Many houses have
collapsed, and fifteen warehouses have al
ready been destroyed.
Buildings are ablaze on both sides Of
the streets, thus preventing the firemen
from working in the streets.
The fire broke out I'D HamSell street
and worked through the houses to Well
street, a narrow thorOughfare. There the
flames leaped and seized the opposite
houses From that time the conhagra-
ton extended rapidly both up and down
the street.
Well street is now involved from end
to end, and the flames are rapidly near
ing Nicholas square, which is surrounded
by tall warehouses.
The fire brigade has given up hope Of
subduing the fire, and is devoting its en-
ergies to preventing its spread.
The occupants of the threatened build
ings are busly engaged in removing their
books and business documents.
No Casualties Reported.
No casualties have thus far been re-
At $3.50 this afternoon thirty fire en-
gines were engaged in fighting the flames
and others were arriving mOmentarlly
from all parts Of London.
Many thousands of people have gath
cred to see the fire. One end of Jewin
street is now attacked by the flames. 1t
presents the appearance of huge fur
mace.
Several large buildings have already
fallen and the debris completely blocks
the roadway.
The damage done by the fire is enor-
nous. Most of the buildings destroyed
were six stories high and filled with mer-
chandise.
The flames at $50 p. m. had worked
their way from Jewin street into Red
Cross street. where an entire block Of
houses on the west side of the street was
threatened.
More than forty engines were at work
by this time.
Various newspapers publish sensational
estimates of the loss.
Girls Have Narrow Escapes.
Many buildings burned or threatened
contained large numbers of girls employed
in various capacities. Very many of them
escaped with difficulty.
The area OF the fire is at least 100 600
square yards. Sixty warehouses have al
ready been destroyed, and the fire has
extended from Wood street square TO AL
ed at 81 900. 600 $1O.O00.O0O).
The vicerage of ST. Giles, Cripplegate,
is destroyed, and the church is on fire.
The general postoffice is on st. Mar
tins lie Grand, on both sides of the street,
the new building being magnificent
structure that cost over 81, 100000.
On the east side of the street is the
general postoffice east. built in the Ionic
style in 1S25-1S29. This building is 800
feet in length. Opposite to the general
postotfice east is the general postotfice
west, built in 1S70-1S73. The large tele-
graph galleries measure 300 by SO feet,
and contain 500 instruments, and the
number of kilograms conveyed in the
year is about 100000. This building
cost over $2,0OO.0OO.
In November. 1870, the foundation Of
the general postotfice north was laid and
was finished in 1898. 1t contains the
offices of the postma ster-general. 1t cost
over 81 100000
Origin of the Fire.
The fire originated in the store OF an
umbrella manufacturer on Hamsell street
at / o'clock this afternoon, and the great
loss of property seems to be due to the
delay in summOning the fire department.
One published report says that the police
officer who first detected the flames blew
his whistle loudly for assistance, but sew
eral minutes elapsed before the alarm
was heard by any of his comrades. AS
soon as assistance reached him the Off
Ger was dispatched to call the fire brigade.
But here again there was an unaccOunt-
able delay of twenty minutes before the
first engine appeared. Then the fearful
dimensions of the fire were apparent and
it was decided to circulate a call through
out the whole metropolitan district.
At about o'clock the fire was reported
to be under control.
Cripplegate church is saved, but it is
badly damaged.
The Church of st. Giles was built in
1916. 1t is approached by an archway
in Red Cross street, also within the
scene of the conhagration, and contains
among other things the tombs of John
Milton, who died in 1647; the tombs Of
Fox, the martyr; Frobischer, the voy-
ager, who died in 1894, and Spei, the
typographer, who died in 1929.
Oliver Cromwell was married in the
Church Of st. Giles on August %, 1920
and the parish register contains an en-
try of the burial of Daniel Defoe, the
author of Robinson Crusoe," who died
in 1871.
Milton is commemorated in the Church
of st. Giles by bust by Bacon, and
the late George w. Childs of Philadel-
phia erected Il stained-glass window in
this church to the poets memory. In
the churchyard is an old bastion of the
London wall and close by in London wall
is a small part of the churchyard of ST.
Alphage, containing another large frag-
ment of the old wall built by the Romans.
Alders gate and the Cripple gate are
Il