The herald., 1897-11-20
TWO LONG
CENTURIES
Have Not Seen Such a Fire
at London
Fifteen MILLION DOLLARS
WILL SCARCELY COVER THE
LOSSES CAUSED
Two Famous Old Churches, st. Giles
and Cripple Gate Among the
Buildings Damaged
WILL SCARCELY COVER THI
LOSSES CAUSED

ana Cripple Gate Among the
Buildings Damaged
Associated Press Special Wire.
LONDON. Nov. 19.-One Of the most
disastrous fires in London history since
the great fire Of 1866 broke out in large
block Of buildings lying eastward Of AL
dersgate street and between that thor
oughfare and Red Cross street, just af-
ter 1 o'clock this afternoon. The flames
were famed by strong wind and were
fed by highly inflammable stocks of
Christmas fancy goods and flimsy dress
materials of all descriptions that filled
every floor of the six-story building in
the old street. Consequently the con-
| flagration gained headway with surpris-
ing rapidity and was soon far beyond the
possibility of being checked by the few
| engines which were early on the scene.
For four hours and a half the flames had
their own way,and it was only after more
than hundred red engines had worked
an hour that the chief Of the brigade
sent out the signal that the fire was un-
der control. At II o'clock tonight the fire
Is still the scene of great excitement
Fifty engines are playing upon the ruins,
wagons are hurrying up coal, and tons
of water are pouring into the fiery de-
bris. Thousands of people are trying
to penetrate the Gordon maintained by
thousand policemen, reinforcements
for whom were hurried up when, soon
after six o'clock, an increase in the out
break led Commander Wells to make a
Irequisition upon the outlying stations
for more engines.
The scene must occupy the fire brigade
for several days and especially in view
of the grave danger of the collapse Of
shells OF buildings, which fall now and
again with loud reports. The latest ac-
counts indicate that nearly hundred
warehouses have been destroyed, while
the loss will probably exceed $4,000, 900.
The historic church Of st. Giles has
been much damaged, the principal dam
age being to the roof, the old windows,
the baptismal font and Milton's statue.
| Hamsell street was the scene of the
outbreak of the fire, which was due to
an explosion in connection with a gas
engine on the premises of Walter Brown
&c Co., mantel manufacturers at No. 80
on that thoroughfare. Their third fac
tory was crowded with girls when the
fire broke out, and it was instantly the
scene of a semi-panic, the frightened op-
eratives rushing to the roof of the build
ing and thence crossing to other build
ings and so effecting their escape while
the flames were pouring out of the base
ment. In less than a quarter of an hour
the flames had enveloped the adjoining
warehouse, ,and thence they leaped across
the street to an enormous paper ware
house which was fully in flames in less
than ten minutes.
By this time it was evident to the fire.
men that they We're face to face with a
great disaster, and a general alarm was
sent out. Then from all the fire stations.
even those five miles from the scene of
the disaster, engines were hurried to the
spot, and the police gathered about the
neighborhood in great force. This dis
play of strength on the part of the po-
lice was required, as the crowd, swelling
in size every moment, soon amounted to
tens of thousands of people, and the fire.
ment required every possible freedom Of
action, as their fight was one of the
greatest difficulty, owing to the narrow
ness of the old, crooked streets which
are the feature of that part of London,
combined with the height Of the ware
houses, which cut off the fire men from
all fair chance of confining the outbreak.
The excitement among the onlookers
who crowded evep6 possible point of
view was very great, as may be judged
from the fact that the firemen had to be
repeatedly rescued by their comrades by
the aid of fire escapes from buildings
which had caught fire after the fire.
men had mounted to their roofs to fight
the flames in adjoining structures.
The rescue of operatives by the fire.
men; the hurrying of hosts of clerks who
were trying to save books and valuable
papers from the fire, and the rushing
here and there Of many employees who
were attempting to carry to places of
safety costly merchandise or other val
uables, added to the confusion. The heat
was SO intense that several firemen were
Obliged to direct their operations under
showers Of water poured upon them.
But in spite of the exertions of the
firemen the fire crept on very steadily
until Nicholl square, which is situated
at the far end of Hamsells, was reached.
At little after o'clock dozen hose
pipes, each with 12-foot spread, poured
water into the blaze from an opposite
roof, from the street below and from the
burning premises themselves, but it did
not seem to have any effect. The water
rushed out Of the windows to the ground
floor like waterfall. while the flames
leaped higher and higher and as the
floors fell in the place still blazed, a gil
gantic display of fire and smoke, till
the building was completely gutted and
the walls keeled over.
The confusion in the streets increased
as the fire spread.
Suddenly there was an explosion of gas
meters, sounding like the reports of
field guns, followed by momentary
hush.
After that the wild rushing here and
there was resumed with increased en-
ergy. Men risked their lives in desperate
efforts to save daybooks. ledgers, feath-
ers. jewelry. valuable chinaware, etc.
One man actually hazarded his life to
fetch his hat and cane, 200 feet Of stone
work and glass falling at his heels as
lhe emerged from the building.
| Several nremen were almost buried
| In the burning ruins az front after front
lot flaming warehouses fell In, hurting
tons Of bricks and masonry into the
lstreets. bursting and cutting The nre
Ihose n ~ di1ectionps Whil1 tons ef nery