The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1897-11-23
LONDON FIRE.
One Hundred and Fifty Warehouses With
Their Contents DestrOyed-The Burned
Territory Covers an Area OF 100000
Yards-The Loss is Over @25, 100000.

since the great fire OF 1866, broke out
in a large block of buildings lying
eastward of Aldersgate street and be-
tween that thorOughfare and Red
Cross street, Just after o'clock Friday
afternoon. The flames were famed by
a strong wind and were fed by highly
inf1ammable stocks of Christmas fancy
goods and flimsy dress materials of all
description, that filed every floor of
the six buildings in the old street. Con-
sequently the confagration gained
Roadway with surprising rapidity and
was soon beyond the possibility of
being checked by the few engines
which were early on the spot. For
four and a half hours the flames had
their own way and it was after more
than hundred engines had worked an
hour that the chief of the fire brigade
sent. out the signal that the fire was
under control.
At IL o'clock Friday night the fire
was still the scene of greatest excite
ment. Fifty engines were playing
upon the ruins, wagons were hurrying
up coal and tons of water were pour
ing into the fiery debris.
The scene must occupy the fire
brigade for several days, especially in
view of the grave danger of the col
lapse of the shells of buildings which
fall now and again with loud report.
The latest accounts Indicate that near
ly a hundred warehouses have been de-
stroyed, while the loss will probably
exceed 10000 (S15, 900, OOO). The
|. L
much damaged, the principal damage
being to the roof, the old windows, the
baptiSmal font and Millions statue.
At o'clock Saturday morning a very
large force of fireman and about TWEEN
ty engines have been working at Il high
pressure all night. The district raw
aged by the fire is bounded by Alders-
gate street, Red Cross, Maiden Head
court and Bradford avenue, and in
termediate streets of Jewin, Hamsell,
Well and Edmund and Jewin Crescent,
and part of Australian avenue, Pauls
alley, Cripple Gate churchyard, Wood
Street square, MOnkwell street, Nichol
square and Tore street.
1t is officially reported that 80 ware
houses have been Quilted. A later esti-
mate of the damage done places the
amount at nearly $4,000, 600 sterling
($25, 600, OOO).
Nearly all of the British fire insur-
ance companies are involved and fire
| insurance shares were practically I'M
saleable on the stock exchange Friday
| afternoon after the fire was well under
| way.
Nearly 800 telephone wires have been
cut, thus interrupting communication
with many of the big provincial towns.
| The fire will cause an enormous ad-
vance in the price of ostrich feathers,
which rose so per cent. Friday evening.
Two feather firms alone have lost 915,-
600 sterling ($75, 0OO)
The damage done by the fire is enor-
nous. Most of the buildings destroyed
were six stories high and filed with
merchandise.
The area of the fire is at least 100, 600
square yards. Sixty warehouses have
already been destroyed and the fire has
extended from Wood street square to
/ AlderSgate street.
The fire originated in the store Of an
UNI brella manufacturer on HamSell
street at 1 o'clock Friday afternoon,
and the great loss of property seems
to be due to the delay in SummOning
the fire department. The 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
officer was dispatched to call the fire
brigade.
But here again this was an unac-
countablc delay of 20 minutes before
the first engine appeared. Then the fear
full dimensions of the fire were appar-
ent, and it was decided to circulate 4
call throughout the whole metropolitan
district.
The church of st. Giles was built in
1545. 1t is approached by an archway
in Red Cross street, also within the
scene of the conflagratiOn, and con-
tains among other things the tomb of
John Milton, who died in 1914; the
tomb of Fox, the martyrOlogist; FrObt-
sher, the vOyager, who died in 1894
and Speel, the typographer, who died
in 1925.
Oliver Cromwell was married in the
church of st. Giles, 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 a bust, by Bacon,
and the late George w. Childs, of Phil
adelphia, erected a stained glass win
dow in this church to the poets MEM
Dry. ..
In the church yard is an old bastion
: of the London wall and close by in
London wall is small part of the
church yard of St Alphage, containing
another large fragment of the old wall
built by the Romans.
Alders Gate and Cripple Gate are
named after two of the gates in Roman
London.
Ryan's Slayer Acquitted.
LEXINGTON, KY, Nov. 90. Merritt