Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1897-11-24
LONDON FIRE.
One Hundred and trfty Warehouses with
Their Contents Destroyed Rurncd
Territory Covers Area of 100000
Yards The loss IL over ~gS. 900 600

LONDON, Nov. ~. One of tho most
disastrous fires in London'S history
since the great fire Of 1866. broke out
in large block Of buildings lying
eastward Of AldcrSgatc street aud he.
tween that thoroughfare and Red
Cross street just after o'clock Friday
afternoon. The flames were famed bv
a strong wind and were fed by highly
intlammablc stocks OF Christmas fancy
goods and tlimSy dress materials Of all
description, that filed every floor of
the six buildings in the old street. Con-
sequently the confiagration gained
Roadway with surprising rapidity and
was soon beyond the possibility Of
being checked 10y the few engines
which Were early on the spot. For
four and a half hours the flames had
their own way and il was after more
than n 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 merry ucbrlS.
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
" n hundred warehouses have been de-
stroycd, while the loss will probably
exceed $4,000, 600 (Sl5, 900. OOOl The
historic church of ST. Giles has been
much damaged, the principal damage
being To the roof, the old windows, the
baptismal font and Millions statue.
At o'clock Saturday morning very
large force of fireman and about TWEEN
" engines have been working AT "A high
pressure all night. The district raw
aged 10y the fire is bounded by Alders-
| gate street, Red Cross, Maiden Head
court and Bradford avenue, and i'm
tcrmcdiatc streets of Jewin. Hamscll,
| Wen and Edmund and Jewin Crescent,
and part of Australian avenue, Puuls
alley, Cripple Gate churchyard, Wood
| Street square, Monl<wcll street, NiChol
square and Tore street
1t is officially reported that 100 ware
houses have been Quilted. A later csti-
mate of the damage done places the
amount Mt nearly 5000, 900 sterling
! 1921, 900, O0O).
! Nearly all of the British fire insur.
ancc companies are involved and fire
insurance shares were practically un-
saleablc on the stock exchange Friday
afternoon after the fire was well under
| way.
Nearly 500 telephone wires have been
cut. thus interrupting communication
with many of the big provincial towns
The fire will cause an enormous adj
vance in the price of ostrich feathers
which rose 80 per cent Friday evening
Two feather firms alone have lost Gt5,
900 sterling 1915, 900
The damage done by the fire is enor
nous. Most of the buildings destroyed
were six stories high and filled Will
merchandise.
The area of the fire is at least 100. OOC
square yards. Sixty warehouses have
already been destroyed and the fire ha,
extended from Wood street square u
Aldcrsgatc street.
The fire originated in the store of an
umbrella manufacturer on HamselI
street at 1 o'clock Friday afternoon
and the great loss of property seems
20 be due To the delay in summoninp
the fire department. The published
report saysthat the police officer who
first detected the flames blew his
whistle loudly for assistance, but sew.
cral 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.
emit and IL was decided 10 circulate a
call throughout the whole metropolitan
district
The church of st. Giles was built in
1545. IL is approached by an archway
in Red Cross street, also within the
scene Of the conHagration, and con-
tains among other things the tomb OF
John Milton, who died in 1914; the
tomb Of Fox, the martyrologist; Frobt-
sher, the yoyager, who died in 1894,
and Speel, the typographer, who died
in 1925.
Oliver Cromwell was married in the
church Of 1T. Giles, August %, 1920.
and the parish register contains an en-
try Of the burial Of Daniel Dcfoc, the
author Of Robinson Crusoc," who
died in 1881.
Milton Is commer.io. atcd ia the
church Of ST. Giles by b GUST by Bacon.
and the late George " Childs. Of Phil
adclphia, erected stained glass win
/ dow in this church 10 the poets mem
/ DRY.
In the church ward ia an old bastion
I OF the London wall and close by in
/ London wall is small part Of the
church yard Of 50. 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.
/ LExISGToS. Ky, Nov. 2O.--J Merritt
| Martin, who killed John j. Ryan in