The record-union., 1897-11-21

LONDON, Nov. 20.--A number of are
engines are still playing upon the
smoldering ruins which mark the scene
OF the great confederation near the gem
efai Postoftice yesterday. Walls are
lalilng every now and then. The last
names disappeared by IL o'clock this
morning.
The official report says the cause OF
the fire is unknown. y large number Of
warehouses from five to six stories high
have been burned, and have partly
fallen, the whole covering an area of 200
by 100 yards, bounded by Nichols
Square, Edmund Place. Jewin Crescent,
Australian avenue, Pauls alley and Red
Cross street
The burned district was surrounded
by enormous crowds to-dav. and there
was running of excursion trains from
The country.
In spite of the magnitude of the dis
aster. only two firemen were slightly
injured during the work of extinguish-
ing the flames.
About 300 firms are seeking for new
offices. The estimate of the amount of
damage done range from $4,000. 900 to
SOUO0O.UOO, but according to the best
opinion, the loss is about Sl0000.000
Consols and India three per cents have
fallen heavily, on the belief that the
losses will necessitate heavy sales by
insurance companies, and most of the in
surance companies shares have dropped
~ to 10 shillinGs. The Standard" in
its financial article this afternoon, says
it is believed that the bulk of the losses
Will fall upon American insurance COM
panies.
The insurance AGENTS take an opti-
mistic view of the losses, their estimates
ranging from S1,500000 to $4,000,000.
1t is a fact that dozens of the burned
out firms were not insured, in some
cases because they were considered to
be undesirable customers, and in others
because the locality has long been con-
sidered dangerous by insurance COM
panies. The latter assert that the SEM
sational rumors regarding the losses
have been promoted on the Stock E,x-
change in order to influence stocks.
All the historic treasures of Cripple
Gate Church were removed, including
the records of Oliver Cromwelrs marri-
age, Multon's burial and the deaths by
the plague in 1865.
In the fire streets a quarter of a mile
in length were involved, 100 great ware
houses were destroyed, 800 important
firms and hundreds of minor ones were
burned out and damaged at loss esti-
mated way up in the millions.
At midnight the scene was appalling.
The flames had been extinguished, but
the vast block of warehouses as far as
the eye could reach. right and left. was
one huge furnace filled with a mass of
smoldering ashes, on which streams
from numerous hydrants seemed to
make no sensible impression The
streets ran like rivers. Twenty steam
ers were pumping water through gap
ing windows of burned out buildings,
while the sky overhead for miles around
reflected the lurid glare of still glowing
embers. Every avenue leading TO the
scene of the fire was blocked by police
The reason why the fire assumed such
gigantic dimensions was, first, because
of the highly inflammable character OF
the contents of dry goods and tobaccon-
ist warehouses where it originated; Sec
ond because of the extreme difhculty or
handling it effectively owing to the ex-
ceptional narrowness of the surround-
ing streets. Few of these streets per-
NIT two vehicles to pass abreast, ana
the fire brigade had therefore great diff
ficulty in manipulating the engines ana
getting them into position. The deIay
thus caused gave the fire tremendous
headway.
In the early stages Of the fire the
flames tore up through the elevator
shafts of the warehouses and spread
over each successive floor with incred-
ible rapidity, then bursting out through
the windows they roasted the fronts OF
the houses on the opposite side Whlcn
smoked and cracked until their Wooo
work broke into fire.
II win be several days before the fire
is completely extinguished, and the
ruins thoroughly explored
The conviction is general that the
London fire brigade is entirely too small
to deal with a great emergency,
though the energy and resources Oh
Chief Wells and the courage of the men
are fully recognized.