The age-herald., 1897-11-20
4 GREAT BLAZE
 SWEEPS LONDON Most Disastrous Since the His
 toric Fire of 1866. ONE HUNDRED WAREHOUSES With Their Contents Of Highly Inilamma
 ble Goods Destroyed. TWENTY-FIVE MILLIONS THE COST For Hours Bremen Were Unable to Stay
 the Deyouring Flames. WATER SEEMED TO HAVE NO EFFECT Thousands Gathered to Gaze Upon the Mammoth Spectacle and Police Were Forced to
For Hours Bremen Were Unable to Stay
 the Devouring Flames.
WATER SEEMED TO HAVE NO EFFECT
Thousands Gathered to Gaze Upon the Mammoth Spectacle and Police Were Forced to Drive Them Back Gas Ex-
 pIosion the Cause.

London, NOV. 19.-One or the most dlS- astrous fires in London's history sine" the great fire of 1866 broke out in large block of buildings lying eastward of Aldersgate street and between that thor oughfare and Rsd Cross street just after o'clock this afternoon The flames were fann;d by a strong wind and were fed by highly inf1ammable stocks of Christ mas fancy goods and fiimsy dress ma terial of all descriptions that fill d every floor of the six-story buildings in the Old street. Consequently the confagra- tion gained headway with surpi ising rapidity and was soon far beyond the possibility of being checked by the few engines which were ea.ly on the spot. For four and half hours the flames had their own way, and it was only after more than a hundred enginss had worked for an hour that the chief of the fire brigade sent out the signal that the fire was und r control.
 At il o'clock tonight the fire was still the scene of great excitemnt. Fifty en- zines are playing upon the ruins. wagons ara hurrying up coal and tons of water are bourng into the fiery debris.
 One hundred warehouses have been de- stroyed while the loss will probably exceed 5000, 900 pounds, or $15,0OO0O0
 The historic church of St. Giles has been badly damaged, the principal dam age being to the roof, the old windows, the baptismal font-and Miltons statue.
 Explosion Started the Fire
 Eamsell street was the scene of the outbreak of the fire which was started by an explosion in connection with a gas engine on the premises of Walter Brown & Co.,, at No. 30, on that thor oughfare. A third factory was crowded with girls when the fire broke out The frightened operatives rushed to the roof of the building and thence crossing to other buildings and so effecting their escape while the flames were pouring out of the basement. Tn less than quarter of an hour the flames had en- veloped the adjoining warehouse, and thence kaped across the street to an enormous paper warehouse, which was fully alight in less than ten minutes.
 General Alarm Turned In.
 By this time it was evident to the firemen that they were face to face with a great disaster, and general alarm was sent out.
 The excitement among the onlool0ers who crowded every possible inch of ground was great, as may be judged from the fact that firemen had to be repeatedly rescued by their comrades, by the aid of the fire escapes from build ings which had caught fire after the fire men had mounted the escapes to fight the flames in ad iOinfinp structures
 But in spite of the exelrtions of the fire msn the fire crept on very steadily until Nicholl Square, which is situated at the far end of Hamsell street was reached.
 Water Had Ne Effect
 At little after o'clock a dozen hose pipes, each with 12-foot spread, poured water into the blaze from house noofs, from the stresIt below and from the burn dng premises themselves, but 1t did not seem to have amy effect The water rushed out of the windows and from the ground floor like a walter fall, while the flames leaped higher and higher and as the floors fell in the place still bIazed, a gigantic display of fire and smoke, til lihe building was compIstely gutted and the walks kee,ed over.
 Some Narrow Escapes
  as the fire spread. Suddenly there was an explosion of gas meters sounding like the reports Of field guns, followed by a momentary hush. After that the wild rushing here and there was resumed with increased energy Men risked their lives tin desperate efforts to save books, aedgers feathers, jewelry, valuable chinawares etc. One man actually haz- arded his life to fetch his hat and cane, 200 feet of stone wIark and glass falling at his heels as he emerged from the building. Several firemen were almost buried in the burning ruins. Four streets were blazing on both sides, and there was plenty to inter- est the gambling spirit of the on-lookers in betting as to whether or not the venerable tower of St. Giles church could stand the hail of sparks and burn