The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1897-11-25
LONDON FIRE.
One Hundred and Fifty Warehouses with
Their Contents Destroyed-The Burned
Territory Covers Area of 100000
Yards-The Loss In Over @25,OOO,OOO.


Yards-The Loss Ia Over saS S,OOO,OO
LONDON, Nov. 20.-One of the most
disastrous fires in London's history
since the great fire of 1866, broke out
in 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
q strong wind and were fed by highly
infammable stocks of Christmas fancy
goods and fimsy dress materials of all
description, that filed every floor of
the six buildings in the old street. Con-
sequently the conflagration gained
headway 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 II 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 hundred warehouses have been de-
La Iii l. Il
exceed s3,O00,0OO ($15,OOO,O0O). 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 4 o'clock Saturday morning a very
large force of fireman and about twen-
ty engines have been working at 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, Paul's
alley, Cripple Gate churchyard, Wood
Street square, Monkwell street. Nichol
square and Tore street.
1t is officially reported that $50 ware
houses have been gutted. A later esti-
mate Of the damage done places the
amount at nearly e5,OCO,0OO sterling
(S25, 900, ,OOO).
Nearly all of the British fire insur.
ance companies are involved and fire
insurance shares were practically un.
saleable on the stock exchange Friday
afternoon after the fire was we'll under
way.
Nearly 300 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 30 per cent Friday evening.
Two feather firms alone have lost 915,.
900 sterling (S75,00O
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, OO(
square yards. Sixty warehouses have
already been destroyed and the fire has
extended from Wood street square tt
} Aldersgste street.
; The fire originated in the store of ar
umbrella manufacturer on Hamsel
street at 1 o'clock Friday afternoon
J and the great loss of property seems
to be due to the delay in summonine
! the fire department The published
report says that the police officer who
first detected the flames blew hi!
} whistle loudly for assistance, but sew
} eral minutes elapsed before the alarm
: was heard by any of his comrades. Al
soon as assistance reached him tn,
> officer was dispatched to call the fir
/ brigade.
. But here again this was an unac
countable delay of 20 minutes befor
. the first engine appeared. Then the fear
) full dimensions of the fire were appar
, ent, and it was decided to circulate
r call throughout the whole metropolitan
{ district.
t The church of st. Giles was built il
t 1645. 1t is approached by an archwa.
, in Red Cross street, also within tn
scene of the confiagration, and con
? tains among other things the tomb O
? John Milton, who died in 1874; tn
t tomb of Fox, the martyrologist; Frobt
{ sher, the voyager, who died in 1884
and Speel, the typographer, who die
, in 1925.
, Oliver Cromwell was married in tn
> church of st. Giles, August 90, 1920
and the parish register contains an en-
try of the burial of Daniel Defoe, tn
? author of Robinson Crusoe," VIII
, died in 1871.
. Milton is commemorated in tn
' church of st. Giles by bust, by Bacon
l and the late George w. Childs, of Phi
n adelphia, erected stained glass win
S dow in this church to the poets men
9 ory.
r In the church yard is an old bastiol
n of the London wall and close by il
!, London wall is small part of tn
q church yard of st. Alphage, containing
another large fragment of the old wal
built by the Romans.
Alders Gate and Cripple Gate ar