Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1897-11-26
GREAT FIRE IN LONDON,
100 Warehouses Burned, With
a Loss of $25,OOO,OOO.

don for more than two centuries started
lust before 1 o'clock last Friday afternoon
in the heart of the city, within hundred
yards of the place where the great fire of
1866 had its origin, and ragged unchecked
for five hours, destroying about 100 valu-
able warehouses, a number OF business
blocks, and a few dwelling houses, togeth-
er with the contents of all the buildings,
and involving a loss that is varously esti-
mated at from 500 600 600 to $50 100000.
An area of seven acres including seven or
eight streets, was swept over by the flames
No loss of life has been reported and there
wereIonly a few accidents. The fire start
ed in an umbrella makers establishment
on Hamsel street, about 300 yards north
of the general post-ofiice One account says
it was caused by the explosion of gas en-
CINE, and another that an explosion occur
red where search was being made with
naked lamp to find leak in the pipes.
The flames spread rapidly in Wells, Jewin
and Hamsell streets, and Nicholl square, and
at $50 =. NJ. 20large warehouses were burn
ing The fire continued to spread, and
practically the entire fire-fghting force of
London was summoned to the scene. A
panic prevailed in the district surrounding
the burning section The occupants of the
houses and shops in the neighborhood car
ried out their effects as speedily as possible
and piled them up in the streets. The sire is
are narrow, and some of them were soon
| blocked with debris from the burned build
ings Tue buildings destroyed include sew
eral large fancy goods warehouses.
At $40 p. NJ the damage the fire had al
ready done was estimated at more than
| $40, 600. 600. At 4 $40 p. NJ. the spread of
| The flames seemed to be chez ked on three
sides. but the fire was still making progress
northeastward in wedge shape, the front of
the mass of fire being about three buildings
wide. The immense building of Thomas
| Norman & Son, wholesale stationers and
| manufacturers, was the last structure to
| 90 on Wells street. The huge building
burned so fiercely that the firemen were
compelled to withdraw to a considerable
distance.
At $50 p NJ. the fire was under control
| in its progress to the northeastward, and
there now seemed to be no danger of its
| further spread in that direction, but it was
not until o'clock in the evening that it
was under full control.
The warehouses destroyed were mostly
| five-story brick buildings, though some of
them were built of stone. Many of the
buildings were filled TO the extent of their
capacity with winter stocks of fancy goods.
The district burned was the centre of the
feather dealers, furriers, mantle and cloak
establishments, and kindred trades, and
was also the location of most of the car
riers abroad, including those shipping
| goods to the United States.
Early in the afternoon blazing materia
from warehouse that was separated by q
narrow strip from the church of St. Gle:
fell upon the roof of the church. ignitine
it. Streams of water were instantly di
rected to the spot, and the flames were ex
tinguished in comparatively short time.
This church is of great antiquarian mites
est and Friday it was saved for the thirC
time from threatened destruction it hav.
ing narrowly escaped in the great fires OF
l547 and 1866. 1t was founded in tn,
reign of William Rufus, and incorporated
in it is part of the wall that surrounded
Roman London. Although the fire did not
extend beyond the roof of the church,
considerable part of the roof was demol
ished, sending a shower of molten lead be
low, and the interior was also flooded will
water.
Not the least remarkable effect of tn,
catastrophe was the fall that occurred il
the prices of consols and Indian pc
cents, the former declining 3.l6 and tn,
latter IA. This was doubtless largely ow
ing to the advance in discount rates, but il
is equally certain that the fall was in par
due to the belief that the fire would neces
state sales by the fire insurance companies
of those securities.
Apart from the fortunate absence of ia
talitles, there seems to be no redeeminl
feature to the catastrophe Several spe
cial industries must necessarily be suspend
ed for a time, involving tue loss of employ
ment to thousands of persons. In add
ton to this, the people are appalled, to fine
it possible, with London's Wanted fire ap
planes and costly brigade, that a fire
starting at midday, when every one wa
alert and the outbreak was almost immedi
ately discovered, could extend over sucl
an immense area virtually unchecked.
The whole resources of the brigade il
London and the suburbs were employs
Had fire started in another part of tn,
, metropolis it could not have been copeC
with; yet when all was done seven acres o.
buildings, loaded with rich merchandise
were destroyed or irretrievably damaged
, Experts declare that they never saw
such an extraordinary outbreak. 1t ap
peared as if there were a half dozen sepa
rate outbursts of flame, each of abnorma
size. 1t seems certain that the fire had I
, thorough hold in several directions before
the first engines arrived This was doubt
less owing to the crowded condition of al
the thoroughfares of the city at midday
and still more to the extreme narrownes
of the streets in this part of London, wher,
land is of fabulous value.
Location of the Fire.
, The location of the fire is in the heart o.
the old city, within almost a stones throw
of many places of historic interest 1t il
r
country be called the wholesale dry good
trade, but in London is termed the MAN
| chester" trade. The warehouses are sub
stantially built of stone and brick, non,
over six stories in height, and are regarded
by Englishmen as being of "slow- burning
construction. The district is made up of /
maze of very narrow and crooked streets
The widest thoroughfare of the distric
is Aldersgate street, running nearly nortl
and south, and becoming st. Martins L,
Grand at the general post-office, about
quarter of a mile south of where the fir
began. Hamsell, Wells and Jewin streets
that. seem tn have been the centre of tn,
fire, are short, narrow streets lying be
, tween Aldersgate street and Red Cros
street, south of the Barbican.
St Giles of Cripplegate, the church tina
was threatened most seriously by the fire
is one of the most interesting spots in ole
London. 1t lies near the junction of Rec
Cross and Fore Streets and is entered by
an arch from Red Cross street About /