The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1897-11-21

HUNDREDS orFlRxs WERE Involved
American Insurance Compaales AZ
Very Heavy LoserA
FIRE PROTECTION ixADEQUArE
Origin Of the Fire Has Not Yet nssn
Observation-Disclosures Treas-
ures Were saved.

| NuW IWh, November EVA Otspato4 ~
tho World from London says: In Fridays
frc streets . quarter Of milo In length
were involved. 16o great warehouses were
destroyed, 800 important nrms and hnn-
dreds OF minor ones werc Quilted and da5n-
lased at loss estimated at close upon
so. 000.000
At midnight the scene was appalling.
Tho flames had been extirguished, but the
vast block OF warehouses. as far AZ the eye
could reach, right and left. was one huge
furnace, illlcd with mass OF smouidering
ashes, on which streams seemed to make no
sensible impression. The streets ran like
rivers. Twenty steamers were pumping
up water through gap,-g windows Of
burned buildings. while the sky for mils
around reelected the intense lurid glare Of
4, stii glowing embers.
| Every avenue leading TO the scene OF tho
Gre was blocked by police. Tens OF lhous-
ands Of people had gathered In the. Vicinity.
largely composed of Londons very rough
est element. but they were oyerawcd BY =
few hundred policemen.
Tho, rescn why the fire assumed such
gigantic dimensloas was first because OF
the highly innammablc character OF the
conttnts OF dry goods and tobacconst ware
l,,,.s. ,x,,,., 4, or,,,,a,as ...n,a A..
cause OF the extreme difficulty, OF handling
lit cHocuVely, OWING 10 the cxcepttunat
lnarrownesss OF the surrounding streets,
r.,y ~ ,ho,o a,,ee,s ,.,rr,, ,,,o vah,o,a.
to pass abreast. and tho IRE brigade had
therefore great difficulty In manipulating
the engines and getting them Into position.
The delay TING caused paya the IRA Ira.
.-., r,' 49,,
""s' " 'eaPs-
through windows and across these narrow
thoroughfares, and caught houacs on the
loppcsuc side Tho heat then became IN
. | frightfai that the hrc engines had "a, be
.. withdrawn aud worked from a distsskl..
I'm the early stages az tho ilre, tile ijaf'ssA
tore ,ip thrcngh tho lift-waya leleyatUt
rhnfisl Of the warehouses and spread, oyer
tarh successive Boor wifi Incredible lzpid-
I NIX, then bursting out through the windows,
ney rohstssk tho fronts OF the hoyses an
1hc opposite side which snnked rsi crack
2 led until their woodwork broke Into firv
~ VIII be several days before the fire
: Is completely exting,lished and the ruins
: thoroughly explored.
The conviction Ia general that tho Lon-
: don Are brigade is entirely too small to
I deal with great emergency. though the
) energy and resources Of Chief Wells ana
? the courage OF the men are fully rccog-
y nized,
) number OF fire engines are still playing
: upon the smpuldering ruins which mark
: the aeene OF the grcat conilagration. Walls
) are falling everywhere.
2 II is impossible 60 accurately estimate
7 the damage done, but The direct loss Will
; probably be below SO, 100000
ConsoIa and India per censs have
: fallen heavily on the belief thru the lcsrea
: VIII neccsaitatc heavy sales by insurance
companies asid most insurance companies
) shares have dropped 10 TO 20 ahllings.
. The Evening standard In its financial
article this afternoon says II is believed
: mat the bulk OF Are loss s,l fiji upon
) American insurance companies.
9 rho last tiamcs disappeared by II o'cloci
this morning, but water is still belns
: poured upon the red hot nassss q "a e.