Fire At St. Christopher's...
The Times, 1824-09-16T00:00:00

t3etween the hours of one and two o'clock on Sunday morning, the inhabitants of this town and its vicinitv were troused hvarn dlarm of fire, whichi was ldiscovere( to proceed ftrom the premises of Joseph Adlan, Esq., Oppo,ditc Baker-s Corner. hundreds of per- i sains hinnttdiately rep"iredbto t.he s6ot, wvhere the fire had commenced in a shop eontiguous to the cdwelling.house, to vhich it communi- cated with siclh astonishing rapidity that the whole struature was in a few msiments one entire mllass of flame, mginn with a viole:ce that for a considerable time delied everv eflort to arrest its trigress. A t this dreadful mometit. ihe whole toiwn seen.ed d!evoted totestr.r- tion, frout di.e inimetise vohlttiie of the devourin z element which issuc..l from thc builLings, and he sparks which ascended and fell atrountl. Most providenlially, itotwever, the wind was 3izht, adi soutiherly; i:ad it beet) bio witig tronm ttie north nrtd. th it! ,ol-es on t he oppo ite sile of the street mzust inevitabli hare tak in firc, tndi in all humnan probability this vainable towr'n vouli have been at tie t:e present moment one general hcalp of ruins. From 31r. I Adlait's, the tire reached the niext house, on the sdme In)e. i occupied by itlr. Bienjatmin \Watson; this was a brick build- ing, and the flatunes therefore had not t;.terials to feed unon to such an extent as at Mlr. Adtlan's, vhasc buildings vere (fl wood, and in who-e cellirs a large quanticy of ruin ansd htrandy heightened the conflagration; but the roof, vwindows, and every con- I sumlable part oflillr. Wdatson's house were reducect to ashes. The allmes, yet unscibdued, it waiv fearcd, wsould extcnd to thc; oin: houses, and it was accordingly decined necess:sry to level them w]ith ti,e earth, wlhichi vas eftccted, after great exertion: but, we reeret toadd, that this sacrificetothegenerals afetiv':as placed their late in- mates in a state of paintul destitutioll. One of the parishi engines (one only, we undirstand, being in a condition to be used) was brourht into play at an early leriod; but, thnigh supplied and workedl with tile utmost alacrity by several individuals, whose active an(t inde- latigable exertions claimi the hiLhest praise, it availei but little on the great botly of tire atgainst which it was directeil. thie confHagra. ioii did not extendl beyond Mr.I Watnsom's, alnd about day-ligltt the tanger was at an cntd. WVe are hIappy to say, that, notwvithstandi;w the imminest peril to which many respectable and( worthy individuials fearlessly exposed themselves tluring the wliole t intc, tiere wvas no loss of life. Several, however, were bruised; and amnong them Lieutenant Clarke, o the 4th reginent, who receivedc a severe coatu.ion whilst excrtig him- self ini a distingutishel atid exemplary style. Thie Captain o sosie rnf the vessels lyinI; in tite ro.od. anti genetisemen from the neigl,bour ing estates, were also on the spot, contributing their asistiance. It is impossible to estimate it3e amnount of loss sutstained. AJr. Adhato has suffered very considerably ; we understand that aboiut I 40 punchcotns of runs were consunoed, wvith a lIttaitity of brandvy. bottled liquor, atid usany va3lable effects, whicl there wais no Iiossi- bility of rescuing freni tiestruerion, thc family themselves being obliged to abandan thte p'rensiaes witi the Utm 0ost h-ste. Others have beet deprived of ltbeir all; but the feeling of' syjispathy Kenerally sotertaituedl will, we are persuaded, benevoleistly ensure reiief to the distressedi.I Tile Orenadier Company of iMlilitia was placed on dutv in she msorning, for the preservation of order, anLi to protect the Property I of the unfortinate suffirers whicit lay exposed, amd ot wiiiCth de-. predations hta(i been committed by wreches. Wlho surroundicA the I scene of destruction for no other purpose than to plunder all that the flames had spared. From the circumstance of the shop in which the fire broke out havitng been closed in theevening, atsd the lights carefully extin- guishe(l, it is very strongly suspected that the dreadful event which followed was the work of tn incendiarv; anti the suspicion is strengthened by the fact of an attempt having been mtade on Sunday nighit to set lre' to a house in (ollege-street, which was fortinately discovered before the coinbtLstible niatuer, intended tO aCCoimtlhish the denon)iac dcsigti, hail burnt omit. A militia guard (whicht hasi been nightly mounted since) proceeded to the spot, a-.d apprehended a negro man slave to whoiii suspicioni attached, andl who has becn judtcially exaittined and comniittecd to jail. A-nothier man has bect since taken into cuttody, and likewiseconimitted. Wile are happv to 1earn, that some regulations are nit contemplation lor scCtring the 1 town fron tIle recurrence of so dreadful a calamity. FIRE AT ST. CJIRI 'vOPHiER'S. ST. KITT'S. JuN-E 22.