Year: 1865

Hected by the conagaion Intense On the steps Of
the City Hall IL could be distinctly felt


TIE AsToR HOUSE.


Opposte the Museum, ON broadway, st. Paul's
church stood an isolated object Had that front
offered more obstruction, or bad It been . solid
block Of buildings, the danger Of the fire spread
ing on the other side Of Broadway would have been i'm
minent a the wind mpeled tho fame and cinders at
one time strongly in that direction The Astor House,
ON the adjoining block opposed its armor Of granite
while its roof swarmed with the little army who
situted the employees Of the establishment This system
attic organisation kept the roof and every point Of dan
ger well defended and, although the inmates were all
more or less excited, tho special police watchmen
kept the doors guarded and the vast crowd N the street
expended their ingenuity in vain in endeavorng TO
crcumvent the special police and effect entrance for
splendid opportunity Of seeing 'Barnums in its
last scenic gloriea


Nessn Ststson and J. z. Devlin had just returned
from down East 70 take timely charge Of their establish
ment on this occasion


General Hooker and staf with other digni-
tares now stopping a the Asor House, witnessed the
confagraton from the windows


SCARE AMONG THR CROWD.


Az the flames steathily crept from window 10 window





waiting further Developments . pregnant suggestion
passed from mouth 10 mouth "Was there anything
posive in the buildng" Mobile Chattanooga and Gal
latin presented themselves to recollection, and tacy
the dense throng began to backwards At this in
sant Of the engines in front Of the Asor House sud-
denly let or steam, and the loud and powerful blast
breaking in upon the previous stiffness Of the crowd,
and following upon their whispered specuatons sent
panic through their midst The retreat became STAN.
pede those who sought stand up against the pressure
of the crowd were knocked down and trampled under
foot and some were injured 1t was but momentary
panic; in seconds the causelessness Of the
alarm was apparent, and order was restored.


SEEING THE CURIosITIEs.


The majority Of the crowd seemed delighted at the
chance Of seeing the curiosies gratis One Of the
ployes Of the Museum who passed through the crowd
with bunch Of coral in hand and stuffed raccoon
in the other loudly cheered But the excitement
70 s height when the gantes the fat lady and the
white wooly headed Albino passed down Fulton street.
followed by number Of the ladies Of the corps de ballet
who, poor things had lost ell OF their theatrical ward
robe The pantomme Of the Green Monster was to have
been performed at the Museum In the afternoon; but
the Monster consumed with the whales the Happy
Family and the snakes The fat lady, the giantess and
the ballet girls found temporary refuge newspaper
Office where they rehearsed their losses TO small but
select audience, and the Aibino spirited
away to q more private location, where she
could not be seen without paying for the privi-
lege. About hundred persons must have been
thrown out Of employment at the Museum and many Of
the pantomimists dancers and keepers will ind din
cult TO obtain employment at this dull for
mens The crowd did not think Of this however They
incessant in their cries Of 'boiled whaen fried
snakes "broiled monkey" and roast elephant thus
displaying sort Of 0own wit and perfect familiarity
with the contents Of the Museum. "Throw me out
Of the canoes" "Pitch the bow-constructor,
wants It for tppet" or "How you, learned seai"
provoked continual laughter. We suggest however, that
the fire has rather serious side to IT, and that the
bers Of the theatrical profession in this city ought
ganize mammoth benefit at the Academy Of Music, the
proceeds to be divided among those whom this conag
ton has deprived Of their engagements for the
Let this suggestion be adopted without delay.


HOW THE ANNALS, PARED.


When the fire FIRST broke out and the smoke COM
menced to penetrate the galleries there the
peculiar Babel Of sounds which was ever allotted to
mortal to hear The Happy Family quite belied their
cognomen-the monkeys jabbered the dogs barked the
cats mewed parrots screamed bears growled kangaroos
kangarooed paroquets screamed otteY otter and the
poor OTTER not caring for the smoke buried himself in
his native element The birds futered against the bars
Of their cages and sang most aoeful melodies To
those poor animals Of the first things thought
Of and the FIRST who presented himself to notice
poor 'bruin himself making the descent Of the ladder
in very peculiar He seemed quite savage and
not at all inclined for fun Accustomed 10 be looked at
through iron bars, he seemed a loss TO understand his
present situation. Several times, his feet
slipped through the rounds of the ladder, the
tightening Of the rope by which he held caused him
70 pale visDly and certainly show his cannes or
vlu Afeav dapo ala ha
reached the top Of the ladder but the foot and
on terra rma he looked a. contented a. bear could
look under tho circumstances.


Louder grew the jabberings the monkey tribe who
leaped frantcay about the boa constructor wrthed in
agony the beat became stronger and dismal series
Of walls from the whales who had not besn used 70 top
cal mingled with the rhapsodes Of the astrolossr
tho paintings Of the fat woman and the groanngs Of he
giantess. The two latAer half frantic, and the
maniac penman made the artistic Hourishes with
his quill Poor Ned, the educated SEAL who wont 70
astonsh spectators with his sagacty, who used 70 turn
the handle Of barrel organ, and do everything but
speak, was seized upon by couple Of men, one evi-
IDENTIFY Hibernan;-"Bad luck 70 ye, he's bitin' me,
Mick :" and 20 he was "Fetch me basket" was the
cry and still Ned wnggled about the nshy
ner, the crowd making way every side At length his
succeeded in bringing Ned TO place Of safety





yore.


With these exceptions fear all the extensive and
interesting collection Of animals fell prey To the fiery
element with the exception perhaps Of few birds,
which may have succeeded in flying away. The crowd
outside most anxious about "dumb crathurs who
niver done any HARM bah the bite the sale Civ
me-" as our friend the Hibernian called them and
anxious inquiries madc 70 whether the water in
the aquaria wouldn't prevent their hnny inhabitants
from being burned


II may be some time before we can have 30 fine col
lection Of tropical nsh as was in the Museum. The
aquaria made on the most approved plan and
ranged that the water kept fresh by the passage Of
air through them The collection Of birds, too,
most extensive The animals were numerous and well
trained that they all lived together without any
squabbling-making one think that even by train
ing the mllennal Characteristic Of 'rhe lion
lying down with the lamb" not 20 strange after