Year: 1866




Correspondence Cleveland HERALD


PORT AU PRINCE, March %, l866.-The
steamer fo- New York has not yet ar
rived, and / have time TO write you brief
account of the dreadful misfortune which
| has befallen these poor people-the almost
entire destruction Of the city Of Port au
Prince by fire. II happened on Monday
morning, the 18th inst. Wehad Just arrived
| in the city from our little country place,
about 7 O'Clock in the morning, when the
alarm of fire was raised, and before we could
run TO the scene, il was sweeping with ter
rife fury right through the heart of the
city. Ii broke out in the most thickly set
tied district, and strong breeze from the
land swept it toward the sea.


The houses were as dry as tinder, parched
for many months by the hot tropical sun, it
being the dry season at this time and the
least spark on the shiDgle roofs was sufficient
10 set them in blaze. Such scene Of con-
fusion and terror | never before witnessed.
The inmates had barely time to catch few
articles and run for their lives. Many were
still in bed, and escaped with nothing but
their night clothes. The women were run
ming through the streets screaming, many of
them half clothed, and the men were entire
| ly incapable of doing any thing to arrest the
| flames One or two broken down engines
were found, but not one could raise a stream
| higher than the caves of the houses, and
| there was no water to feed them, except the
contents of the cutters in the streets.


There was no system or order, great
many Generals, decked out with gold lace
epaulets, were riding furiously around, run
ming over people and yelling out orders that
were not needed in the least. Many of the
men were engaged in pilfering the houses
and getting drunk on the liquors which they
| found. Not few stumbled into the fire and
were either burned to death or crushed by
falling timbers. One poor woman had lost
| everything, and in the frenzy of the moment
rushed into the flames and was dragged out
a blackened corpse.


In other parts of the city that were threat
ened, and in fact all over the city, the con-
| fusion was almost as great. The streets were
crowded with people, carrying their furni-
! ture and valuables where they thought they
would be secure, and rushing TO and fro with
panic-stricken faces.


Many Of the merchants took their money
ard most valuable things to the ships in the
harbor, or TO fire proof buildings, and many
| Of them took their money ontheir shoulders,
in coffee bags and held it there for lack Of a
safer place.


In the meantime the fire ran with marvel
ous swiltness and before 10 o'clock 1t had
gone from almost the center OF the town and
laid low everything in its track to the sea.
| More than 200 houses were in ashes already,
and we hoped that it would rest here.
Every one believed that it had fairly spent
itself but we were doomed to bitter disap-
pointment.


The land breeze died away, and before
| long in came the sea breeze and famed
the smoldering embers into flames once
more. A few houses that had been saved
bv great exertion had to succumb to the
terrible returning wave of fire which row
came back over its former track. 1t now
commenced burning every thing towards
the limits of the city, and swept on with
fearful rapidity. | was struck with the
seeming eagerness with which it would leap
over some houses and burn those beyond
first. The people were now absolutely mad
with terror, for it seemed as though every
house in town would be in ashes before
night


Swarms Of men were drunk with stolen
liquors and lying helplessly in the streets.
The women, shrieking with fright, with
their children, and huge bundles on their
heads, were coming to the large field just
outside Of the town. Such a scene can only
be imagined.


At O'Clock in the afternoon the fire had
burnt the last house on the edge of the town,
and again died away for want of fresh fuel.
1t had done fearful work. More than two
thirds of the city was in ashes, many hun
dred houses destroyed, and thousands OF
people made homeless. Nearly all of the
principal business houses are destroyed, and
millions of dollars worth Of property. How
many have been killed or injured do not
know, but ] fear that the mortality is heavy


MARCH 26, lS66.-The terrible fire Of
which have given you a short account
above, has unsettled everything very much
| About one thousand houses have been de
stroyed, six or eight thousand persons rem
dered homeless, and probably not less thar
fifteen millions gold Of property lost. 1t
has, fear, given mortal blow to the pros
perity of the city and Port au Prince II
likely to become a city Of the past.