Year: 1876




enorts OF Mr. Nicholas Muller. agent of the Eric Rail
way, who drove his men into the burning
sheds with hand trucks and hurried out
trunks bags and cases to an attendant barge.
The barge was fast to tugboat and Kept
moving up and down tho wharf tho nre drove the
men from point to point As the men dashed out OF
the fiery sheds with their loaded trucks others seized
the loads and the barge. About 900
trunks of emigrans' clothing and effects were lost by
furious sweep of fire that made the men run for their
lives. Through the baggage sheds aud down the wharf
the fire sped with frightiul rapidy, destroying every
thing in its path.


RKGULAR STAMPEDE.


After the fire had gained sufficient headway to mako
II apparent that there hope of saving anything
inside of the building regular stampede took place
The instant the men they turned their
attention TO saving their baggage. rush was made
for the baggage room, and men an. women ran here
and there dragging heavy trucks loaded with trunks,
umbng and jostinc against another, all the


time shouting and screaming TO each other IN mixture
of forcig gn tongues In the great confusion they
compllsned but little. BY the timely arrival OF aid tho
baggage was removed before tho fro reached II.
shortly after the fell and IL looked for moment
If he flames would reach around TO the waiting
room in front OF the main building, the only place
naming untouched.


What added to the general confusion the fact
that the steamship Celtic had just landed 100 steerage
passengers These poor creatures, strangers in
strange and, having yet recovered from the effects
o, an ocean voyage, for a utterly siupehed.
say the least and only to do justice, musi be ad
mt,cd that the dsc pine at the Garden was excelert
otherwise life surely have resulted in the
confusion and excitement which naturally enough
reigncd for time. While the officers who were on
duty did all they could TO inlay tho fear OF the poor
people. who. after ALL knew nothing save that ter
/ ribc calamity about to visit them still there were
some scenes that ptabe In the extreme.
complete OF police had been thrown ont, surround
ing The three OF the burning building, against
which crowd Of ten thousand people pressed.
Inside OF this ne tho green grass and
under the cooling shade of the green trees
gathered little knots of the newly arrived imm-
grants. Huddled together seeking consolation in
their misery, their rude effects piled up by the
PATHWAYS old men and women young AMI maid
ems, little ones, clDging to he maternal brcas
they presented picture at once sorrowiul and sug
gestivc One poor woman walked about tho green
sward wringing her hands in the agony of grief
She said that she had only arrived today, with her in
ant son. and she fears that all she possessed in the
world was destroyed by the fire. She had friends
this side of Oregon, she sobbod and moaned she
appeared the very embodiment OF wretchednoss
There another, poor widow, with eight chill
dren one OF them sick and lying in basket She
IN tho building when tho fire began and almost
iranllc at the imagined peril OF her little ones.


The grounds enclosure surrounding the walls,
and near where the officers quarters are,
plecly covered with such effects cmigrants usually
possess. Here would bc mattress, there a trunk.
Scattered all around and about cooking utensils
and odds and ends OF clothing; indeed, everywhere
could he seen the evidences OF the has,y fight which
had been made 1t must be said that the emigrants,
who the greatest sufferers after ALL behaved
trcmely we'll the first shock Of fright had passed
As they formed their little camps in the Garden they
discussed the situation and it was only In isolated in
stances that emotion got tho better OF them.
Agents OF the Commissioners of the Quarantine were
sent among pacify them and aay their fears
and the assurance they would be kindly taken
OF seemed work like a charm. The statement which
was freely maze aso that the Comm would be
held responsible for all effects which had been checked
also had it's effect making the homeless more
contented with tnei lot


A CURIOUS INCIDENT.


As s we'll known the structure was old, and such
woodwork was built on the stone foundation was
dry as tindcr The interior of tho build ng a net
work of partitions, Offices and rooms, and the
flames gained hcadway they quickly swept everything
before them Tho smoke very dense, and 1t
here that peculiar feature OF the fire
attracted universal comment Tho smoke in a
broad compact column the height OF about 100 feet
Then like a shaft suddenly broken of, it swept away
in strairh, line the river toward Atlantic Basin,
South Brooklyn. Among other things destroyed were
vast number of documents books, &c, and as The
sheets OF white paper flew away they huttercd IN the
black column Of smoke like birds of hope IN the dark
ness The South and Hamilton ferries from Brooklyn
were literally packed with people mpellcd by that
morbid curiosity which always attends misery and
disaster


A


As one looked through tho gaping embrasurcs Of the
od fort striking presented itself The interior
was one mass Of flames which hisscd and chased each
other IN very grcedincss and II TO still enhance
horrd noises. the shouts Of tho rcmen would be
followed by a cracking and groaning as some heavy
timber or portion of the roof Tell in. "Ah, said
fireman TO the HERALD reporter 'the last time | was
here was whcn the public school the OF Bay
ard street. of which a scholar hero a
body Jenny Lind. but that's good many years
/ ago for was only little boy then"


For some time the fire had its way Indeed,
1t became merely n question how long 1t would take
/ the nremen put out the blazing heap OF runs.
Here and there the flames shooting up around
the wooden cornccs, which yielded 10 lhe and
came topp ing down. Some OF the outhouses seemed
DISPOSED to initiate the example OF the nam building,
ard did So with the exception OF the roofing, their
! interior being completely charred and the upright
pillars looking lko shriyelei charcoal apologies for
| supports The water however, at last checked the
| further advance OF the fire. The work Of
] tho arcmen now confined to checking
the progress of the flames in the outbudings as the
! work OF destruction complete within. AS fast
checked the blaze at point IL would break out
in another which they would hastily turn stream
! OF water Whore the smoke came out at different
points the axemen worked vigorously to End entrance,
and where FIRE out the water fought 1t back. As
! II began to grow dark there much anxiety about
providing shelter for the immigrants during the night
one OF the officials said there plenty OF room
/ the waiting hail, ami there was no further dan
ger they trudged back TO IT, carrying with them the
/ = --.l-... - 49, L.. -Ira M