Hide Article Text (OCR)
[W.Siirp/ina Observer unite in giving to their read’ fi/htwing arcnunt i f the nwftiTcatnstrophe of Sun dig Inft. The delay in issuing it has beetn urn-voidable.igreat iothe destine ih . of real cs; ,'.*. a tin .tire andn:utial | rosti sti njof so many of their Heors. it ilt;»a remarkable nrcum tsstce. lhancy andmany valoahb* Jinip. !•■'. left in ilie v'.n!the twoBanks, were takeu out ai'.tr tin* fuc tujitrcil.It is cllie to all the ci'isntions tvere iinucmitiing w!inl.be-W1. . (r tin ■ was a :r.isinet ul ifii-clii.uathing, Mlid *:,qf: manywen- n-.uv t.. faint on.their LI,t«, and seine vv.,*!.* p»r oulv lainr, i' i;greii' Mi-v • 'u ont so.rows to I e ablt-Wi Say l!ino li.esivtre lost.! I'be si' os at d th'red pi'P'tl.i on, lt;!,*.(•great c-stdit fim* ilteir conrlinet on (!■ it evvtt’.-ttl d.i there wai notliio- ni... dot n tgbul they nil; Jily which ::I “ About 15 minutes after 12 o’clock M. o (lay last, tile ci'izctts of Fayetteville were alarmed jconum jby the cry of FI HE and the other signals n a •! niri,heir mas occasion*. The roof cf a Kitchen bel nging before a ■ to Mr. James Kyle, near Ins elegant brick building his boson i lately erected at the N. VV. corner of Market square, fpel ngs t■ C |nmark .of I false in son of drid (Ijsinlercsu-dne»s; • which may !# pro-1 nirc* particularly tu.from thetry|was round to be in a blaze, but to so inconsiderable ,t0 gerve. Acts of heroin...|an extent, that it was believed the efforts rrlade to were done bv them on tltrt t!extinguidi it Would certainly be successful. lit* per on some future occasion : cettful hope ! Tin y were all unavailing. In a ve- mention.,‘ry few moments, the flames extended themselves1 Many of our fellow citiz-ns Itothe large brick building*, and to many small tr#otfU -oy the smoke fr^mmiis ,,, ourniiur mveI wooden buildings in Us vicinity. In a few minutes rial, (some of which it is said were borne l I'tln* rin^ more the roof of the Town House caught, that .......... miles) one i„ dm in* tin*building was soon enveloped in flantrs. From of the fire, and rendered us red hc.uly am]thence tour large tommm of flame were seen pour- UHct\t| „id. Uut „ V!tril.lv ul daua(.g d t(I ing in at man) directions along the four punctpal retimr all their eflbrts fora longtime unavailing. . streets o the town, with a rapidity and force which „„d tile last remnant ofs'rength and resolution wa defied all stay or res,stance In a western direc nea,,y expended before the enemy was subdued.n, the fire extended itself up lfay-street, on the,..... , , . The day on which it occurred* was unpronttioiis. Iright hand a short distance beyond the point of «3 The citizens had just returned to tljeir houses from » !lt;«*■*«' WHhOld street, extending backwards ,heir several plac.8 of worship, in that state of men-■ in a nr,, .hern direction to the very edge of the calm, and composure, which the day and their ,creek, embracing in tls devouring sweep the inter- la(e employment were so well calculated to inspire;( mediate buildings on Old-strcet and Maiden lane. and w|,ich however propitious to die attainment of , Aml n ,he,ll'f' »s ,ar as Mr‘ Ca,w’9 wiKiden build, spiritual ..rength, is perhnpt not the most favorable mg, being the next house below Mr. John Ma. Use’s „al0 of feelmg f„r suddenly and unexpectedly en-‘ long row of wooden buildings, at the Wagon Yard, gaging m any temporal strife or labor, besides s extending back southwardly to Franklin street. ,|ns, being at their private instead of their places of .Along Green street Hie flumes progress. d_ north- business, they were further removed from the scent' ■I wardly, crossing the creek, and consuming in their of action, and the enemy had gained much strength!; transit Mr. Kocles s mill, store, and dwelling house, ibefore tliev could bring themselves in conflict with1 f and the haiulsome bridge erected a few years since ,t. Contrary to all expectation -Jig supply of wa j .■by the town, sweeping before them many valuable'ter Was found to be insufficient from the water', . luiUlings, including the Episcopal Church, on the'woiks, probably owing to the improvidsntly 'ak i .right hand side of the street, until they reached the ing0Ut aome of the upprf plugs, and thus in aj private residence of James Seawell, Esq. which; measure cutting it off.-Owing to t!ic pressure of j was saved, by a providential turn of.he wmd, Sr. tl,e„he lire, the sudden confusion, and the anxious sohGnt-rl o t%Ty . m P«I3«n« w,th water licilude of each one to save his own pro , blankets. On the lefthano side of the street they'property, itwas not found practicable to form a continued linelt;weWrl'J'.'t'plC-V, w“e!,toITelt;l‘“l|ie bouceof of communication with the creek, a.ul indeed I 1 the themselves, so far even a, they were' h'iiurPa ^elt;l*’')se.ot l ' V supplied with water refused to perform their func-I Ddl t« W111 If tV'JQ ta V4»«t hir AVAsfmaa » tjOHS| bai t, Esq. which was saved by exertions of great activity and perseverance. Along Person street I ,ithey destroyed every building on both sides as far',. 1'e ff''eat heat of the Weather was also very un-eastwardly as a few doors below Liberty Point, in i,° ' ,lle sim’9 l,ad heated the rcofe ofr.luding thestoreof Mr. Wm. McIntyre, situate’ on I l!le h',Hes almost to inflammation______. n . . . . J . .. I lfm hf t#x lau U— t I. A ..... , 11I;the opposite point formed by the junction of Per- ll,emfit.to be ignited by tbesmdles spark _;s,m street and Cool Spring alley, extending buck; was i,s rflaxil'g and oppressive, j northwardly as far as the #ilge of the creek, con.' sttming the Presbyterian Church, Catholic Chapel, and all the other buildings (with the exception of the dwelling house, mills and warehouse of Mr. James H Hooper, all of which were saved with much exertion) including the buildings on both sides of Bow street. Along Gillespie-street, the flames extended as far as the State Bank building, Ion the right hand side, which being nearly fire g'proof, enabled the citizens to contend successfully 31 with the flames at that point, and to save that build-(' mf* the eastern side of the street, they de-jstroyed every building to a point opposite the State • Bank building and extending easttvardly so as to I include ait Dili tnree n me oiPuumgs uu lin r. snot, “i between Person and Mttmford-streets,’) It io impossible to form any correct estimate of ' the entire loss in real estate. There probably is no ' instance in history of ,o large a portion of a town j being consumed, where it was not the result o! voluntary human agency. The fire continued to rage1 rendered, added!_ .. effect 1upon those engaged in endeavoring to extinguish Hie fire thus diminishing their ability nearly one half. A very large proportion of those who were', engaged in this service were those who had already been worn down with exertions to save their own chattels. But of all the unfavorable circumstances none contributed so largely to the spread of the fire as the ab'sence of any wind of sufficient forre to impel the flames in any one certain cour-ie, which would have concentred Hie exertions of the citi * zens to one point, and prevented the fire from spreading in other direction*. sWe have thus laid before our readers avery im-]'* perfect account cf this awful ftalastrophe. Many |: in the present excited state of feeling it is’difficult b to trust to anything, which we did not ourselves;l see with our own eyes, and have therefore confined! ourselves principally if not entirely to the relation) of such things. Amid such total overthrow pecuniary prospects, we are happy to say, therewith unabated fury until about six o’clock, when, !seeins to b*5 a general manifestation of fortitude, ‘ by the blowing up of houses, and the other means'*nH manly resignation under liiis afflictive dispensa-usual on such occasions, it was suddenly deprived Hon of Providence, together with a confidence thatj of food for its raging appetitThe public buildings destroyed were, the Town . House, the Cape Fear Bank, the Catholic Chapel,, I the Presbyterian and Episcopal Churches, the A-I cademy, the Lafayette and Mansion Hotel* The , building in which the United States Hank did busi nejs, and the office of the Agency of the Stale , Bank, were also destroyed, but as they were mere-. ly rented for that purpose, they are not put down . a* public buildings. The private buildings destroy-J ed, in number about SIX HUNUBED, would re quire a long catalogue to enumerate particularly.[ Uut besides the buildings immense quantities of . books, valuable papers, money, household furniture,. goods, wares, merchandize and produce, were de stroyed. Where the fire first broke out persons near the scene, would remove such things to what were , then supposed places of safety, but by the time they . would get them fairly deposited they would discover , the flames in hot pursuit of them and would be driv-. en to farther efforts for the security of their valuables, until driven from place to place and complete-p ly worn down with their exertions, they would at last . be compelled to abandon them to the power of the , merciless flames:—a very small portion of any of f Ihese articles was saved. The amount destroyed it is difficult to estimate, We cannot undertake to offer _ a correct list of the houses or even point cut the prin-( cipal sufferers. It would be infinitely more easy, to , make a catalogucof those of our citizens, who have not suffered. Language is entirely inadequate to , the description of the sublime and awful scene of I Sunday, or to convey an adequate idea of the ap pearance of ruin and desolation which our town nov,. presents. 11 pity was wrung from the iron heart of! . the stern Marius, a disinterested foreigner, amid the p ruins of Carthage, what must be the feelings tif eve-. ry warn) hearted citizen o the U. States, and espe-. ciaily ofour own State, when he shall look upon the' r melancholy wreck ofour late flourishing village. Hut'. it is by descending to an inquiry into individual losses and distresses, that our true condition can be best . understood. Many who on the morning of that day r were in the full enjoyment of all the ordinary blt ss-. ings of life have now nothing left to them but the , single tuit ofcloLhing which they then wore,’I morsel in Store either ot bread or of meat, to meet | ,! the common demands of nature, destitute even of the j I 'shelter of the rudest hovel from the inclemency of t the climate. Nor is this state of privation confined i .'to man in the full enjoyment of Ins natural si rength' ,and indcpendenc . but include* all conditions of life| J—the widowed mother ben ung beneath the weight ’! of years and surrounded by her famishing babes —' , Hie helpless and unprotected female—the sick, the) lame and die aged. Many who were in a slate of J prosperity, now find themselves entirely denuded *f ‘ property, and burdened wilhdebts of immense mag-!he who hath visited tts will provide us with the means to bear this visitation. The spirit of enter-prize is far, very far from being crushed.We cannot close this account without stating a fact which may serve as a warning to other towns. In several places where the flames were arrested, it was owing entirely to the protection afforded by shade trees.List of Suffer err. in Houses, G mils. Furniture, Otc.Q. \\'. Hutton,U Kratnbcft.R. McIntyre*Doct,John KeHj*' Hurh Campbell, J H* Hooper, Jetnoi Seawall,Dillon Jordan, jr. R. Cochran, * Sianeon Relden, Mr*. Bowen, Jude(e Stranzn, T. J. Curtin,D. McNeill,Mn. Wilson,T. U liybaJ.P I. Tillinghagt,Kruzle Ac Dougin VV, Ci«d*i (.'• B. Joncn,F. Lam.Wm. McIntyre,E. Stedmtn;A. McLaughlin,John Mulliai, fC. T. Morgan,Duacaa McRae,G. VV. McDonald,Mr* E. Mclntyra,K. W. Willkings,H. L. Jonas,I. Blake, jr.Hiram Jiot/iiiion,Mr*. Shackiilford,J. VV. W right,J D. Ecd-es.Estate oi r. Me I,erao Do. J. McRarkun,Do, of D. Smith,Lewie Brown,James Baker,D Mclt;*i*en,D. McCall,Joseph Arey,I high vicLaurin J.gMcLeran, jr.J. Howell, i. Blake Ac Son,Henry Hum, Gt-orge McNeill, J. M. Dol)bin,D McKe».C. T Hugh,A Torrence, Mott Ac Summer, Mrs. Barge,G •Joh• BlaMoArn,Donaldson,7.. Burruughs,A Hrr* /Vriaitroog, Murchiaou, Bailey.Doctor Dickion, Doctor Cameron, Joseph Baker.A - McLean.jr.D A- Kay.WIMkings tc Co. George Hall Sc Co T. Saatlford,J. Ha l lock,G- Hurlbrttt.C W.TMirt|W, John Campbell, Keuben Hall, Annoa Kimball, Mra- McMillan,T. Wret,Schooi oi Industry, Jam.* Hart,W. F. Strange,T. B. RansomJ. i.irdsah.nttude. But we furbear.r. )FurnishfcU will, the fol'eguitig outline, imagin*-lion can from it, own re-tuurces, till out this pic-i ture of wretchedness, with more truth, than by adopting me cold suggestions of any recital. It seems1 .hat those who were best able to lose, were most successful in laving. I'he Hanks were all so for-as to secure the whole of their money, books,1l Strange. . Wngiit, Sftltmarsb,and valuable papers, although tbeir losses must b*. half of dollar*.Meride* many other* not yet »s ertained I’he entire loss is estimated at on*- • 1
Newspaper Details
Augusta Constitutionalist
Augusta, Georgia, US
Tue, Jun 07, 1831
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Matt M.
NA, NA 01 Jan 2025
Other Publications Near Augusta, Georgia
Augusta Mirror
Augusta Herald
Augusta Evening Dispatch
Augusta Columbian Centinel
Augusta Chronicle and Georgia Gazette
