Incendiary Fires.
--The alarm of fire about half past 11 o'clock Friday night last was caused by the burning of a wooden stable located on Clay street, between 9th and 10th, belonging to
William Ira Smith.
In the upper part was stowed a large supply of hay and other kinds of provender, which, together with the building, was entirely destroyed.
Mr. Smith's loss will probably reach three thousand dollars. The fire was the work of an incendiary.
At a few minutes past twelve o'clock Saturday morning, and before the firemen had left the scene of action on Clay street, a watch man near by discovering a fellow lurking suspiciously about the premises of
R. B. Woodward's carpenter shop, immediately started in the direction where he was, when, to his great surprise, on reaching the back part of the building, he found that the torch of the incendiary had been applied to a pile of shavings that had been placed against the back door.--With the assistance of some gentlemen who were passing along the street at the time, the fire was extinguished before doing much damage.
One of the party, seeing a man making rapid haste from the premises, started in pursuit, and chased him as far as the
Capitol Square, in which he turned and succeeded in getting away.
The daring fellow, determined not to be foiled in his designs, returned again about four o'clock the same morning, and this time accomplished his work with considerable success.
Forcing an entrance into the lower part of the carpenter shop, he then set fire to a lot of seasoned plank and shavings, which had obtained such headway before it was discovered as to render it impossible to put it out. In a few minutes this building was entirely destroyed, together with all the workmen's tools, a valuable lot of timber, nails, and everything else which was in it. The fire then communicated to an adjoining tenement on the east kept as a confectionary store by
Julian Alluise, which, with its contents, were also destroyed.
The large wooden building, which had been standing for the last fifty or sixty years, near the corner of Main and 9th streets, next fell a victim to the devouring elements, and it, too, proved a total loss.
The occupants of the front part of this house saved all they had, in a damaged condition.
In the back part, however, there had been deposited about forty superior marble mantels and monuments and a valuable assortment of oil paintings, stone cutters' tools, &c., belonging to
Mr. John W. Davies, who had, until within the last two or three years, carried on an extensive marble yard.
The marble work has been rendered entirely worthless from being overheated and broken to pieces, and the paintings were all burnt up. These mantels would average $150 apiece before the war, which, at the present valuation, will make Mr. D.'s loss on them alone fifty or sixty thousand dollars.
The extensive brick foundry on the west of
Woodward's carpenter shop, for a long time occupied by Francis J
Barnes & Co, as a grate and
iron railing manufactory, but for the past twelve months used by
E. F. Baker & Co. in moulding and boring shell for the
Government, was also entirely destroyed, together with a large assortment of valuable machinery, tools, materials, &c., for carrying on the business.
This building belonged to
Mr. Richard Allen, and as there was no insurance on it his loss will be quite heavy.
The back part of the "
Alabama or 290 Saloon," kept by
Mr. Jas. McGehee, was damaged by fire and water to the extent of about five or six hundred dollars. This gentleman, soon after the breaking out of the fire, threw open his establishment, when the firemen and all others who chose to avail themselves of the privilege were permitted to partake of anything he had to eat and drink, free of cost, during the balance of the night.
The wooden tenement on 9th street between Main and
Franklin, which has for some time been used by the ladies employed in the Quartermaster's Department, was slightly burnt.
At one time it was thought impossible to save this tenement, and all the records, desks, &c., therein belonging to the
Government were therefore removed into the street.
Two other wooden tenements adjoining, in one of which
Mr. Davies keeps a book and fancy store, were slightly damaged.
By the timely interference of the friends of
Mr. D. the crowd were prevented from breaking into his store, and thereby the stock which he has on hand was saved from that destruction which would have opened if a stream of water had been turned on, or it had been moved into the street.
The roof to the War Department was at one time on fire, and great apprehensions were felt lost that fine building would be destroyed.
With the exception of the foundry occupied by
Baker & Co., all the rest of the buildings belonged to
Mr. Davies, but the ground on which they stood was owned by the Masonic fraternity of this city.
Mr. D.'s loss, therefore, including his assortment of mantels and paintings which were destroyed, will not be less than from $75,000 to $100,000.
Baker & Co. estimate their loss at about $15,000;
Mr. Woodward's will reach (in loss of tools, materials, &c.,) from $10,000 to $12,000;
Mr. Allen (on building) about $15,000, and
Mr. Alluise (on confectionaries &c.,) about $3000. Making in the aggregate one hundred and forty- five thousand dollars worth of property destroyed, on none of which, as far as we have heard, was there any insurance.
As an evidence of the intense heat from this fire, all of the fine French plate glass which forms the front doors and windows of the stores opposite, kept respectively by
Messrs. P. Horton Keach,
R. Weadenburg & Co., and the
Union Sewing Machine Manufacturing Company, was cracked in a thousand places, and in all probability to prevent its falling from the frames will have to be removed and smaller pause inserted in its place.
The most of this glass was of full size of the frames and measured about eight by four feet, with a corresponding thickness.
The cost of this glass before the war exceeded, we learn, five thousand dollars; at this time it cannot be purchased at any price.
The noise produced by the breaking of this glass was similar to the firing of musketry, and a gentleman who was sleeping in the store of Keach & Co, on being awakened by the reports, thinking the
Yankees had arrived and were engaging our troops in the streets, fled through the back way, and ran a considerable distance
en dishabille before he became fully aware of the true state of affairs.
