HARPER'S WEEKLY
A
JOURNAL OF CIVILIZATION
New York, Saturday, April 14, 1866
scans from newspaper collection
of
Ruth
Adams-Battle
Transcribed by Dorothy
Wiland
We give on page 228 illustrations of the recent conflagration in Cincinnati, sketched on the spot by our artist, Mr. Waud. The fire broke out in Pike's Opera-house. This building-the most splendid structure of the kind in the West- was completely destroyed. Very fortunately the immense audience, congregated to hear "Midsummer Night's Dream," had dispersed before the accident occurred, otherwise we should have occasion to detail the horrible features of another human holocaust devoted to the Moloch of Flame.
The first appearance of the fire—due, it is thought, by a gas
explosion—was
in the scenery back of the stage at 11:30 P.M. The Cincinnati
Commercial
thus describes the scene which followed:
"In five minutes the flames had wrapped the whole magnificent interior
of stage and auditorium, and burst through the rear portion of the
roof.
On the wings of the draught thus provided, the flames shot up to a
great
height and lapped over upon adjoining buildings. Soon huge masses of
black
smoke burst from the cornice of the Fourth Street front windows. At a
quarter
of twelve the scene was exciting in the extreme. The half square
bounded
by Fourth, Vine, Baker, and Walnut streets had a dome of luridly
gleaming
flames, through which columns of smoke shot up, and from which showers
of sparks and bunches of flames floated upward and then descended upon
the burning mass below. The dome and ceiling, with their gorgeous and
artistic
ornamentation, fell with the roof with a terrific crash, and there
burst
upward a dazzling light, blinding in its intensity. Slowly but surely
the
fire crept down through the various stories of the edifice—through
offices
and studios—steadily down to the magnificent stores, running the entire
length of the building on the first floor of Fourth Street into the
wealth
of literature, the tens of thousands worth of books of CARROLL's store,
the valuable stock of SUNNER'S sewing machines, the fine music-store of
W. C. PETERS, and Philip Philip's pianos, the immense goods stored in
the
Adams Express rooms, the college rooms of BRYANT, STRATTON, &
DeHAN's
Commercial Institute, the editorial room of the National Union.
HARPEL'S
job printing establishment, with its valuable machinery, and all the
dozen
offices besides. From the real and west side of the Opera-house the
flames
marched with overwhelming strength to the extensive stables of the
Adams
Express Company and the buildings of the Cincinnati Daily Enquirer. The
fall of a large mass of wall upon the rear of the Enquirer building
insured
its partial destruction, and soon the flames were communicated to the
rear
of the first and second floors, and rushing onward crept through the
front
windows, and told the story of their power to the fireman, who crept up
to grapple with them. But with the same power already so terribly used
the devouring flames wrapped the structure in their embrace, and the
work
of destruction was soon for advanced through the job rooms, where were
stored nearly $100,00 worth of cuts; through job-presses, and
composing-rooms
of JONES & HART—all totally destroyed."
The total loss is estimated at $1,751,000, over one-half of which was involved in the ruin of PIKE'S Opera-house.
Our artist has sketched the scene presented by the ruins the day after the fire. An interesting feature of the sketch is the view given of the Chain-gang at work among the ruins.
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