The New Hampshire Gazette

Extract of a letter from Portsmouth, July 3.

This morning, between twelve and one o'clock, a fire broke out in the rope house belonging to his Majesty's dock yard at Portsmouth, which, notwithstanding all possible assistance from the people of the yard, the officers and men belonging to his Majesty's ships in the harbour and at Spithead, the mariners at quarters, and the soldiers from the town and barracks, who all exerted themselves with remarkable zeal, could not be got under till past two in the afternoon, having consumed the said rope-house, with spinning house, and one of the store houses, wherein was contained 1050 tons of hemp, 500 tons of cordage, 1500 barrels of tar, and about 700 sails were entirely consumed by the said fire.--The damage, according to moderate calculation, 'tis said, amounts to about one hundred thousand pounds. The fire is now extinguished so far, as not to be in a blaze; but 'tis imagined it may be a week before the same is entirely put out. Six or seven men lost their lives, some being burnt to death, and others killed by casks falling on them, besides a number wounded. The fire began in the Hatchellers Loft, and was so instantaneous, that the flame was discovered as soon as the smoke through the tiling. The night had been excessively tempestuous, with great flashes of lightning (attended with heavy rain) one of which, at eleven o'clock, had almost blinded the watchman at his post; and another, about ten minutes before the flame appeared, had passed him like a ball of fire, in a line of direction towards the place where it broke out. It providentially happened that there was very little wind, and what there was being to the eastward, which blows over the harbour: had it blown hard, and the contrary way, it must inevitably have burnt the whole or major part of the houses, &c. in the dock, which would have communicated to the Common, and might have totally destroyed that also."

The fire began by a flash of lightning, which fell upon the hemp storehouse, and so communicated to some adjacent buildings, containing cordage, &c. The damage is computed at about ninety thousand pounds. The utmost precaution was taken to prevent the spreading of the destruction to the contiguous buildings and happily none of the ships in the dock have suffered. The men of war at Spithead, and in the harbour, sent their assistance, by sending men, who were active in suppressing the flames. One of the watchmen of the dock-yard, was struck down by the force of the lightning.