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Alexandria Daily Gazette, Commercial & Political
Alexandria, Virginia
What is this article about?
A major fire broke out in a cooper's shop near the wharves on Union Street in an unnamed town, destroying multiple buildings and warehouses with an estimated loss of nearly $200,000. No lives were lost, and the fire was contained after raging until 2 a.m.
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The inhabitants of this town were alarmed the evening before last, about 10 o'clock, with the cry of fire: It began in a cooper's shop near the wharves adjoining Union street: A workman, leaving a candle burning in the shop, went out for a handful of shavings--On his return he discovered that the candle had fallen among some shavings.
The cry of fire was immediately circulated, but the adjacent materials were of so combustible a nature it was found impossible to stop the progress of the fire; which raged till nearly two o'clock, before the inhabitants were able to control it. Every building was burnt in the square, lying on Union street and extending from Duke to Prince streets, bordering on the river. The houses west of Union street several times caught fire, but by the great and imminently dangerous exertions of several inhabitants it was extinguished, and the destruction of perhaps an hundred houses prevented.
There was no wind till after 12 o'clock, when a breeze sprang up bearing the flames to the river.
The following is a list of the buildings and a rough calculation of the property destroyed:
Col. George Gilpin, 2 wooden houses, $2,000
John G. Ladd, 1 large warehouse full of goods, $100,000
George Strum, 1 warehouse, $15,000
Anthony P. Grover, 1 warehouse, $2,000
Jacob Leap, 1 store and dwelling house, $3,000
James Lawrason and Lawrason & Fowle, 1 brick and frame warehouses, $20,000
Harper & Davis, lumber-yard and ship-chandlery, $12,000
Joseph Dean, wooden warehouse, $3,000
Mordecai Miller, wooden warehouse, $1,500
Thomas Preston, 2 brick, 3 wooden houses and lumber-yard, $6,000
George Corvell, 1 dwelling house, $500
Thomas White, blacksmith's shop and grocery, $500
Ricketts & Newton, wooden warehouse, $1,500
Benj. Ricketts, bake house, $3,000
J. & T. Gilpin, old stone house, $1,000
Lawrence Hill, cooper's shop, $300
We pretend not to exactness in these calculations. Probably the estimations are underrated: and the loss little short of $200,000. Very little of the property was insured.
A report that one of the stores contained a large quantity of powder, tho' erroneous, prevented the saving of considerable property, and considerably checked the exertions of the citizens for some time.
No lives were lost, and little personal injury received.
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Domestic News Details
Event Date
Evening Before Last, About 10 O'clock
Key Persons
Outcome
no lives were lost, and little personal injury received. property loss estimated at nearly $200,000, with very little insured.
Event Details
Fire started in Lawrence Hill's cooper's shop near the wharves adjoining Union street when a candle fell among shavings. It spread rapidly due to combustible materials, destroying every building in the square from Duke to Prince streets bordering the river. Inhabitants' efforts prevented further spread to over a hundred houses west of Union street. A false report of powder in a store hindered efforts.