Southern Christian Advocate

CUMBERLAND-STREET CHURCH.

When we saw that no hope remained of saving Trinity Church in the late conflagration, a thought arose in our minds as if it was a pity that the old Church in Cumberland street had not been suffered to stand. But presently afterwards, as we were passing that way, we found that fears were entertained for the houses on the South side of Cumberland street, and even for the Circular church. We had not before thought that there could be danger so far South. The old Cumberland street church was of wood, 80 feet long by 40 wide, two stories high, and stood on the North side of the street, about midway between Meeting and Church streets. All the buildings in the rear of it, as far back as Market street, and on Market street, were of wood. What a forest for the fire! And the fire was upon it and burning, and did burn, up to the foundation of the new church, scorching the bricks at the very ground. Had the old church not been taken down, no possible exertions could have saved it from the fire, and its burning must have extended the flames across Cumberland street, and widened the conflagration over probably all that section of the city, which has been saved, between the burnt district and Queen street, east of Meeting street, including the Circular church and St. Philips. How providential then was it that Cumberland church was taken down before the fire!
GOOD OLD CUMBERLAND!

When the venerable old building was to be taken down for the erection of a new one, there was a feeling strongly prevalent among us to forbid its timbers to be appropriated to common uses, and they were sold to some gentlemen at a low rate, to be used for building a church in the country. We understand that the whole lot of materials was consumed on Bennett's wharf in the late fire, where the proprietors had deposited it, waiting their convenience for its transportation. So that, standing or taken down, Cumberland too could not escape the fire.