Litchfield Enquirer

Buffalo, Dec. 16.

Destructive Fire.—It is our painful duty to narrate the ravages of a most devastating conflagration which occurred in this village last evening. The fire commenced in the joiner's shop of Mr. S. K. Garrison, near the corner of the block of wooden buildings usually known as the "Kremlin corner," upon Main-street. The block, bounded by Main, Eagle, Pearl and Niagara streets, comprising twenty-three wooden buildings, was entirely consumed, except one barn and two small houses, both of which were partially pulled down and rendered valueless. The total loss of property we cannot learn, but it is very heavy. The Main-street front of the block was principally stores and shops of various descriptions: the Niagara front included the very extensive cabinet manufactory and warehouse of Mrs. Staats, the extensive chair factory of Mr. Wadsworth, and several dwellings. The remaining fronts are mostly mechanics' shops and outbuildings.

The sufferers, so far as we can learn, are as follows:—Mrs. Staats, loss $10,000—no insurance, the policy having expired yesterday at 12 o'clock! R. Hargrave Lee, grocer, loss $10,000. S. Mathew, grocer, loss $2,000. Wadsworth and Pennegar, chair factory, loss $1,500. A. Sherman, coopers' shop and dwelling, loss $800. G. H. Goodrich, vacant store, loss $700. S. K. Garrison, joiner's shop, loss $700. H. Jeudevine, shoe shop, loss $200. B. Fowler, grocer, loss $100. Wm. Smith, grocer, loss $200. A. L. Stelle, grocer, loss $1,200. Thomas C. Love, law office, loss $300. Mr. Dutcher, grocer, loss trifling.—G. Hubbard, dwelling, loss in furniture $100.

These are the principal, although there were several other sufferers whose names and loss we have not learned.

The fire occurred at six o'clock in the evening, during a perfect gale, with snow from the south-west, and so rapid was the conflagration that the building was down by nine. At the commencement the most lively fears were entertained that the flames would cross Eagle street, only four rods in width, in which case nothing could have saved the Eagle Tavern, and the wooden buildings upon each side of it, extending half a mile. To prevent this, a public reservoir recently sunk at the corner of Main and Eagle streets, was the only dependence, and this, for some time was so enveloped in smoke as to render it impossible to approach it. Most fortunately the wind suddenly changed so as to clear away the smoke, when Engine No. 1 was promptly placed at the fountain; and the fire was thus prevented from crossing the street.