The Weekly Pioneer And Democrat

The Galena Fire.

The first news of the great fire in Galena reached us via New York. The fire took place on the 31st; thirty-two buildings were destroyed, and the loss is estimated at $300,000.

Among the buildings destroyed, were St. Michael's Catholic church and the Courier office. The loss of the latter establishment was $2,500, of which $2,000 was insured. We sympathize deeply with our neighbors of the Courier in their misfortune.

The Advertiser, of the first instant, gives the following particulars of the conflagration:

At three o'clock yesterday morning our city was visited by the most disastrous conflagration that has ever yet occurred here, and one which will long be remembered with sorrow, not only by those who have suffered the loss of their property, but by all who witnessed its terrible effects and can feel for the misfortune of others.

Men whom we have watched for years, toiling with carefulness, saw the fruit of all their labor swept away as by a single breath, and they are left again to commence the world anew with the accumulated load of discouragement upon them. While we compassionate them, we appeal to their sturdy courage to sustain and arm them anew for the struggle with life. Life is a warfare with difficulties, and he who meets them most manfully is the greatest hero. To our knowledge, this is the fourth or fifth time some of the sufferers by this fire have been burnt out within a few years. Most of the sufferers were among our most worthy, industrious and enterprising citizens, as will be seen by a reference to the list below:

The fire was first discovered in the stable on Commerce street, near Washington, owned by M. O. Walker, of Chicago. In a few minutes it was all in a blaze. The portion of the block in which it was situated, north of the De Soto House, was of the most combustible material, and in a very short space of time it was in a single sheet of flame, defying all hope of victory by human effort. All the buildings in that block north of J. A. Packard & Co. store, bounded by Main, Washington and Commerce streets, like one mighty candle, lit up the whole heavens with a most terrific glare.—

The fire crossed Washington street in a northward direction, and burnt all the wooden buildings south of L. S. Felt's old brick store, now occupied by J. Coatsworth & Son. It crossed Main street westward, and burnt all the fine brick block of heavy stores and offices north of Dr. Weireich's new building and south of Bergman & Co's Cabinet Warerooms, with the exception of the building on the north corner of Main and Washington streets. It then crossed Bench street and burnt the residence of I. A. Barrows, the next dwelling southward, and lastly, in that direction, The Catholic Church where it was finally subdued.

Such was the fury of the tempest of fire that large cinders were carried a mile or more from the scene of the immediate conflagration, so as to endanger buildings at that distance.— We hear of several buildings that caught fire on the hill, but which were extinguished.

The loss by the fire, the Courier estimates at $300,000. About one half of the property destroyed was insured, and a great portion of it in London and Liverpool companies.