Show GREAT FIRES FIRE S OF THE WORLD Records Show That Greatest S Destruction of Property Has Been in America I MANY CITIES DESTROYED DES ROYED CONSTANTINOPLE HOLDS REC RECORD RECORD RECORD ORD FOR CONFLAGRATIONS While the great disaster in San Francisco Franci co was gs as due primarily to the earthquake the greater part of the de do destruction destruction is due to the fire which fol lot followed followed lowed towed in its wake The fire as well weIl as the earthquake will take its place In history as one of the greatest phles of modern times 5 Great fires have ever been the bane and dread of all countries From the earliest times there are records of fair cities laid waste and of destruction destruction destruction tion and suffering g consequent thereon S American Fires The United States has a record of de destruction destruction destruction of property by fire not equaled by any other country co During the last century many towns have been totally destroyed and others have suf suffered suffered suffered incalculable damage A fire In Charlestown Mass in 1796 was followed by boy another in 1838 which de destroyed destroyed destroyed 1158 buildings practically all the town Sayannah Eia Ga in 1820 lost buildings of the value of In New York Tork in 1835 1335 a destructive fire burned over acres destroy destroying destroyIng destroying ing buildings and worth of property Ten years later another fire burned over acres with damage and lives lost Pittsburg Pa in 1845 lost build buildings buIldings ings of a million dollars value St StLouis StLouis StLouis Louis Mo In 1849 fifteen buildings value and in the same town In 1851 some ome 2500 buildings were de do destroyed destro ed Philadelphia Pa p in 1350 1850 lost Jost buildings b In 1866 Portland Me was half halt burned down by a fire tIre which covered acres and burned 1743 buildings S Worse Than han Chicago Fire The great Chicago fire firo fir in 1871 was one of ot the greatest in history but the property loss was wa not nearly nc as large as the present San Francisco disaster ster will prove The property loss In Chica Chicago a ago go was a and the present loss lossis lossis lossIs is already figured far beyond d that sum Many M ny lives sere vere lost loit in the Chicago fire and 0 buildings were de destroyed destroyed destroyed covering an area of 2124 acres S Boston Mass had a great fire in 1872 when hen acres of the mer mercantile mercantile mercantile cantile section burned including buildings nearly all of brick and stone construction with a loss of The great Baltimore fire of 1904 is too recent not to be well ell remembered j Then a square mile of the busiest section was destroyed the loss totaling San Francisco had a great fire In 1851 At that time some 2500 buildings were burned and a number of lives lost The property loss at that time Was vas W s over oyer S Fires in Canada Canada has also had imd her baptism of fire lire St John N B was almost en entirely destroyed in 1837 and again ag in In 1877 when acres were vere burned and ten miles of streets Some of property was as destroyed Montreal had a great fire in 1850 which destroyed de troyed buildings and another in 1852 when 1200 buildings were destroyed Vancouver Van Vancouver Vancouver couver Toronto and Ottawa all aU were partially laid waste at the beginning of ot this century In n Quebec in 1845 1650 buildings were destroyed and about the same saine number in May and June following and in 1866 some 2500 buildings and seventeen churches were burned St Johns N F was as nearly entirely destroyed in 1846 with a loss of OOOO and had another big fire in 1896 Various cities in South America were destroyed or or nearly so in the last cen century century century tury the property loss in some cases amounting to and upward Nearly all aU these were attended with loss of life Old World Conflagrations London England was nearly de destroyed destroyed destroyed in and again in 1212 and 2666 1666 The latter fire is known to history as the Great fire of London It burned over a territory of acres and streets destroying build buildings buildIngs buIldIngs ings of a value val e of an im immense Immense Immense mense sum in those days da s The loss of 1 fe terrible was Edinburgh was near nearly nearly nearly ly destroyed in hi 1700 Lisbon was burned in 1707 Venice entirely destroyed in 1106 and again in 1577 Berlin was de destroyed destroyed destroyed in 1405 Berne In 1634 and again In 1680 Hamburg was nearly destroyed In 1842 when buildings were burned and a hundred people lost their lives The property loss was I Copenhagen was burned In 1728 and 1650 houses destroyed and again In 1795 when 1563 houses burned Stock Stockholm Stockholm holm was visited in 1751 and 1000 houses burned b Moscow burned in 1752 and lost houses Again in 1812 the city was burned by the Russians to tore prevent re ent its occupation by Napoleon and houses destroyed with a property lass loss of over Constantinople Holds Record R cord Constantinople has had numerous and costly fires In 1729 a great fire de destroyed destroyed destroyed buildings anti and peo people people pIe lost their lives In 1745 another great fire lasted five days and again In January 1750 over buildings were burned followed by another fire in April of the same year e r which de destroyed destroyed destroyed of property pr petty Again later in the same year ye r houses were burned in 1756 some some houses houes were destroyed and over lives lost lostIn lostIn lostIn In 1782 houses burned in 1791 be between between between tween March and July fire swept 2000 houses and nearly the same number were burned in 1798 In 1816 J I houses and shops burned and in 1870 Pera a suburb of Constantinople was nearly wiped out with a loss o of buildings and Smyrna had some great fires in 1763 1792 and 1841 losing from 2000 to buildings at each fire Many great grea fires have also occurred in India China and Japan |