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Show GREAT FIRES OE WORLD IS THEME OF EXHIBITION IN CIRCUS PERFORMANCE ' ; . i t September, 1812, Napoleon entered the city, which the Ruasians had resolved to sacrifice. On the night of the 14th a fir broke out In the bourse, behind the baser, ba-ser, which soon consumed that noble edifice edi-fice and spread to the crowded atreeta in the vicinity. At midnight on the 15th fresh fires were every Instant seen breaking break-ing out in all directions, and Moscow soon exhibited the spectacle of a Sea of fiamea agitated! by the wind; and the burning fragments floating through the hot air, began to fall on the roofe and courts of the Kremlin. . "The city finally, abandoned and deserted by Its Inhabitants, offered no resources to Napoleon and hla army. Moscow had been conquered, but the victors - had gained only a heap of rulna. It la estimated esti-mated that 80,800 houses were consumed and property amounting to $150,000,000 destroyed." London Destroyed. On September t. 166. the city of London Lon-don waa almost entirely destroyed by what haa el nee. been known aa the great fire. Two-thlrda of the city were flame awept; thirteen thouaand houaea, eighty nine churchea and many publlo buildings were reduced to ashes. Three hundred and aeventy-three acres within, and sixty-three sixty-three acres without, the city walls were utterly devastated. "Brave hearts who fought, In slow retreat. re-treat. The Sends of Are from street to street. Turned powerless to the blinding glare. The dumb defiance of despair." WHITTIER. Probably no Incident In life appeals ao keenly to the human mind aa a great conflagration. con-flagration. Let the alarm sound and the majority of men will forget all other demands upon their time. In the world's history fires have, played an important part. Destruction of Borne. The destruction of Rome, A. D. 34, Is the first great conflagration of which history his-tory gives facts. Rome's misfortunes were many, - but from all calamities this waa the moat terrible. At length after tlx days of devastation, the conflagration waa atayed at the feet of Eaqullae by pulling down aa Immense quantity of buildings, so that .an open apace, and void air, might check the raging rag-ing element by breaking the continuity. But ere the consternation had subsided the Are broke out afreah, with renewed violence, in regions more spacious but with far less destruction of life. Of tha fourteen sections Into which Rome Is divided, four were standing entire, en-tire, three were leveled to the ground, and In the seven others there remained only here and there remnants of houses, shattered and half-consumed. . ' rire at Moscow. Allison writing of the great firs' of Moscow, relates thst "on the lth of Otter Conflagration. : v i New Tork City was visited by a "great fire" bn the night of December 13. 1835, destroying more than six hundred buildings build-ings of the largest and most costly description. de-scription. On the 10th of April, 1843. a very large portion of Pittsburg waa destroyed de-stroyed by firs, twenty city squares la the best portion of the town were leveled lev-eled to the earth. San Francisco on the 3rd day of May. 1851. had a three-day fire which cauaed great loss of property. Portland. Me., waa visited by a $10,000,000 fire on the Fourth of July, 18M. Great Chicago Tire. 'Chicago, during the city's earlier period, pe-riod, was peculiarly unfortunate In respect re-spect to conflagrations. The memorable Chicago fire atarted about half-past nine on Sunday night, October 8, 1871, and waa not under control until the entire bualness portion and a large part of the residential section had. been destroyed. The loaa of property waa estimated in excess ex-cess of $200,000,000. ' Conflagration Reproduced. . Realising the Interest aroused by great conflagrations the management Of the Adam Forepaugh-Sells Brothers Shows have hit upon the happy idea of making a. lifelike presentment of a thrilling conflagration. con-flagration. To this end the opening of the performance Thursday next will be a spectacle entitled "Fighting the Flames." Along one side of the arenlo tent will be erected blocks of elty buildings, the street will present a lollday appearance. Upwarda of one thouaand actors will take part. There will be Are engines, hook and ladder apparatua, hose carta and all manner of modern appllancea for battling bat-tling with the fiamea. Heroio life-saving incidents will taka place and all the phases incidental to a real conflagration will be faithfully reproduced. |