| From the Raleigh Confederate |
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| January 6, 1865 |
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| A Terrible Calamity |
| On Saturday (yesterday) morning, about 2
1/2 o'clock, a fire broke out in the Paymaster's department occupied
as such by Capt. Sperrier, C. S. A., in the building immediately south
of the Charlotte & South Carolina railroad, and the North Carolina
railroad passenger shed, and before assistance could be admitted to
extinguish the flames, (the guard refusing admittance to volunteers,
as we have been credibly informed,) the building was so far enveloped
in the fiery element that it became impossible to subdue the flames. |
| The next building and adjoining one of the
largest in the Southern Confederacy, occupied as a government
warehouse, and headquarters for Major Echols, Quartermaster, and Major
Lowe, Post commissary, was soon enveloped in flames and destroyed. |
| The fire communicated with the large
warehouse just being completed, to the south of the depot shed, thence
to the shed; a large and beautiful structure; thence it crossed to the
north, destroying the old building formerly used as depot and ticket
office of the Charlotte & South Carolina railroad, all of which
were totally destroyed. |
| The fire then raged eastward, consuming
the western wing of the North Carolina railroad depot, owned by the
Charlotte & South Carolina railroad company. |
| By extraordinary exertions and a proffer
of compensation, the progress of the fire was stayed and the spacious
depot of the Charlotte & South Carolina railroad company was
saved. |
| The North Carolina railroad depot was also
saved through the exertions of some of the soldiers and private
citizens, among the latter of whom, who contributed largely by labor
and exposure to save the Charlotte road depot, we mention, Mr. John
Rigler, Major A. W. Burton, Mr. Howie and others, whose names are
omitted simply because we were forced to leave without memorizing
their names. |
| The loss by this conflagration cannot be
correctly estimated. The government, railroad companies and
associations, to say nothing of the loss by private individuals will
sustain, cannot fall much if any short of $20,000,000; and this great
calamity is the result of accident, and while the guard was on duty. |
| We regard it unnecessary to specify the
losses sustained; in fact, it is best we omit that sort of a notice,
but we will say this much, our railroad companies have lost heavily;
and the Tredegar Iron Works company, of Richmond, have also suffered
heavily. |
| It was reported by some of the members of
company 11, from Union District, South Carolina, two of their men, G.
McKinney and F. Gregory, were missing, and it was feared they were
burned in one of the buildings, but this is by no means certain. |
| Luckily, but two cars were destroyed on
the N. C. road, and owing to the great risk, skill and unflagging
energy of engineers, Prim and Burdell, on the Charlotte & South
Carolina road, two long trains of cars were actually coupled while
their engines were surrounded by fire on all sides, and taken through
to a place of safety while the flames were scorching the engineers on
either side. |
| We have omitted to mention the names of
many who deserve great credit for their efforts to save property, and
the dangers to which they exposed their persons, but it is impossible
to always do justice in such cases to the many who deserve honorable
mention. |
| Char. Bulletin, Jan. 8th |
|