Rensselaer Union, Volume 5, Number 16, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 January 1873 — The Destruction of Barnum’s Museum. [ARTICLE]

The Destruction of Barnum’s Museum.

The alarm was sent out at 3:50, and the location of the signal showed the fire to be at Barnuni’s Circus, in Fourteenth street, Ten minutes later, when a Commercial reporter arrived on the ground, the interior of the newly-constructed Hippotheatronwas a mass of solid flames, and the strong west wind which prevailed carried the tongues of flame against the great ivory warehouse of F. Grote & Co., on the west, and the brick walls of Grace Chapel, on the east! It required no more than a glance to show that the circus building, with all its valuable animals and other contents, was doomed. The watchman, at great personal risk, rushed to the rear and succeed ed in bringing out two of the three elephants in safety. When an effort was made to save more of the animals the flames drove back the gallant firemen and a handful of spectators and policemen I who had assembled, and the effort had to be abandoned. The Commercial reporter I stood on the sidewalk near the western entrance, when the last attempt was made to save some of the more valuable of the animals. The roar of the tigers and lions was fearful, while above the crackle and din of the flames arose the ' unearthly yell of the sea lions. The chatter of the monkeys could also be plainly heard. As the fire encircled the fire-proof corrugated frame, and advanced toward the western side, where the more valuable animals were caged, the lions and tigers became frantic, and beat the iron bars of their prisons with frantic : rage. The Commercial reporter, remem- 1 bering with preat vividness a previous ex- i ! perience on just such an inclement night in March, 1868, when a Bengal tiger : broke from his cage at the previous burning of Barnum’s, and landed at the : scribe’s feet in the middle of“ Broadway, ; quickly made up his mind that discretion i in this case was much better’io use than undue curiosity, and losT'no time in seeki ing the protecting recesses of one of the Academy entraaces, safe from further harm than a descending tortent of water, which froze the instant it touched'the | clottdng. ■ ■/' ’ There was no occasion for fright, howi ever, for in a very few minutes the sjjffer-

ings of the poor beasts were at an end, and soon after the “fireproof” iron structure fell, a crumbled-up mass of debris. The fire originated from the boiler in the basement of the circus building, and spread with such surprising rapidity that the watchman had only time sufficient to save two elephants. The loss of Mr. Barnum, Who at present is in NeW Orleans, is estimated to-day by Mr. 8. B. Hurd, his treasurer, at $300,000. His insurance it is impossible to ascertain at this hour, as the safe, with the policies, are in the ruins. Of this proportion about $60,000 was expended recently in reconstructing the The natural history collection, it is claimed, was. the most valuable in this country. The giraffes burned cost SBO,OOO, and were the only ones in this country. The sea-lions were also the onlyones at present in thet’nited States. Mr. Barnum gave employment to 150 persons, 100 of whom were employed in the arenic department. None of the horses were burned, as they are stabled in Thirteenth street. An elephant, belonging to George F. Bailey’s Circus, which was inrported but last week, was also burned. The wardrobes of the members of the company were also burned. The following is a list of the animals burned: 4 giraffes, 2 white Polar bears, 2 monster sea lions, 1 horned horse, seals, Alpine goat, ostrich, pelicans, 2 Abyssinian lions, 2 Bengal tigers, 1 Asiatic yak, 1 eland, 1 llama, leopards, serpents, apes, gorillas, chacma, 6 camels, 2 dromedaries, 1 elephant Happy Family, and other minor animals, amounting to one hundred specimens.—A. Y. Commercial Advertiser.