After a long period of exemption from alarms of fire - so long that the striking of the fire bells had become a most unfamiliar sound to our citizens, and a feeling something like settled security had seemed to come over them - the dreadful scourge of conflagration has swooped down upon us again with a vengeance.

Yesterday afternoon, Sunday, the 13th, was oppressively sultry. A hot wind blew from the west to southwest in changeable gusts, at times dying down to a whisper, affording but little relief. Many people had driven out to the lake or elsewhere to seek shade and free air. The streets of the city were unusually silent, even for the Sabbath. Persons ad home and in their hotels sought reposing attitudes and indulges in afternoon naps. A spirit of general sleepiness seemed to pervade the city, when, at a quarter past four o'clock the -

Tapping of the Fire Bell

on the Kent street engine house startled all ears:
A thick black smoke rolling up from the Bridge Street house, visible from nearly every part of the city, gave assurance that fire was doing its best with some highly inflammable substance. It was just the time for

A General Turnout

and that was what immediately took place. The streets to the remotest parts of the city, were at once alive with people hurrying to the suddenly attractive center, while the engines, hose cars and hook and ladder wagon went thundering along, as readily as if the whole fire department had been expecting the call:

Before any except those who lived very near could reach the ground, in fact within five minutes of the alarm, it was plain to see from any distance that the strong windows speeding the area of fire and smoke. Within half an hour an immense host of spectators seemingly the entire population of the city, and certainly a large majority of it - was thronging all avenues of near approach to the fire, as close to it as the intent heat would permit, and swarming along the crest of the bluff, witnessing the -most tremendous conflagration that has ever raged in Grand Rapids. Other fires may have destroyed property to a greater amount in value, though that too is a matter of doubt at the hour of writing this, but no one or two or three together have ever wrought such wide-spread desolation in all the forms in which the "Fire Fiend" makes himself supremely annihilating, terrible, hideous and cruel.

The Origin of the fire may as well be alluded to have as anywhere, for probably nothing will ever be known about it more than at present.

The hostler of the stable of the Bridge Street house reports that he saw two men, whom he did not know, passing out at a rear door of the stable, one of whom had a cigar in his mouth. Very soon after a pile of straw and manure, thrown out from and lying partially against the southwest corner of the stable was seen to be afire. It was very dray, as was the stable and all its contents, of course, and in an incredibly short time the whole structure was wrapped in solid fire and smoke, which a heavy and wavering wind from the southwest was hurling on both sides and driving forward.

The stable had not got fully to burning before at Swedish boarding house and saloon on the west of the stable was also blazing. In this house there were quartered a dozen or more Swedes and Norwegians, whose effects were all wiped out clean and suddenly with the house. Simultaneously with this movement on the west side of the stable, the flames leaped across to the east side of Kent street, where were the Sandusky House, kept by C. H. Wagner, the blacksmith shop of Kinney & Mitchell, Cummings livery stable and dwelling to the north of these on same side, to Hastings street. Directly in the course of the wind, next north of the stable, lay a house owned by Frank Boxheimer and occupied by Charles Herbstrit, and five other swellings, these being on the west side of Kent to Hastings street.

The buildings above described were all (except perhaps the last one on the block on each side) bursting more or less before a stream of water could be got, although the engines were stationed and had their steam up in an astonishingly short time, the firemen at once realizing the fearful prospect before them, and working with terrific energy during the whole time of the conflagration, and till long after its limits had been reached.

The Magnitude of the Fire Appears

In fifteen minutes from the striking of the alarm the vast throngs of people crowding on all sides of the fire, except in the swiftly-advancing path, were fully impress with a sense of the tremendous destruction impending. It was plainly apparent to all that no possible means of managing it could be brought to bear, to avert the greatest destruction ever yet experienced by fire in this city, in the number of buildings involved. And so it proved.

It Reaches Canal Street

The brick block of stores, shops and tenements, owned by Febig and Rathmann, was heated through, and smoked at times, but by great exertions it was kept from catching. The Swedish boarding house fell to ashes beneath its east wall, without burning it, but the Grand Rapids City Mills (flouring mills) were now ablaze all through the two upper stories, bringing the fire to face Canal street, with a heat so unsupportable that only by turning the nozzles upon themselves, and by occasionally leaping into the canal, could the firemen there stationed endure it.

A Vortex of Flame

But all through the rest of that block north to Hastings street, and through the block cornering northeast upon the one in which the fire started, bounded by Kent, Ottawa, Hastings and Trowbridge streets, and through the north half of the block south of that, it was one roaring sea and tempest of flame, resistless, terrible, defiant and overwhelming.

An Awful Scene

The wind seemed to steadily strengthen by the ruin it fed upon, and by this time had shifted from a little south of west to about due southwest, and had increased to an absolute gale. The descriptions of the Chicago and Peshtigo fires were strikingly brought to mind. Masses of blaze were continually hurled through the air horizontally above the houses without any apparent substance accompanying them. Sheets of blaze seemed to settle down from the firmament and begin devouring the roofs of houses half a block to leeward of the nearest one burning in the principal mass, fearing several not yet ignited between, but that about time only Massive tree tops suddenly dried to a crisp, singed, then blazed up with one flash and nothing but a smoking trunk, and limbs were left. Streams of blaze ran swiftly along the plank sidewalks, devouring them suddenly. Outhouses, fences and shrubbery melted away at a touch of the fiery breath. These and other fearful and singular operations of the fiery element were watched with intense excitement by thousands, and were more particularly noticed by those along the brow of the bluff, who looked down upon the frightful scene with unbroken view, and minds not engrossed with the anxiety of the sufferers nor the toil of assisting them:

Plenty of Willing Hands

But many hundreds - far more than could so not to good advantage - actively employed themselves passing buckets full of water and running them back empty, helping those whose houses and shops were afire to remove their furniture and stocks, and assisting in all other ways possible. Man of them volunteer assistants and many of those whom they assisted, toiled in the most ferocious manner, oblivious of the limit of physical possibilities, till suddenly overborne, and drenched with perspiration, they staggered away or were carried to places of safety.

The Time of Greatest Alarm

when the conflagration rode on the high tide of triumphant power, and it looked as it it would lever everything as far as to Coldbrook, began three-quarters of an hour after the fire broke out, lasting from five o'clock to half-past -- one long, dreadful half hour. During this time more than a hundred families, mostly poor people, and, principally Germans and Hollanders, were distractedly hauling their household effects out of doors and pitching them out of window, with the usual proportion of ruinous excitement, often working, by breakage or otherwise, the demolition of the property they strove to save. It was a hard night to look at poor men and women red in face, reeking with swat, exerting themselves to desperation, overloading themselves and rushing frantically with their furniture, bedding, drunks, babes and cradles, to places of apparent safety, and on returning with another load finding they must carry them still further away.

Saddest of All

The household goods of at least one hundred facilities were so removed, some of them once, some twice and some actually three or four times, till driven at last to the foot of the steep part of the bluff before them as a barrier to all further efforts they fled for their own lives in agony, leaving everything they had to destruction. Perhaps one-third as many more families managed to save some of their things. Few, if any saved any considerable portion. These, as stated above, were the saddest results of all the sweeping away of everything belonging to such a great number of poor, laboring, industrious men and women.

No Lives Lost

If lives had been lost it would have been sadder; but there were none, notwithstanding, a prevalent report to that effect last night.

Persons Injured

The savageness of the fire intensified the heat of an already terribly hot afternoon; this, with the internal heat of violent exertions on the part of some, threw them into a condition similar to that of sunstroke. The worst case of this sort was that of William Osborne, a fireman on the steamer Louis Campau, who had to be sent home at about half-past five.
Another case was that of Mrs. Herbstrit, wife of the tenant of Mr. Boxheimer's houses, who fled from her house to save things most valuable to her, bare-footed and half-clothed, to sink in alarming exhausting as soon as she reached a place of security.
Worse still than her experience was that of the wife of George Ruby, an occupant of a part of one of Mr. Christ's house, on Ottawa street. Her hair was singed and she was quite badly burned about the head, neck and arms. She was removed to the shade of a house, then again to the house of Mr. Rullyea, on Bronson street, where she now is, and is doing well. Others were burned, strained or otherwise hurt in less degree.

The Worst Over

From half past five to six o'clock the wind veered to the west, or nearly as it was at the start of the fire. This deadened the headway of the fire to the northward, and east is more against the bluff and gave the

Champion Extinguisher

opportunity to work along the north side of Trowbridge street, on houses where sparks flared up. The south side of this street is the northern limit of the fire. This was our first practical trial of the new extinguisher. By its use we must say that but very little if any good was accomplished, owing principally to the extreme heat which was so fierce that the pipemen could not go near enough to burning buildings to do any good, and also to the lack of facilities for recharging with mold. These machines will be found most useful in the incipient stages of fires and in cases where isolated buildings are burning. At a general conflagration, like the one of yesterday, they cannot be used to advantage. Those having it in charge, however, kept it at work as much as was possible while the fire was burning.

Locations of the Engines

The Valley City was the first on the ground, its house being nearest. It was stationed on the canal bridge, in front of the Berkey and Gay furniture manufactory, and remained there to the end, never shutting down once, throwing continually two streams of two and one0eighth inches each, through over 1,000 feet of hose. From the moment of the alarm till the streams were playing from this engine, only eight minutes elapsed, by observation.
The other engines did equally well, their distance to run and other circumstances considered. The David Caswell was first played at the Berkey & Gay factory, on the canal bank, and afterward at Earl's woolen mill.
The Louis Campau shifted positions several times, an exigencies required.
All engines played their full capacity of water, and too much praise cannot be given the engineers and firemen for their alacrity and unremitting exertions

Bucket Brigades

At several points did excellent services, several wagon loads being distributed first from Comstock's factory, and afterward by others.
Most important of services thus rendered was the saving of two warehouses of the Berkey & Gay Furniture Company, at the northwest corner of Kent and Hastings streets. These buildings are each 100 ft. by 35, and two and a half stories high. They cost $2,700 each, and contain at this time nearly 600,000 worth of stock, ready for shipment. Two hundred buckets were steadily passed in linen to end from the canal by employes of the said company, aided by as many citizens as could find room to work, in a well, organized manner. All realized that this was an important point at which to head off the fire. If these warehouse had gone nothing could have stayed the flames on the north and northwest, short of Coldbrook and the river. The men with the buckets were here closely driven by flames and heat, and more than a hundred burnt holes are visible in the two warehouses. The barn of the Ohio house, separated from the west warehouse of these two by only fifteen feet, burned down with terrible heat right at the side of these heroic workers, who at last triumphed and then established an effectual barrier to the flames on that corner, Comstock's aggregations of inflammable property were thus placed beyond the reach of the fire; and with it all else on that and the adjoining blocks.

No Help From Outside

It is not true that any engine or other fire appliance reached here from another city, as reported in this morning's extra of the Democrat. Dispatches were sent to several points, requesting assistance, and reply came from Muskegon that an engine was ready to come and about to start. But is was just then the gratifying fact appeared that the fire could soon be easily got under control by our own fire department and citizens, and the requests for assistance from outside were countermanded, and Muskegon was duly thanked for her noble and prompt readiness to lend us a helping hand.

Finally Conquered

By a quarter past six o'clock, or to speak with more certainty, by half past six, the final limits of the conflagration became plainly marked out, and a sense of blessed relief came over the entire community.

The engines remained at work, playing on the most threatening ruins still blazing, and guarding weak points, till sometime after the heavy rain began falling, which was about half past ten o'clock.

Sufferers and Their Late Locations

are described as follows, so far as it has been possible to ascertain them. The great number of German and Holland families burnt out, and some few Americans and Irish, immediately became so widely scattered, having no occasion or no heart to remain on the scene of their ruin, that to attempt to hunt them up and give the particulars of their losses would be useless.
House of Mr. Fuller, a teamster, with barn: Loss-$1,500.
Mrs. Logie's house, mother of Will Logie, of Ringe & Co., Richard Blumrich and wife lived in same house, very little daved; loss on house, $800; insurance on house and furniture $1,200, On Blumrich's effects, insurance of $500. Mr. Will Logie has today begun the erection of a new house for his mother on Lyon street, right northeast of the Third Ward school house.
One more house, owner unknown. This brings to Trowbridge street.

Ottawa Street - East side, Trowbridge to Hastings - Joseph Keller's house, occupied by H. Rhodes, tailor; value $2,500; insurance, $500
Ionia Street - East side. Not burned any. Occupants of house from Wm H. Jones' house north, had everything made ready for removal, and sustained some slight injuries.
West side - The furthest south the fire came was to the fine brick house of Mrs. John Mangold. The rear of it was badly scorched, and she had everything moved out and furniture considerably injured, it not ruined. Loss, $1,500. Thence going north, dwelling houses were burned as follows: Fred Oesterly, wagon maker, fine square frame house, barn in rear. Saved furniture. Loss, $3,600, some insurance.
Corner of Hastings - Fred Spade's house, occupied by tenants, loss $1,200, saved part of effects.
House of Robert Cutler, lumberman, Loss $2,500, insured
House built by Robert Cutler, nearly finished, for his daughter, now at Grand Haven, cost not reported, and not insured.
Mrs. Stander's house. A previous house belonging to her husband stood on the same ground and was burned last February. He died soon after, and she built this one, which cost $1,000, no insurance. This poor woman now looses everything.
Edward Leitelt's house, lost and insurance not reported.
Peter Blum, a laboring man; loss, $1,200, insurance, $900
Two dwelling houses, both occupied.
Dwelling house owned by Fred Hartmann, with a grocery below kept by Cornelius Peterson. Hartmann's loss $900.
Another house owned by F. Hartmann, where he resided, lost all furniture--------------------------
Mrs. Kuhn----------
Crossing Hastings and ------- south, first, Mr. Faenger - house and furniture, $2,000
George Schroeder's house, a tailor, of Stanley & Schroeder
Dr. Fuller's residence.
Malt house and beer cellar of Gustav and Christian Christ. The destruction of this building, supposed to be fire-proof, involved the loss of the household effects of a great number of poor families, who had conveyed them to within its walls.
West side, going north, beginning third house north of Bridge street.
Wm Hakes' house
Christ's Brewery
Tenement house, owned by C. & G. Christ, occupied by the families of George Ruby, Julius Caesar, John Adrian and others.
Christ's saloon, kept by Charles Schenfler
Hastings to Trowbridge
Adolph Leitelt's residence
Two residences
Double brick store owned by Louis Dietz, one occupied by Mr. Kron as a grocery, the other vacant
Five houses
House owned by Mr. Walcach and occupied by tenants.

Kent Street

Trowbridge to Hastings
Dwellings of Van Dann, Vandersingle and Remer are left standing, although the corner one, Van Dann's was partly pulled down by hook and ladder company.
First one burned was Martin Klink's and barn, loss on both $600, insurance $450
House of Mrs. Smithers, loss $500.
Henry Standard, loss $1,000
Mrs. Brown, loss $800, insurance, $100
John Kouts, loss $1,100, furniture and tools $300 more, insurance on all, $900
Crossing Hastings, going south
Houses of Dr. Obrock, Mr. Bliss, Mr. Hilton, Fred Meyer's saloon, Rudolphus Cumming's livery stable, Kinney & Mitchell's block, smith shop and the Sandusky House
West side, going north
Stable of Bridge Street House.
Boxheimer's house occupied by Herbsbrit
Two houses owned by widow Klanover, the first occupied by Mr. John Baroth and the other by herself.
Peter Weber's house, full of boarders
John Curtis house
W. Harris wash bowl factory
Josselyn's house
Two other buildings
Trowbridge Street
House owned by Walbach, occupied by Fischer, pulled down
House of Thomas Fane
Hastings Street
C. S. Faenger's house, loss $600, insurance, $500
House of Mr. Evans and Mr. French
Christ's Ice House and dwelling
Barn of Ohio House, owned by Valentine Ricliter, loss $1,500
Canal Street
Rice & Tearfie's flouring mill, loss on mill