DESTRUCTION BY FIRE OF ST. MARY'S CATHEDRAL.

Otago Witness, Issue 712, 21 July 1865, Page 2

DESTRUCTION BY FIRE OF ST. MARY'S CATHEDRAL.

(Fror the S. M. Herald, Jane 33.)

By far the largest and most disastrous conflagration which has ever occurred in Sydney happened last night, and resulted in the total destruction of St. MaryV Cathedral. This noble edifice, which wus cne of, if not the finest example of Cliurcb architecture to be found in the colony, is now an unsightly ruin. The intelligence of this deplorable catastrophe will cause a thrill of sorrow in the hearts of the Roman Catholic population throughout the country, and must excite feelings of the deepest regret in the minds of the community in general. The cost of the building, it is thought, could not be less than L 50,000; but from its hallowed associations and sacred memories, it was of priceless value to thousands of worshippers of the Roman Catholic communion. It is scarcely possible, at present, to form a correct estimate of the worth of the property -destroyed, irrespective of the building itself. So far 83 we have been able to ascertain, the cathedral is not insured. There were several most valuable pictures by the old masters, which were hung about the altar, and in other parts, none of which have been saved. One painting alone, representing the death of St Benedict, was valued at LIOOO. The chalices in the sacristy were got out, as also were all the more valuable vestments; these latter being estimated at L2OOO. The Archbishop's papers, and the other important records and deeds which were in the clerk's office, were also saved from destruction. The Archbishop's residence and those of the other dignitaries of the cathedral, were hastily stripped of their furniture, which was removed into the garden, where it was placed under the protection of the police. It "was melancholy to see the wreck of so much valuable property which was unavoidabfy damaged by removal under the circumstances. There I were piles of furniture, books, pianos,

pictures, and other costly articles, strewn about in the most confused manner. As before stated, the immediate cause of the fire is altogether a matter of surmise. Yesterday was the religious festival of St. Peter and St. Paul, and there was benediction in the cathedral in the evening. The service began at seven o'clock, the congregation separated at about eight o'clock, and the building was locked up soon afterwards. Most of the priests were engaged in a service, which was held about the same time, in St. Benedict's Church, Parramatta street- The lights of the cathedral, excepting only the lamp of the sanctuary, which is always left burning, and is suspended in front of the altar, were all put out. The origin of the fire is at present a matter of speculation, for as yet there does not appear to be any very definite or authentic information on the subject. So far as could be learned last night, it seems that tbe cathedral was suddenly filled with fire, and the flames burst forth almost simultaneously in different parts of the edifice. The fire was fir.it seen soon after nine o'clock, and by half-past nine the whole of the roof of the building was covered with flame. Most of the roof was composed of shingles, which were quickly burnt through, but the rafters and other timbers burnt for a while longer -, and, a* the outlines of the stately structure were vividly defined and skirted with flame, the sight was one of unsurpassed but terrible grandeur. Myriads of sparks ascended high into the air and fell in showers in the direction of Woolloomooloo Bay, whither, for a considerable distance, they were driven by the wind. From the top of the cathedral clouds of yellow flame and smoke issued, whii;h shed a lurid lustre on all around ; and at times so bright was the glare that the minutest objtcts in the remotest parts of Hyde Park could be seen almost as distinctly as by daylight, and the reflection in the sky must have been visible for miles around. Captain Heselton, of the steamer You Yang?, which arrived from Melbourne in port last ni^ht^aw the reflection of the fire when off Port Hacking, and states his orinion that it would be visible for a distance of twenty miles at sea. The cold, frosty air blowing on the rafters, cau«ed them to glitter with resplendent brilliancy'; and the flames, like innumerable serpents of fire, hissed and crackled alonir every part of the building, and, a? they swept from one interior fitting to another, assumed mo?t singular shapes. The interior of the cathedral was a vast furnace of fire, which gTowed with inten.-e heat ; and the wind and flame roarin<r through fie sacred pile, and the timbers crashing from above, made a noise which somewhat re-s-mbled the waves beating along the st.a shore as heard from afar. Ot course, it was utterly impossible to arrest the proof the flames, which, fanned by the breeze, con'inued to rage with unchecked fierceness until the woodwork of the edifice had all been consumed. The rafters and timbers of the roof were all destroyed by ten o'clock, but so great wa- the mass of fuel in the inside that the building was illuminated all through the night by the fire. | which for a long time was unapproachable, and which is hardly yet subdued. The engines of the insurance company's brigade^ and of the two volunteer lirt companies, were early taken to the spot-, but owing to the difficulty of obtaini- g a copious supply of water they did not get to work for some time afterwards. All efforts to quench the fire in the cathed-al would have been perfectly futile, and nothing in that direction was attempted The clerk's office, the sacristy, and the range of apartments for the clergy leading to the Vicar- General's office, were soon ienited by the sparks, and to this block of buildings the firemen first turned their attention. Portions of the roofs were stripped of the shingles, and streams of water were showered on them. The sacristy and the clerk's office were completely destroyed, as also wa3 apart of the buildings occupied by the clergy. Had not the woodwork in the upper parts of the cathedral been consumed so rapidly, the Archbishop's residence, St. Mary's Seminary, and a number of other buildings, must all have been burnt down, seeing that the ashes fell around so thick. Some citizens and a detachment of ot sailors from the French sloop-of war now in harbor ably seconded the efforts of the firemen , but there were many persons who labored with desperate and, it must be said, with injudicious energy. The roofs most exposed were saturated with water and slightly protected with wet blankets. St. Mary's Cathedral had only lately been enlarged to a considerable extent, and within its walls were collected works of art on sacred subjects, by some of the greatest masters. The magnificent organ, erected in the south gallery, cost originally upwards of L2OOO, which, of course, was destroyed in the general wreck. The rapidity with which the fire traversed the interior of the building is attributable to the mass of polished woodwork within it. The pillars by which the roof was supported were of ironbark, cased in

polished cedar ; and the ceiling, which was an imitation of the vaulted groined eeilingof the middle ages, was also of polished cedar. The ceiling, therefore, in many places touched 'he roof, and, as a consequence, no sooner did the fire reach the former, than it burst through' the dry shingled portion of the latter. The roof of that portion of the cathedra! lately built was slated, and dense volumes of smoke issued from under it, and for a time enveloped the structure. The relics of 3. FclLiaii have been saved* An intere«tir g incident of tbe conflagration relates to the fortunate escape from death of an old man named Anthony Brady. Brady, who is 108- years old, and' is stone blind, and usually sleeps under the sacristy, was fortunately got out, and but tor timely aid would have perished in the flames. It may well be imagined that so magnificent and awful a spectacle as that afforded by the cathedral on fire attracted an immense concourse of persons. Within a few minutes after the fire broke out every thoroughfare was thronged with' specta f ors, and there was also a denselypacked crowd assembled on Hyde Park, opposite the cathedral. So dreadful a sight seemed to impress the beholders with awe. It is almost superfluous to mention that the inspector and officers of the city police were on the ground with a large body of constabulary, who performed their duty with efficiency and unostentation. The fire was still burning when we v ent to press, and is likely to smoulder for several days. The large engine of the insurance brigade Ins been playing on the ruins all night. The foundation stone of St. Mary's Cathedral was laid on the 29th of October, 1829, by the late Father Therry, and we are informed that yesterday was t'lc anniversary of its consecration by his Grace Archbishop, (then Dr.) Polding-. The venerable prelate is at present in the Western distiicts, and it is feared the news of the destruction of the sacred edifice, consecrated by him thirty years ago, and to the completion of which he has devoted much energy, will seriously affect his failing health.

The following extract from a letter from Dr Eocles, the Honorary Secretary of the New Zealand Exhibition, to the Colonial Secrt'tarv, is published in the " New Zealand Gazette,"' of the 11th instant, for general information, — " I have the honor, by direction of the Commissioners, to forward for the information of Government, the following extract from the last letter receive! by the Cominissioncrs from their Agent iv England, Mr John Moirison : — ' I may call the attention of the Commissioners to the fact that the date for holding the next Great International Exhibition at Paris has been fixed for 1867, and would urge the desirability of giving the Colony a prominent position on that occasion, for Tasmania, Victoria, New South Wales, and other Australian Colonies have already been favourably known in France and Europe by their products shown at those Exhibitions. As this could be well earned out in connection with any collection of arlicles permanently Kept in London, it is therefore to be hoped that some sum may be granted by the General Government for such a judicious purpose when the finances of tbe Colony are iv a more f ivorable condition. In furtherance of Mr Morrison's views, I am instructed to express the very strong sense the Commissioner-? entertain of the desirability of active st-ps being taken to ensure the due representation of New Zealand at the Paris Exhibition, 1557, and their hope that Government will bo pleased to devise measures for the active promotion of a project so certain to bemifit the Colony."

In the" "New Zealand Gazette" of the 11th instant, a new Hundred is proclaimed umier the following name and description.— " Maruvenua Hundred, in. the north-eastern ■listriet of the Province of Otago, containing by admeasurement, sixty-seven square miles, more or less ; hounded towards the northj)y the Waitaki River ; towards the east by a line due south from confluence of the \Vait'lki and Maruwenua Itivers to the fortyfifth parallel of ..south latitude ; towards the south by the said forty-fifth parallel of south latitude, and towards the west by the meridhn of Black Hill.

By Proclamation in the "New Zealand Government Gazette," the jurisdiction of the Resident Magistrate's Court at Tokomairiro, is extended to cases involving o:ie hundred pounds ; to take effect from the Ist August next. In the same number of the Gazette, the jurisdiction of the Resident Magistrate's court at Dunedin, is extended to cases involving amounts of one hundred pounds, to take effect from the Ist September next.

A supplementary " New Zealand Gazette," under date 12th July, notifies that Messrs J. B. A. Aekland, of Christchurch; H. J. Goote, of Wellington ; H. J. Miller and J. Prendergast, of Otago; J. C. Richmond, of Nelson; J. Kolland, of Clutha; A. P. Seymour, of Picton ; A. C. Strode, of Otago ; and J. P. Taylor, of Southland, have been summoned to the Legislative Council of New Zealand.

A schedule of the names of persons entitled to Crown grants of land, claimed through the New Zealand Company, appears in the "New Zealand Gazette" as follows:— John Law, William Hunter Reynolds, Thomas Oliver, Edward Martin, John Gillies, John Sutherland, Edward Martin, William Alfred Mosley, John Petchell, Archibald Anderson, and Alexander Ferrier. The descriptions of the land are attached