THE UNITED STATES.

Grey River Argus, Volume IX, Issue 660, 12 April 1870, Page 4

THE UNITED STATES.

DESTRUCTIVE PIKES IN PHILADELPHIA. A fire broke out in Fourth street, a few miuutes before one o'clock on Christmas morning, and destroyed nearly 200,000d1. worth of px-operty. The flames are supposed to have originated from the second story of No. 14, a live-story brick building, ocenpied by Ruder and Thatcher, wholesale hardware dealers, on the first and thirl floors. Their stock was destroyed, with the exception of a few hundred dollars' worth of cutlery. Several other warehouses were destroyed, and the total damage is estimated at 200,000d01. The same night a tire broke out in the flour and grain storage warehouse, Nos. 110, U2, and 114 North Broad street. The building has a front of 75 feet, depth 175 feet, and is two storeys in height. The building was valued at 25,000d01., and was occupied by Thomas Worley, as a commission storage warehouse. A large stock of flour, aggregating 8000 barrels, was in the warehouse. The fire consumed everything. Worley loses LIO,OOO, fully insured. In the warehouse was a large stock of flour owned by Mr Knowles, a Broad street commission merchant. The entire loss is 80,000dol. --New York Tribune. ANOTHER STOHY OF GEORGE PEA.BODY's LOVE. The Providence Journal publishes the following episode in the life of George Peabody : — ''A story has been going the rounds of the newspapers giving as a reason why Mr Peabody was never married, that he adopted a young girl, whom, after she grew up, he wished to make his wife, but finding that she preferred a clerk in his establishment to the chief of the house, he 'never told his love,' but calmly gave her up, and saw her married to a younger rival. Of the truth of that story I know nothing, but I can vouch for this that lam now going to relate. More than thirty years ago, in the school of John Kingsbury, w;is one of the fairest daughters of Provideiice. Her school education finished, she went with friends to Europe, not, however, before having given her youthful affections to a. young man whom she had met in a sister city. But before marriage, adversity came upon him, and he found himself iv no situation to marry. He was not willing she should waste her youth and beauty in waiting through long years, so he released her from her vows, and they parted, she going, as I said, to Europe. There she met Giorge Peabody, then, comparatively speaking, a young man, but who was already making his mark, and whose wealth was beginning to pcur in. Ho saw her, and was struck with her , grace, her winning ways, and her loveliness, and he 'proposed.' Her heart still clung to her loved one across the wide Atlantic, but after some time she yielded, perhaps to the wishes of her friends, perhaps to the promptings of worldly ambition, who can toll ? She became the affianced wife of Mr Peabody. After a little interval she came back to this country, and soon .after her arrival, met her first love. At sight of him all her former affection came back, if, indeed, it had ever left her, and Mr Peabody, with his wealth and brilliant prospects, faded away, and she clung with fond affection to her American lover, and was willing to share a moderate income with him. All was told to Mr Peabody, and he, with that manliness that characterised his every action, gave her up, and in due time she was married. I well remember, when in London twenty-eight years ago, hearing all this talked over in a chosen circle of American friends, and also at a brilliant dinner party given by General Cass, in Versailles, it was thoroughly discussed. Whether, in his visit to this country, Mr Peabody ever met his once affianced bride I cannot say. After several years of wedcled bliss, death took her husband from her side." SEVERE EARTHQUAKE IN CALIFORNIA. From San Francisco, of date December 27, it is stated : — The heaviest earthquake shock ever experienced in Eastern California and Nevada occurred about six o'clock last evening. The shock was felt with more or less severity at Sacramento, Marysville, Grass Valley, Nevada City, lowa Hill, Stockton, Chico, Truckee, and other neighboring towns, at Virginia City, Nevada, walls were thrown down, doorbells rung, and clocks stopped. The consternation was general. The shock was felt severely on the lower levels of the mines. -The vibrations were north and south, and lasted about ten seconds. At Reno tho shock was preceded by a low rumbling, which lasted nearly two minutes, alarming the inhabitants. The express train bound west was detained about an hour, between Wands worth and Reno, by large rocks and earth thrown on the track by the earthquake. TERRIBLE SCENE IN A CHURCH. The New York Tribune briefly der scribes an affair which might have been terrible in its results :-^Soon after 1 1 a.m. yesterday (December 27), while an immense throng was gathered in St. James's Roman Catholic Church, sonic evergreens hung near the organ toolc fire from a gas jet. In an instaut the congregation made a rush for the doors. The narrow stairway leading from the galleries became choked, and several persons leaped to tho ground floors upon the heads of those iv the body of the church, many of whom Avere struggling to escape. Women fainted, and others screamed loudly, and the crush near the door was frightful, and the destruction of many of either sexes and all ages was momentarily threatened. The priests from the altar appealed to the congregation to retain their seats, and Detec-

tive Mahoney of the Fourth Precinct, who was in the church when the panic commenced, sprang upon a railing, and also assured the crowd there was no danger. The appeals and assurances finally prevailed, the alarm subsided, and the Mass was continued. Notwithstanding the excitement, no one was seriously injured, so far as could be ascertained, although many were thrown down, and trampled in the first rush to escape."