THE NEWS BY THE MAIL.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VIII, Issue 35, 8 February 1873, Page 4

THE NEWS BY THE MAIL.

I The following items of American news received by the mail present a list of the most startling casualties of every description, including fires, snowstorms, hurricanes, shipwrecks, and, indeed, almost every disaster that can possibly be thought pf : — \New York, December 26. — A very heavy drifting snowstorm commenced early this morning, and still continues with great fury. Street-car travel is greatly obstructed. — -Dispatches from the South 'and East state that there, was the severest weather yesterday and last night known for. many years. The thermometer ranged from 6 to 4. degrees below zero. — At the funeral of the late Judge Slosson, today, the storm necessitated the leaviug the body in the church till to-morrow.= December 27. — The stTeets to-day are baDked with snow. No such storm has ever been witnessed before. Last night the streets were deserted from an early hour in the evening; business was mostly suspended, and no persons venturned out except from absolute necessity. Thousands slept down at the hotels, or in their offices, owing to inability to reach their homes in the upper part of the City. The classes dependent upon their day's earnings for the following night's shelter, suffered immensely. Thousands of them wandered about the streets, not knowing where to go. Some of the principal lines of street cars are running to-day with double teams heavily overloaded, and few stages continue running on the great thoroughfares, but only at rare intervals are carts or other vehicles seen.— The thermometer to-day stands on an average with yesterday, ten degrees above zero. The storm told heavily upon business, especially in the delay of mails. There were no mails yesterday except those sent early. — All railway travel on Long Island has ceased. The steamships Helvetia and City of Limerick, for Europe, and the Columbia, for Havana, besides several coasting steamships, which were to leave yesterday, are detained by the storm. There were no arrivals from sea yesterday. — There is considerable suffering among the poor by reason of the absence of the usual supplies of milk and bread, none being received of the former by the trains, and locomotion by bakers' teams on the streets ib almost impossible. — Three persons were badly frozen in Brooklyn last night, two fatally. — Evening ; Eastern roads are now clear, but the Western mails are a day behind. — A special from Boston (midnight) states that all travel is suspended. In the evening, no trains whatever arrived or left. There were five alarms of fire daring the evening, one of • which came from the new postoffice, the walls of which were overheated by a furnace. Another alarm was caused by the burning of a small-pox hospital in the Highland District, which throws some three hundred small-pox patients upon the community. The pecuniary loss is 5000 dollars. Over 20,000 people are compelled to stay in Boston over night, being unable to reach their homes in the suburbs.— A severe north-east snowstorm commenced at Philadelphia late last night, and still continues with unabated fury. There are very few passenger cars running ; the snow has drifted very badly on the tracks, and the sweepers are unable to clear them. About one hundred feet of the Whitney Railroad Car Wheel Factory, on Fifteenthstreet, fell in by the weight of Snow this morning. A number of workmen are beneath the ruins. — The St. Lawrence is bridged with ice between Cape Vincent, VN.Y., and Kingston, Ontario, a distance of twelve miles, and teams cross safely. — During the services yesterday, in tbe Baptist Church, in the seventh ward of this city, the floor 'and ceiling gave way, precipitating about 500 persons into the cellar below. Fourteen were killed, and about forty injured, some of them seriously. The cause of the terrible calamity appears to have been the springing out of the trussbars and supports of the floors, as none of the timbers were broken. When the crash came, there went up a heart-rending wail of humanity. Children wildly shrieked for parents, and the groans of tbe wounded and dying filled the air. To add to the horror, tbe oil lamps ignited, and bid fair to destroy all in a general conflagration. Those outside worked with- a will, and used every possible effort' to rescue the living. January I. — The Fifth Avenue Theatre, adjoining the Fifth Avenue Hotel, was completely burned this evening. The fire commenced shortly after four o'clock p.m. About 4 25 smoke was first discovered ascending from the rear roof in tbe rear of the theatre, although tbe fire must have started long before that time, somewhere in the lower portions pf the buildiDg. Tbe matinee audience had scarcely more than dispersed.: The theatre adjoins, the Fifth Avenue Hotel. In scarcely more than fifteen minute's after the discovery of the fife the whole structure was ablaze in all quarters, burning. like .so much straw. The flames ascended with great fierceness.

and lit up the surrounding squares as though tbpy emanated from a well-ar-ranged bonfire. — Tbe theatre building was owned by A. P; Eno, who' estimates his lpss at. ,60,000 dollars, while the lessee, Augustin Daly, loses 130,000 dollars.

January 6. — Yesterday morning-, shortly after ten . o'clock, a rain-storm began, which soon turned to sleet, and continued until everything, became fringed with icicles: No such spectacle has been witnessed in years before. The trees were encased in ice, locomotion on the side w%lks became Blraost impossible, and throughout the day the streets looked deserted. About half-past eleven our telegraphic communication with points outside the city was stopped by ice on the wires, which broke them down. Tbe police telegraphs were destroyed throughout the city, the wires and poles falling in the streets and on tbe sidewalks. The whole of New York became isolated, so far as concerned communication with the outside world. The Western Union Telegraph Company constructed temporary facilities at Jersey City, whither dispatches were taken by messengers. The company did its best to serve the public and the Press, but the elements were too powerful. The Fire Department gave orders for the ringing of additional bells

fnr fires. — -Brooklyn suffered similar to New York. Falling wires in many places put a stop to street cars. The cars on the Pennsylvania railroad were delayed, and the damage to property must be large.

Washington, January 7. — A proposal has been made to the Postmaster-General Cresswell, and the Australian Government to transport the mails between England and Australia and the intermediate American ports, for a rate that will insure the granting of tbe subsidy by both Governments. Only 100,000 dollars is the sum asked of the United States, with a guarantee that splendid vessels shall be put on tbe route, with ample passenger accommodation and capacity for making the voyage quickly. General Burnside antj, Tom Scott are the parties making the offer. Tbe vessels of the Inman line are probably those intended for the service, A combination of railroad interests « at Washington has brought aboutj this offer. The strong influence they wield, the low rate of subsidy asked for, and the financial responsibility of the parties making the offer, render it certain that an arrangement will be concluded. The extraordinary phenomenon by which Buffalo is temporarily rendered destitute of water, is the source of considerable excitement and alarm in that city. Tho strong east wind which has prevailed for the past forty-eight hours has, it seems, driven a large portion of tbe water of the Niagara into Lake Erie, thus lowering the surface below the supply tunnel of the Buffalo waterworks. A similar phenomenon occurred twenty odd years ago, when, if we may credit history on the subject, the Falls of Niagara were dry for a day. Omaba, January 7.- — It has been blowing a perfect gale since noon, with considerable atmospheric electrical display.', Memphis," December 27. — The ice gorge above this city broke loose this morning, and came down with a terrific force, crushing dry docks, wharfboats, and steamboats lying at the levee, some seven or eight of which were totally wrecked. Some of the cargoes will prove a total loss. Ten barges of coal were swept away and sunk. The loss of the coal is 130,000 dollars. Only three days' supply of coal are left in the hands of dealers, the Memphis gasworks, which supply the city, being without a day's supply. The total loss by the sinking of the barges and steamers will not exceed 200,000 dollars.— Five negro women were shot fatally during Christmas festivities yesterday, by their husbands, and others by colored admirers.' Boston, December 27.- — The ship Peruvian, from Singapore, for Boston, struck the bar at Cape Cod during a storm last night, and went to pieces. The crew were all drowned. She was owned by William F. Weld and Co., of this city. The vessel and cargo were insured for 400,000 dollars, mostly in Boston companies. — This afternoon a fire broke out among tbe freight sheds on the south side of the long wharf adjoining the Philadelphia steamboat pier. The value of merchandise burned with the freight sheds on Long Wharf is estimated at 100,000 dollars. Philadelphia, December 26. — This afternoon the roof of Winches and Pike's mill fell through with the. weight of snow. Five workmen were seriously injured. Troy, December 28.--Arnold and Company's extensive print works in North Adams, Massachusetts, were burned yesterday. Loss, 150,000 dollars; insurance, 100,000 dollars. Two hundred hands are thrown out of employment. Adrian (Mich.), December '28.— The car shops, with six* new coaches, were /burned last ■night.'; -Loss, 75^Q00rddllars. One 'hundred and 'fifty men "are thrown but of employment. Oswego, December 30. — The block oc-

cupied by Hamilton and Co. was burned j this morning: 1055,t 43,000 dollars^ ■ \ ! Fulton^ .N.-Y.y' 1 December ";30;4=Tlie.-j knitting factory of „H. S. Coude and Son ; was burned tbis afternoon. The fire re- • suited in the loss of the building, stock, and machinery, to -the amount of 72,000 dollars.

Orange, N. V., December 31 . — A fire last nigbt destroyed the dry goods store of J. C. Carroll, the stores of Maria Wilson, Colldit ond Co.,. and several others; loss, 40,000 dollars.

Montreal, December 3l.^Ayfire this morning on St. Peter-street destroyed a fancy goods establishment, the broom factory belonging tb Wilson, Wood and, Co., the boot and shoe factory, of Ames and Millard, and adjoining-warehouse. The thermometer was fifteen degrees below zero. The water froze wherever it fell. The loss is estifnated at half a million.

Alexandria, Va., December 31. — A fire this morning destroyed a block df fine brick warehouses on Union-street; loss, 100,000 dollars.