Item

Fire at Cornaby Morrison’s

Standard
Dec 6, 1843
Fire
On Friday morning last about half pat 4 o’clock our inhabitants were aroused from their slumbers by the appalling cry of fire! which was found issuing from the house owned and occupied by Cornaby Morrison, situated immediately in front of the Scotch Church. Upon arriving at the house, which is only a few rods from our residence, we found its unfortunate owner standing alone near the door, in a state of intoxication, his hair much singed and his clothes on fire—he succeeded in getting into the house, from which he was pulled out—the smoke being so dense and the flames spreading so fast that it was dangerous to enter. In about 15 minutes some persons arrived at the place with engines but the flames had made such progress—the wind blowing strong from the NW and the thermometer being at zero, that it was some time before the engines could be worked, and the house had fallen to the ground before the fire could be extinguished. It appears from what we could learn from the owner that there had been no person in the house but himself, that he had gone to bed and left a candle burning near the pillows which caught fire while he was sleeping—and that he had great difficulty in escaping from the room which in less than a minute was in a blaze. Not one article was saved. The wife of the unfortunate man had been a few days previous driven from her home by the continual intoxication of her husband, and his consequent ill treatment of her. All her furniture and other property however was left in the house, and of course was consumed by the fire. Both husband and wife are left destitute.
            This scene adds one more to the fearful catalogue of evils, as well as crimes, arising from drunkenness. We hope however that the destitution which the unfortunate inebriate has brought upon himself and particularly his narrow escape from an untimely end will arouse him to a sense of his condition and dispose him to quit forever the intoxicating bowl; and under the auspices of a Total Abstinence Society earn for himself and wife a comfortable maintenance. Mrs. Morrison is a very deserving, industrious woman, and we trust that something will be done to relieve her in her present distressed situation.