A pre-dawn fire in the town of Fort Smith, Arkansas destroyed the City Hotel, the newspaper printing office, the U.S. Postal Office, with 4000 letters, and several other businesses on an entire city block. Total damages to buildings and merchandise was estimated at around $200,000 but no serious injuries were reported. (By John Osborne)
Source Citation
"Disastrous Conflagration at Fort Smith," New York Times, September 22, 1860, p. 1.