Norfolk day book. [volume] (Norfolk and Portsmouth Va.) 1868-1880, 1869-09-09
Great destruction efProperty.
rhs Largest Fire since the Evacuation.
The Cause, the Progress,and the LOSS
Sill Burning at | a. m.

Still Burning at a. m.
At about auarter-past 9 o'clock last
,,ieht private Waterman Meredith, whose
heat lies on Fifteenth street between
Main and Gary, observed a man issuing
from the alley in rear of Wells q Cos
planning mill. He was running at full
snaad.s The Waterman drew his pistol
and fred, thinking he had frightened a
burglar; and attempting to fire the sec
oud time, the cap snapped, and the fel-
low made his escape.
The watchman went on, and noticed
nothing unusual until presently there
was burst of fame from the saw table
Of the planning mill. lie then gave the
alarm of fire, and the bells took it up;
but strangely enough, rang three strokes,
indicating the Third Ward as the where
ohonSs Of the fire, whereas it was In the
First. .a9g e,
This mistake caused great confusion
among the fremen, and the consequence
was that before the engines were on the
ground and at play the fire had made
considerable Roadway, playing havoc
with the planning mil, and leaping over
thence to the lumber yard of johnson,
3. Harwood & Estes A strong wind fed
the flames, and soon the whole yard,
with It's immence piles of lumber, des-
Ipite the efforts of police, firemen, and
citizens we're soon wrapped in fire.
Scratching kitchen in rear of Lyme q
Brothers, and skirting the walls Of the
buildings on Fifteenth street, it next
attacked the office of johnson, Harwood
& Estes, in few minutes this was de-
;stroyed. Thence it flew to Boyle &
CANDLES Saw Works, and almost SIM
nltaneously .Gersdorfs file factory
caught. These were not long burning
before the buildings occupied by Card
well & Co.,as an agricultural implement
warehouses caught in rear and on the
root; but Notwithstanding the imminent
peril attending the work, much of their
stock was carried out into the middle of
the street.
The establishment of Massie & Har-
vie, grocers and liquor merchants, was
next threatened, and it, with tho adjoin-
ing house, occupied by Board & Hirsh
and Charles Howard, grocers and COM
mission merchants, were half an hour
later, on fire, but not until the doors
were broken open and much of their
stock brought out, though considerably
damaged
At half,past II o'clock, the whole of
Braners Block was on fire, and as the
wind drove the flames towards the large
building on the corner of Cary street d.
reetly opposite, occupied by A. Y.
Stokes & Co., the efforts of the firemen
were exerted in that direction with con-
appearance Of success. 1t
seemed almost a miracle, however, that
this building was not entirely consumed
before midnight.
At ~ o'clock the fire yielded slightly
TO steady stream, and ranged along Fiji
tenth street, taking in its course one
after another the Office of the Virginia
Bone Mills, Downey & Anderson an
nnoccupied building owned by John
Enders, Jr., and the pottery of David
Parr & Son. A portion of the stock
was removed from each of these build
ings, but in every case there was much
of it damaged, and in several instances
the part removed was buried beneath
the falling walls.
All the time the Fire Department was
at work, but with little noticeable effect.
This was the state of affairs at half-past
twelve O'Clock this morning.
At this writing (12;40 a. m it is i'm
possible to form even an approximate
sdea of the loss but those acquainted
with the property destroyed put it down
at about $250,00O, round numbers.
The insurance is heavy--about $4,000
of it being divided between the North
British Company of London, Petersburg
Insurance and Savings Company, and
United States Insurance Company of
Baltimore, T. M. Alfriend &c Son,
agents. Few owners of property were
on the ground, and some who were
seemed unaccountably reticent.
Massie s. Harvie's stock was insured
for $4,000 in the Virginia Fire and Ma
rine Insurance Company, and other por-
tions Of the property for ST. 300 in the
New Haven Home, j. Fl. Montague,
agent. There was also an insurance of
about $4,000 on the lumber
There is good reason to believe that
had the firemen been promptly on the
ground the fire would have been con-
fined to the planning-mill, bu'i was a
foregone thing after it reached the lum-
ber-yard. Tbe bell-ringers, however,
were more to blame than the firemen.
The latter worked nobly for hours
when they reached the spot.
One O'clock a. m.-The fire will
hardly extend beyond the square
bounded by Main, Fourteenth, Cary and
Fifteenth streets. The houses that have
been burned were Wells plaining-mill,
johnson, Harwood & Estes office and
lnmber-yard, Cardwell's agricultural i'm.
nlemsnt house, Boyle & Candles saw
factory. Gersdorfs file works, Massie &
Haryie's groceries and liquors., Board
= Hirsh (groceries), office Of the Virginia
Bone Company, John Enders' unoccu-
nied house and several others partially.
The firemen are still at work, and the
nolice are out in orce.-Dispatch.
$50 -
n-o,stnn an TmnOrtant Ones.