Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-01-28

wallace, CLERKS IN The mouse, and Robert
Kirkpatrick, clerk in the house of Morgan,
Thomas & Co. Mr.. Wallace was first
aroused, and awakened the others. Upon
rushing out of the room, Mr.. Wallace SAYS
he discovered the fire bursting out from the
roof of Noel & Plater's building, and i'm
mediately afterwards, flames were to be seen
issuing frSm the rear portion of his store.
His opinion is that the fire commenced in
the adjoining building, and afterwards COM
municated to the floor of Ewing & Co.'s
house, and from the floor to the whisky
stored on the second floor. The joists in
each of the stores Tapped, and it was there
fore an easy matter for fire to rapidly spread
from one floor to the other. We give these
opinions as they exist. 1t will probably
never be known how the fire originated.
The gentlemen sleeping in the store of
Ewin IL Co., had narrow escape. When
they were awakened, the room was filled
with smoke, and they were almost suffoca-
ted. Wallace and Kirkpatrick rushed down
the stairway, without taking time to gather
up their clOth4sg. Mr.. Fort supposed his
way to the lower floor cut off, and proceed
ed to the front window in his drawers and
shirt, and clinging to one of the iron col
uLlLlS4 SllNlCu uON ii dllu ICGCllCu lllC RIOuEu
in safety. Fifteen minutes after that time
the entire block was a mass of smouldering
ruins.
The progress of the flames was very rap
i'd. As above indicated, there was whisky
in Ewing & Co.'S second story. Upwards up
one thousand barrels were stored on this
BoOr. Upon communicating with one bar
rel, the flames leapt rapidly to the next, and
to the next, and so on until the entire guam
tity of the combustible fluid was exposed
to the flames. Pop, pop, pop,
went the barrels as they exploded, and
streams of burning whisky in one cOntinu-
Gus, easy flow of blue and fOrked flames,
rolled down the walls, and in its uninter-
rupted passage bounded over sidewalks TO
cutters, opened fiery channels through the
streets. The combustible nature Of the
whisky added fuel to the flames, which
communicated rapidly with the store of
A. NJ. Perine & Co., adjoining that Of Ew-
ing IL Co., on the south side. NotWith-
standing the efforts of the fire department,
it was a matter of impoSsibility to check the
progress of the fire at that stage. At this
juncture it was probably not over half an
hour from the time the alarm was first
given, and seldom, if ever, in the history of
our city, has a fire ragged more fu-'
riously. From the house of Perine & Co.,
the flames communicated to the rear per-
ton of the house occupied by Lumsden &
Co. At first glance it was thought the
building could be saved, but now again, the
explosion of whisky barrels lOOsened raft
ers, and weakened the buildings from their
foundation up. Suddenly walls came tUmb-
ling with a crash, and that between Perine
& Co. and Lumsden x Co. fell upon the
roof of the latter, resulting in a general cav
ing in, and opening an avenue by which the
fire could more easily assault the interior Of
the Lumsden building.
In quick succession, the towering wall OF
the Noel Il Platter house tOttered and fell with
heavy weight upon the engine room Of
Dickey's Mill Immediately in the rear. Up
to this time, the mill had been running as
usual, and men stationed at different points
on the roof watching the progress Of the
flames, to prevent if possible, the spread of
the fire in that direction. The
crumbled wall, however, suddenly,
checked operations at the mill,
for by its fall, the engine room was almost
crushed, the steam chest broken,
and governors, valves, etc, knocked out Of
place.
While the fire continued to rage in the
buildings fronting on Market street, q build
ing on Front street owned by John COltart,
and occupied by numt 9r Of negro families,
was the next point of attack. The damage
from the fire, and the injuries sustained by
the falling walls, left it in a completely de-
mO!ished condition.
From flying sparks, the roof of the old
French warehouse, fronting on Clark and
Church streets, took fire, but was checked
before it obtained Roadway. The old Cam
eron building, on the corner of Front and
Clarks streets, over a square distant, also
caught from flying sparks, but through the
exertions of Mr.. StrattOn, a clerk in the
house of W. 3. and r. L. Armistead, was
4 line of hose was being
to that corner to put out the burn
ing roof, but before it reached the point,
Mr.. Stratton reached the roof from an ad-
Joining building, and by act Of almost I'M
surpassed daring sllded down over the
snowy and slippery roof, and succeeded in
luenching the flames with the snow which
he gathered from the roof
Of the houses which were destroyed on
Market street, the first in the block, Occu- !
pied by Noel & Platter, was the property Of
Mrs DR.. Lowe, of Springfield. The one adj
Joining, occupied by Ewing & Co. was owned
BY W. S. Eabin, of New York, and that Of
A. NJ. Perine Il Co., the third IN the block, /
was the property Of G. II. Vessel Of this
city. The LumSden house was owned by
hat firm.
The heaviest losers by the fire were
Ewing & Co. They had an unusually
arge stock, and although covered by$82, 900
Insurance, their loss will, it is estimated,
exceed $4,000. In addition to one thOus-
and barrels of whisky, they had recently
purchased $25, 900 worth Of sugar and mo- |.
asses in New Orleans, the greater portion /.
If which had arrived. Their stock ofcofee |
was fortunately reduced to $50 bags, or
something like $4,000, market value. At /
he time of writing we are not pre- |
pared to give the extent of their |
stock, which We have heard variOusly esti /
mated from 100000 to $4,000. Their /
;afe, containing all their books and papers /
vas rescued from the rear portion of the |
building after the walls had given way, and !
opened on Front street. Fortunately they /
we're in perfect state Of preservation.
The loss sustained by Noel & Platter will .
lot be very large. Their stock consisted |
of -four, of which there were /
like six or seven hundred barrels, /
besides 10 bales of hay, and small quanti-
les Of corn, hay, bran, oats, etc.
The firm of A. NJ. Perine & Co., was |
heavily stocked with agricultural imple- |
nents, iron, seeds, etc, and the stock set
IOwn at S25, 900, most of which was COW
red by insurance.
The firm of J. LUmsden & Co., took |
took on the LIST of January last, which
mounted to between $4,000 and $4,000.
Their exact stock just previous to the fire is
lot known, but it is estimated that it will
lot differ much from what it was on the
rst of the month.
By the destruction of the buildings
wned by John COltart, he sustained loss
f upwards of $1,000, on which there is
10 insurance. We sum up the total loss is
S follows
THE LOSSES.
wing and Co., stock say....... 100000
|. NJ. Perine and CO............ 10000
. Lumsden and Co. .... 49,. 10000
IOel and Platter ................ 1000
'lock of buildings, 3 stores. 10000
store. .............. 5000
yoItart's house. ................ 1000
)ickey's mill damaged. ......... 800