The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1876-03-30
THE GREAT FIRE IN CHARLESTON.
Loss Quarter of Million-An Hun
dred Families Homeless.

From the Charleston Ne,Os and Cburier, March 2lst.
The fires of Saturday and Sunday last
were but prelude to the most disastrous
conHagration that has visited Charleston
since the terrible scenes of 1861. With
in the preceding forty-eight hours the
alarms of fire had become so frequent
that everybody seemed to have a fore
boding of the terrible calamity which
impoverished hundreds of families yes
terday morning, and which has laid waste
one of the most thickly populated Sec
tions of the city. The alarm was sound
ed about halfpast 8 o'clock from the
Eighth Ward, and although the fremen
had been worked hard for two DAYS, they
were promptly on the scene with their
machines. When the reporter of the
Mecs and Courier arrived at the scene of
the confagration the frame dwellings on
the west side of King street, Immediately
north of Rodgers alley, were in flames.
The fire originated in the store No. 6Sl
King street, owned by Mrs. John Wilson,
and occupied by j. f. Greeber, who kept
dry goods store on The first floor. Mrs.
Wilson and her family occupied the Sec
ond floor. At this time the wind was
blowing moderately from the east, and
there seemed to be no danger of general
confagration. The two buildin, south
of Mrs. Wilson's house were in flames,
but there was every prospect of an early
extinguishment of the fire. In about
fifteen minutes, however, the wind in
creased to a perfect gale, blowing from
the southeast, and the flames were COM
municated to the adjoining buildings on
the north, owned and occupied by Mrs.
Bligh as q grocery and provision store.
In the meantime Mr.. F. w. Piepers
grocery store, on the southwest corner of
Rodgers alley and King street, had
caught fire, and the building adjoining it
on the south, which was occupied by a
colored man as restaurant, was also on
fire. The first named building was total
ly consumed, and the latter only partially
so. 1t was now about o'clock, and the
fire was rapidly spreading to the north
and west. The general alarm was sound
ed, and the entire department summoned.
But it was
The SAME OLD STORY.
There was no water, and, although the
firemen worked like Trojans, they could
not fight fire successfully without water,
and they had absolutely no water at all.
The neap tides of the past three or four
days had reduced the water in the tidal
drains to such an extent that the keeper
had, on Sunday night, notified the CHIEF
of the department that the drains were
empty. So the engines were dragged
from one point to another in frantic
search after wells and cisterns on private
lots, which were found, only to be dried
in few minutes. The tidal drain pits
on Spring street contained scant supply
of water, which increased as the tide
flowed, but the steamers at work did moi
have a sufficient amount of hose to
reach the leeward side of the fire, which
soon began to spread with fearful rapid
ty.
AT HALF-PAsT FOUR O'CLOCK
the wind was blowing brisk gale, and
the sky was lit up with lurid glare
while large fakes Of fire, burning shin
giles and cinders were carried to the north
and west and landed on the roofs of the
houses in Line street, st. Philip, Coming
and Percey streets. The heat had now
become so intense that the firemen were
driven up King street. A hundred gal