The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1876-03-30

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there was not single drop to be obtained,
and the fire just worked its way wherever
it minded. At quarter to 5 o'clock the
grocery store of J. Fl. Ducker, at the
Southeast corner of Columbus and King
streets, caught fire, and was soon wrapped
in flames. From this point the fire
threatened to extend eastward in the
direction of the South Carolina Railroad
round-house; and it would probably
have done so but for the fact that the
wind was blowing from that direction,
and the progress Of the flames was there.
by arrested. By this time the store OF
Messrs. Wiley & Jacques, 6S3 King street,
east side, had caught fire; the flames
were thence communicated to the old
frame house at the northeast corner of
Columbus and King streets, which was
spared from destruction by the fire which
DESTROYED the store of Mr.. F. L. Meyer,
next north of it, about week ago.
- THE FIRE RACED :.
now with fury which the fremen were
unable to cope with, even if they had
had a plentiful supply of water. The
plank road took fire, and even the stone
posts on the sidewalk were crumbled into
dust by the intense heat. Nearly every
roof on the block bounded by King, Line
and St. Philip streets was by this time
glowing with cinders, and the poor people
who occupied the houses, not yet realiz-
ing the fact that they were doomed to
the flames, mounted their roofs with
brooms, axes, hoes and buckets of water,
( in vain efforts to extinguish the kindling
flames. The fire engines, with one or
two exceptions, were of course powerless,
not having water, but the members of
the three truck companies fought the fire
like heroes, putting ladder here, a hook
there and bucket of water in another
place. The point of immediate danger
now seemed to be in st. Philip street, in
which the roofs of half-dozen houses
were on fire, and the chief of the depart
.ment at once sent the trucks in that di-
rection. By the, efforts of the men the
entire block west of St. Philip street was
saved.
A PANIC.
From the store of Messrs. Wiley &
Jacques the flames were communicated
to the building 6S5 King street, occupied
by Mrs. Raeslop, which was some dis
tance north, and which belonged to Mrs.
Ross. This was about o'clock, and
just at this juncture several loud explo-
sions occurred, caused by the bursting of
cases of gunpowder in the grocery store
of Wiley & Jacques and j. b. Ducker.
The explosions, however, did no other
damage than to cause a stampede in the
crowd which had been attracted to the
scene of the confagration. The houses
in King street, north of Columbus, were
occupied by poor people-black and
white-and was very thickly populated.
It was nearly daylight when the frigh-
tened and demoralized occupants seemed
to realize for the first time that nothing
could save them from the fire, and then
it was that they first began to move their
household goods. The street was soon
crowded with men and women staggering
under the burden of bedding, trunks,
boxes and other articles of furniture,
| while the store-keepers, very few of whom
were insured, rushed wildly about look
ing for help to remove their goods.
SACKING AND PILLAGE.
This was of course shining hour for
the thieves, and they did not neglect to
improve it. There were several hundred
drunken negroes in the street who, under
the pretence of being fremen, plundered
right and left, Unfortunately. A half
a dozen burly rascals, raving with liquor,
would rush into q store, seize counter
or some other useless fixture, make q
pretence of carrying it out to save it,
and then returning would steal every
thing they could conceal about their per-
sons. At the store of Mr.. G. FL. Rufio,
693 King street. two policemen were sta
toned to keep out the crowd. They
could not do it. A drunken ruffian would
rush up to the door and upon being Or
dered back would curse the officer, swear
that he was fireman, and rush in and
steal and pillage. At his back would be
a hundred other drunken rogues, armed
with spannes and slung-shots, and the
officer who dared to resist them would
Just as certainly be thrown down, beat,
and probably murdered. 1t is due to the
fremen, both white and colored, to say
that in almost every instance they lent
their aid to the police force, but the
thieves outnumbered them, and, under
the peculiar law which prevents police
man from arresting a fireman at q fire,
unless by the order of the chief or assis-
tants, (who can not be everywhere at
once, nothing effective could be done to
stop the sacking. Thousands of dollars
of goods we're stolen, and from poor peo-
pie who lost by the fire what was not
stolen from them. When the fire reached
the corner of Line street the thieves
made for the door of the grocery store of
Mr.. N. G. Luden. A stream of water
had been got on the building, which had
a slate roof, and some hopes were enter
tanned of saving it. Under these circum-
stances Mr.. Luden refused to open his
doors, and a couple of policemen were
stationed at the side door to keep out the
thieves. They were just about to over
power the officers when Chief O'Neill
and half dozen white and colored fire
men came up and put them to fight.
They went OF, making the air hideous
with their drunken shrieks and yells, to
plunder other places. They had COM
plete possession of the streets until about
half-past s o'clock, when Mayor Gun.
ningham and Capt. Hendricks arrived
with detachment of policemen from
the Main Stationhouse. The Mayor
then assumed charge, and the streets
were quickly cleared, and dozen of the
rogues arrested and sent to the Guard
house.
THE PROGRESS OF THE FIRE.
At half-past o'clock the wind in.
creased and the fire ragged with renewed
fury. The flames leaped from the corner
of Columbus street to the drug store OF
DR.. A. M. Cohen, distance of about
one hundred yards, while on the west
side of the street building after building
went down. A half hour later the fire
had reached the corner of Line street.
In the meantime the house two doors
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