The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1877-06-08
rhe Fire Fiend in Union Again.
500, 900 DESTROYED IN 9 1.s HOURS.
Railroad Depot and Shops Gonel
26 BUILDINGS BURNED!
A MATCH DOES The MISCHIEF.

oi inc ho"es' anu saouest o"ys 'hey
perienced. fR
About half past II o'clock, while four-fifths
Of our white inhabitants were at Church, the
dreaded alarm of fire was sounded upon Main
street, and by the time many could arrive upon
the spot the wooden building occupied by W.
II. Briggs & Co., adjoining Hill Cos. large
brick building, was one sheet Of flame and the
boxing under the caves of the latter building on
fire the whole length, and in o quarter Of IN
hour the whole inside of the upper story Of
that building was one roaring mass Of flame and
smoke. The wind was alowing hard from the
Southwest by west, and the scene was truly
terrific. Large fakes of fro were flying In the
air, alighting on the parched roofs Of stores
and dwellings. near and far threatening destrue-
ton to every building and fence in its course.
for miles. The shngled roofs of the houses.
from the long continued dry and hot weather,
were like finder, and it required the most active
| watchful cxertions upon the roof OF esessrn ..
hhara .SssR hsb anH'ca :f:s.gds, mue M q
windwnrd, and in few'minutA thec.<roden
houses of Mrs. +. d. Iumphries, PhillipDunn,
r. +. Briggs "a new one) and Thos. McNally,
were one sheet of raging. bowling flame, while
there seemed no hope that the brick buildings
below, from Spears & Colton's to Foster &
wilkins and the wooden block below them,
roof and substantial build of Spears s. Cotton s
house they all escaped.
The flames then leaped, MS it were, from the
burning stores to some small buildings in rear
Of Col Youngs and the Harris stores and de-
molishcd them like loose cotton. From there
they took the building known as the "long house >
then the Davis and McNeacc bar rooms and
every other building upon that block and laid oil
in ashes. But before flames had full possession
of these houses, the cry came that the Railroad
shops were on fire; ; and here commenced such n
scene Of terror and destruction as we have never
before witnessed. The roaring flames, the dense
smoke, the terrible heat from the midday sun,
the bowling of the wind, the binding dust and
the flying flakes Of fire, all CONT iued to strike
terror aud alarm to the stoutcst hearts 1t was
scene of horror.
The weather was so intensely hot that, al
though the fire had only lasted an hour, the
people were completely exhausted and many
stout men had fallen and been taken from the
streets. In less than five minutes from the time
the fire first struck the building the whole upper
portion Of the sbops was ono bow,;,o n,..s of
flames. and the mir around so ho, Tho, non.
could go near enough to enter and save any of the
machinery. tools Or materials i, i rho ,rm-
Der around the sbop, three cors ON n. troc, ,hc
platforms in from, reor and erls of Tho damn,
caught almost simultaneous with the sbons and
i, WA, impossiblc 70 cn,cr tho dono, Sou
dense smoke issued from undcr ,he lin root os
TINT builliug ond all hon. Of so,; :,
Of its contents was gone BY the time the roof
of the depot fell in, the workshops, cars and ull
around were completely in ashes.
The March Of destruction ended ut the depot
shops. 1t commenced ut half past II O. clock
and by 3-two hours and half-,hc bare walls
and chimncys of twcty four buildings alone re-
mained to tell of its ravagcs. We have never
witnessed so great destruction of property in
SO short time This may be account ed for in the
fact that months dry hot weather had made
the buildings as dry and ntlammabl. as a pow
der house
HOUSES DESTROYED.
Wooden House. the roofs and wood work of two
brick buildings belonging to Thos Mcnally.
New two-story building of II. F. Briggs,
Three wooden BUILDINGS of PhiIlin Dnnn
Wooden building of MIS- f. d. IIumphries
Wooden building of W. r. Briggs & Co.
Two-Story brick building of Hill & Culp -
In tho first story of this building was Till Sos
largo store and Gibbs & Co.'S, Drug Store. In
the second story was the large town Hall, Thos
Nelson's Tailor Shop, j. p. Mullnax's shoe
shop, Hill & Co.'S Counting room and skeping
rooms.
One small wooden building in rear of Fried
bergcrs store.
Two wooden buildings belonging to Spears &
Colt ou-one occupicd by charley Jcnkins Col