Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1878-03-07
Entire Business Portion of Hot
Springs Destroyed BY Fire.
Nearly half a Million Dollars Worth
of Property Lost
OTer One Thousand People Rendered
Homeless By the Disaster.
OrIgia OF the Fire-COmpItte List Of
the Houses Destroyed.


Special to sAs Little Rock Ga.stts.l
HoT SPRINGS. AK, March 5.-A Ere
broke ont sbout ? oelOek this morRinE
ia s negro shsuty in the rear OF the
French Restaurant IN the heart Of the
city. The flames rapidly spread in ell
directions and 5000 get bsy0ad the con
trol Of oar Ere engine, sweeping the
valley Of every vssigs OF building for q
distance Of about half s nile, embracing
nearly sl the business part Of the city,
extending from RockstslloE drug store
70 Pstssy D1Esn's YArisiiss, below Nal,
Vsrn Crossing Abo7t one hundred and
SAy buildings were Destroyed and about
8 thousand people made homeless
OEinE 70 TIE nGrroE1sss OF the valley,
BAL 1.-the vas saved. The loss IS esnDa.
ted 81 &09U9a. Insarsncs. al told,
S5oo1. Ne lives lost OF personal in
.junss sustained. Fortunately, there
Esrs buf isE hotels aud boarding houses
IL ;ss part Ct The city, sad ample hotel
accommodations rsnais for all Who
usy wish to visit the SprinEs. There is
great distress among the people. and ont
Eis Gd E01ld be very Welcome.
The ire was not arrested until about
70 o'elsck Among the most prominent
Business houses destroyed may be men
toned the Hot Springs Hotel. American
Hotsi, Earle House, Cnllen House, the
iva banks, The Cs0iral Bath House,
Fenss 4 Co.'S liz and hzrdssrs store,
Little / jenkins grocery, the la-gs New
York dry goods store. tie pOstofiee.
BsrgsDsrs fine dry goods store, Bleke's
.jsEsiry store, Human Z Hamilton S
bath house, Bsrj Bows dry goods
tore. ]. " Kimbsll 4 Co. clothing and
dry goods; Browns jsEelry store. the
Sentinel Newspaper once, ". u. John.
son 4 Co, grocery store the Baptist
church, Masouic building, Knights OF
Pythiss Hall; LeEleJs, Ssutters,
Goodies. BoliiDgs drug stores, and also
the South Eod drug store; Offices OF Drs.
Lawrence & Ellsworth, Robson, Nc
DoEell, Fox, Vaughn, H0lconbe, Col
Inns, Tobin, Gsbbsart, Adams, Rzsseit.
JeIks. and tie Law Offices Of Lolita 4
Curt. Murphy & Woods, c. Thrower, E.
W Rector. ]. K Pnchard aud John N.
Harrel.
The widest excitement prevails. and
on either side Of the valley the slopes o.
the mountains aye streVn with the wreck
Of what could be saved, aud around these
little remnants Of their household goods
are gathered groups Of the homeless
sufferers men, women and children,
looking With blank despair upon the dark
future before them. This is, perhaps,
relatively speaking, the greatest disaster
that has ever occurred to any town OF
city in America, the proportion Of loss
AID homeless sufferers being greater than
that occssioned BY the great Chicago
FIRE. We hope that the hearts Of your
people, il this their hour Of mirthful en-.
joyment, will be opened IL charity to tn,
demands Of our suffering condition, anC
that you will take the initiative in max
ing a public demonstration 10 our be
hall, which it is to be hoped will be fol
lowed by other cities for our relief. w
are all poor and made still poorer By
this disaster, aud it will tax our resources
to the utmost limit to keep many womer
and children from actual exposure abC
suiferings. This has indeed been a sac
Msr2i.GraS 10 US. THos. c. PEEK.
SECOND DISPATCH.
Although the larger portion Of thr
business part Of the city has been de
stroyed, we are glad to say that but com
paratively few hotels and boarding
houses we're burned. 0nly one first
class hotel-the Hot Springs House
was lost, aud two or three smaller ones
We have still abundant hotel accommo
/, datious for all visitors who may desire Il
come here for their health. The Airing
ton, Grand Central. Sdmpter, Avenue
and Wayerley Hotels, the best and lar
gest hotels in the city. with a large mum
a.. Der of boarding houses in the upper ant
lower ends Of the valley, still remain I,
extend a warm welcome aud Gbundsn
accommodations for any number {
guests who may likely desire to visi. tn
Springs. The total loss is estimated a
r $500, 900. The buildings we're all fran
. tenements, and burned so rapidly tbs
but little oftheir contents could be saved
No lives lost and no serious accident
e happened, but hundreds Of families ar
0 homeless aud destitute, and thrown upo
. the charity of their friends and the pat
? lie, Who are but lily prepared 70 assis
, them, We need outside assistance, an
9 call upon Little Rock for q helping bau,
2 7. G. PEEK.
Amid all the clash and j4ngle
financial controversy, the worry Of civ