Smyrna times., 1880-12-22

nd in q few minutes the cracking, curling
caring fame was ascending high in the
ir, lighting up the town with lurid glare
lat was at once grand and awful specta-
lie. What can be done to save the sur
ounding property? was the question run
ing through every mind at this crisis.
In the large store house that stood few
eet to the west George Van Wrinkle had
ust opened stock of goods that day.
Feeling assured that this house too must
20, these were removed to the opposite
tide of the street and mostly saved.
arge shingled lumber shed 100 feet long on
he east side so feet from the mill was filled |
with baskets, boxes and lumber. These
we're thrown in a'vacant lot on the north |
eide of Commerce st. and well they were, |
for with their blaze added to the heat Of
the mill it would have been impossible to
save the row of houses running down Com
merce to Union st. By this time the
heat had become fearful. The mill, in adj
dition to being large. three stories high and
massively built (for Mr.. Worden, whose it
first was, built everything in the most sub
stantial manner) was filled with very com
bustible material including some fifteen
thousand peach baskets. The two engines,
" Friendship" and Delaware" were late
getting to the fire, the people running to
this place first instead of after them. The
smaller one, Delaware" was brought up
by only four men. The first named was
run up Commerce st. and put in place in
front of the store house. The water was
poured in to run out like a sieve until the
cracks filled up. Here were II dozen houses
nearly ready to be sacrificed by the culpa.
hle neglect, shall we say, of the town Com
missioners in not keeping the apparatus in
order. Some Of the wells were dry already
and there was not a drop to waste, but
finally sufficient was got in it to throw a
stream, but it had hardly got to work
before the air chamber burst and it was
useless thing, and indignant expressions
were heard of running it into the fire to
expiate the folly of its custodians. At this
time the long she'd at the east side, not
from falling fire but from the intense heat,
burst out in flame from end to end stimuli.
taneously. as did also the dwelling Of
Stephen Van FOSsen at its extreme end.
The Delaware" took its position OIL Pearl
st. and commenced to play on the dwelling
last named. This was found in few
moments to be hopeless job, and tho roof
of the back part Of the dwelling of Saml
Griffin on the opposite side, cor. Commerce
and Pearl having ignited, it was turned on
it with good results. The people were
driven from the extreme diagonal corner.
the residence Of Joseph Smithers, two
hundred feet distant lat first thought en-
tirely safe) by the heat, and water poured
on his roof ran down warm and smoking,
the pei son on top having to keep his face
covered between times ana dip it in the
bucket before he could endure the heat to
sprinkle. Then was the season Of greatest
| alarm. Women's countenances bespoke
terror and dismay, and brave men looked
at each other with blanched faces. GA
every side the flames were ready to burst
| forth, and where it would end, with no APP
! planes and but a moiety Of water, God
only could tell. Mr.. NauGasken, one oil
the Town Commissioners, hurried to the
| Telegraph office with a dispatch to the
Mayor of Wilmington to send engines anC
all the hose they could bring. our neares
supply of water for a general cOnflagra
ton being the mill pond. Then it was tina
mems bravery and endurance were put L
the test. The dwellings of Rev. j. A
Brindle, Jesse S. huntington, Reese Taylor
VIM. P. Smithers, VIM. Wilds, James Var
! Wrinkle and store Of II. H. huntington
which were within sixty or seventy #. of thu
front were thought impossible to save, bu
/ IOEluuhlS.J Tue lOWtI llhL IOIlutu u IIOulO
the building which had stood as a perpet
ual menace to the safety of this part Of tn
town was the last to burn, and thus shiel
ded them from much of the intense hea
Of the building. When it became enrap
in flames, and for the five or ten minute
before it fell, when every knot was oozin
out terpentine, paint smoking and sc0rcE
ing, door transums cracking, it was a pero
,ub yalnablo onA Nbne
moments could not be measured by ord
nary computation. One minute of negleC
might have put the whole line in a blazt
Only few did or could stand the heat, bu
they saved the row, and how much more it
, impossible to tell. Every root had ma
on it, in one case so hot that one of theI
had to dip his feet in the bucket of waite
to cool them; and below men would ru
out splash water on the front and retrea
The wells in the neighborhood were mostl
/ exhausted, and some Of it was brougl
, from a considerable distance: when il ra
! short, mud and water was gathered up frol
the street or that caught descending til
, water spouts. There was not man I
r spare, a deficiency Of one might have pr
3 duced a very different result.
When the main building fell in and III
{ heat abatsd, the thermometer of hope roi
D high in the scale for, if saved to this poin
8 it would have to he an untoward event tn
{ would now bafiied such determined effoI
= The fire was now considered under contr
a and Mayor Almond was telegraphed to tn
o effect. When the dispatch reached w
r mington the Water Witch, Reliance al
s Delaware Companies were loaded to start
Q a few minutes. They were kept at Il
b Depot for several hours to respond at
v moments call if needed. They have Il
g grateful thanks Of our citizens just Il
t same.
IS The store house to the west was the ne
Q to follow, as was expected after 4
# Friendship" gave out. Within thirty fe
n Of it was the residence of Mrs. Jane Huntt
IS closely connected with which were the re
Al dences j, S. Taylor and r. NJ. Johnso
n With such large fire SO close it seem
10 too credulous to hope to save this buildir
% like all the rest fraIne) but James McDo
e ell mounted the apex next the fire and G
d piled water as fast as it could be hand
Ie him. lie with the men who operated
Le determinedly below fought for nearly
1. hour, until it was considered safe to lea
p. Mr.. Griffiin's house, when the Delawar
le came TO their relief, BY nine o'clock t
lie danger Of any further extension was oV
II. and congratulations and expression
W thankfuness took the place of the teri
ef and alarm Of few moments before. S,
d. eral houses on Cummins st. in the rear
le the Mill were in nearly as great danger
CO the others hut those watching them W,
n. largely aided by the tin roofs.
le At the time when it seemed as if tn,
y. would be simultaneous breaking out
a all sides, the goods were removed from o,
m dozen houses on Commerce st. and abe
re the same number On Pearl and Cpmm
ey streets.
Oh The mill and store house belonged
ng Messrs. Tschudy & Cats, they having p
m. chased il of the Building Loan two wears n