Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-11-02
EDGEFIELD IN ASHES.
Only Four Stores Left Standing
Supposed to Have Been the Work
of an Incendiary - Not Enough
Provisions 10 Last Fortnight
Hours.

The Edgefeld AdvertiSer, in an extra
graphic account of the fire:
"With feelings of unspeakable horror and
sadness the advertiser announces to its
readers that the county site OF old E lgefeld
lies in ashes ana ruins.
CAT dawn this morning Sunday, October
30,) the large livery stable belonging to
Mrs. Tfllman's hotel, and standing in rear
OF same, was discovered to be in flames.
The wind was blowing iercely, and set
fatally to the northwest, bearing the flames
directly over Park Row. In less than an
hour all of Park Row. the various small
buildings in the rear OF it, and Captain
Markert's cabinet shop were in flames.
$50 wild and sweeping was the wind that
human efforts availed nothing. For a
couple of hours the Advertiser building
seemed doomed, but the wind bore the
flames in a contrary direction. From Park
Row the flames soon leaped across the
street to the store house occupied by Mr..
Lee Holson, Mr.. Wade Youngblood and the
two BARRIERS; from this to the Chronicle
office, lately so handsomely repaired by Mr..
A. j. Norris; from this to Mr.. Lynch's drug
store, from this to the huge building occu-
pied by Mr. Clisby and Mr.. Cobb; from this
TO the little brick Office occupied by Mrs
Crawford: from this to the old law Office of
Carroll q Bacon; while In the rear of all
these, all the law offices were consumed
Mr.. John Addison's, Mr.. Walter QUITS old
Law Range. thence to Messrs. Sheppard
Brothers The dwelling of Lawrence Cain
was consumed. The two offices In Mr..
Lynch's front yard were consumed, but his
mansion was saved. The cid Salud4 House,
the property of Col. Fl. W. Addison, was
saved.
"The Tillman Hotel was swept away as IL
by magic. The Methodist parsonage, the
private residence of Mr.. w B. Penn and the
law office of Norris & Folk were saved.
"From the old Saluda House to the Adver-
ser building, and from the Advertiser building
to the Methodist parsonage and Mr.. w. B.
Penn's residence, Is one horrible waste of
ashes-not building stands upon the scene
The buildings on the public square now are
these alone: The AdUeTtiser building, Dr.
Parker's Office, law Office of Glover & Alb
neY, old Ryan Hotel, post Office, old Bryan
brick store, Minis photograph building,
jail and court house. The law offices and
small buildings, beginning with the Gary law
office and running down to the Catholic
Church. are uniniured The barrooms, the
billiard saloons, blacksmith shops, the negro
store, are all gone.
"The merchants were able to save but small
portions Of their stocks, and these were
almost entirely uninsured.
"Upon this property there was about $780,
600 Of insurance, $4,000 in the companies
repret ented bV jefferson & Zimmerman, and
IS, 600 in the Georgia Home, represented by
Mr.. d. R. DurlsOe.
CAT the hour at which we write, II o'clock
a. m the flames have died out, and an
awful cloud of smoke rests over the dresry
scene. Citizens from the surrounding coun-
try are thronging in, and the burnt district
is crowded with excited human beings Of
all ages and races. Many houses, not burn
ed, were emptied Of their furniture, and
every street and garden and back yard is
filed with household goods, broken, torn
and injured.
circumstances point very strongly to this
terrible conhagration as the work of an In
cendiary.
"The great fire Of 1852 was small compared
to this. The appearance of Edgeield's
public square is appalling in its desolation.''