Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-02-11
A CAR BARN IN RUINS.
AN INCENDIARY's WORK ON
THE COAST LINE RAILROAD.


Four Mules and Nine Cars Burned
Hairbreadth Escapes for Lite.
Att minutes before 10 O'Clock last night
John Abrams, a negro driver
in the employ Of the Coast
Line Street Railway Company,
had just put up his team for the night IN
the stables of the company, at the juno
ton of Bolton street and the tracks OF the
Savannah. Florida and Western Rail-
waa Company. Other men were en-
gagged in pushing the car which had Just
made the last trip of the day over the
/ road. into its quarters beneath the shea at
/ the western extremity of the structure.
/ Louis Remusat. the night Waterman OF
the comDanv. was in the office counting
IN the cash and making all secure for the
night. As Abrams was leaving
| the stable he was startled Dy
| the sound of a cracking noise OYerr-
1 head and glazing upward was startled to
| see the whole upper portion Of the struc-
/ ture envelOped in flames.
RFsCUrNG THE LIVE STOCK.
Rushing into the office he shouted an
J alarm. and at Mr. Remusats order fol
/ lowed him into the stable in an attempt
| to rescue the horses and mules. Armlhg
/ themselves with sharp knives, the Two
/ men rushed from stall to stall cuttlnS
the halters with which the animals We're
tied and stampeding them from lheH
/ stalls In the meantime some one out
Side the building rushed to the Savannah,
I Florida and Western freight office ana
summoned the fire department by an
/ alarm turned in from signal DoN
/ No. -.
WHERE THE FIRE STARTED.
That mart of the building IN which the
fire had its origin was, as already lilti-
mated. in the loft Immediately over the
stalls. Ii was filed from end 10 end win
hav. grain and such other fodder as Is
I commonly stored in a stable "hefS
/ many animals are housed aud
fed A strong breeze which
/ was prevailing outside the building
and formed a strong draft within, carried
| the flames through the ntlammaDle ma
terial spread before them with Lightning
like rapiditv. and it was but lew MN
utes after the discovery that the "hole
/ interior of the building was converted
/ into a roaring furnace. 1t TOOK
\ but a inv to burn the rafters
/ which supported the loft and then bum
/ dies Of burning hay and blazing chunks
{ of wood began dropping to the HOor where
were the mules. horses. Mr.. Remusat ana
the negro Abrams working rs tast rs they
could. The two men finally succeeded IN
cutting loose and driving out all the Ell
! dangered animals save four mules.
RUNNING FOR THEIR LIVES.
As they were yainly attempting to drive
out the remaining four, the floor OF the loit
began cracking and they fled for their
lives toward the door. They had Just
made their exit through the blazing
portals when the whole upper portion OF
the building fell to the ground with a
crash. and envelOped them in cloud OF
smoke. cinders and flying bits Of raiters.
SAVING A SLEEPING CONDUCTOR.
They escaped unhurt. however. and as
they rushed through the building used as
the office. which. as well As the car sheds
| beyond. was already ablaze. Mr.. kemu-
sat rushed up stairs to awaken Conduc-
tor }, NJ. Knight. who had his sleeping
apartments in that portion of the prop
erty. The interior of the building was
becoming intolerably hot, but
neither the heat nor the clouds
of stihng smoke had awakened
the weary conductor. and when Mr. ke-
mus3t pounded on his door he had barely
time 10 slip into his clothes, throw a
small trunk through the window and es-
cape from the building.
WORK OF THE FIRENIEN.
Although the tiremen mad a long run.
they were ON the scene with
their arrival it was found that the IRE
plug nearest the fire was located al the
corner Of Huntington and Price streetS-60J
wards distant The Barlow FIRE company
made connection with this, and though
il was necessary to lay and connect Loo
feet of hose. had a stream on with
out the loss of moments time.
The balance of the hose Of the
department was inadequate To reach the
fire. and the other engines were thus rem
dered valueless. The fire had spread
with such Tapidity at the start that all
the buildings of the car company and the
grocery and LIQUOR store of J. d. Harms.
adjoining the railroad track on the OPP
posite side of Bolton street, were
burned beyond saving when the tirmen got
on their first stream. The heat was IN
tense and the destruction of six or seven
wooden structures. which clustered about
the burning buildings, seemed foregOne
conclusion. The efforts of the fremen,
however. prevented this additional spread
of the flames and the destruction was con-
fined to the buildings already designated.
PICTURE OF THE CONFEDERATION.
The flames from the burning structures
leaped high into the air and lent the sky
an illumination which was visible for
miles around. Dense columns Of smoke
which went rushing skyward after the
flames helped carry to the people some idea
OF the eXtensiveness of the cOnhagratiOn.
Many were just reaching their homes
from church, and this fact and the earli-
ness Of the hour drew TO the scene
crowd yariOUSlv estimated at from 1000
/ to 5000 people The spectacle continued
nearly three hours, it being long after
| o'clock this morning when the last OF the
/ fire department returned to their quar-
I tiers.
THE NIGHT W ATEVTNF STORY
At II: 80 O'Clock a reporter of the NEWS
/ staff secured an interview with Mr.. Rem
usat and obtained from him a story of the
/ fire which embraced the facts already
narrated.
INCENDIARISM SUSPECTED.
1 Upon being further questioned Mr..
/ Remusat expressed himself as at a loss to
/ to how to account for the fire, but said
/ that it was more than a suspi-
ciOn with him that incendiarism
was at the bottom of the cOntlagratiOn.
He would not commit himself further,
however, and whether his suspicious
attached to any person or persons, he de-
elined last night to divulge.
A SECOND YAMACRAW.
During the course of the cOnflagration,
several of the cOlored families occupying
the neighbOring houses, which We're en-
dangered, moved their furniture and other
household effects to the surrounding fields,
and as they squatted around the property
the scene was analogous with that pre-
scented around the outskirts of the burned
district of 1amacraw on the night
following that destructive cOn1agratlOn.
THE BURNED PROPERTY.
The office, stable and sheds of the car
company covered an area POO feet long by
80 feet deep. The structures We're of
wood. and with the exception Of the office
and stable. but one story in height. The
property contained in the buildings COM
prised 81 mules, 3 horses, Is street cars,
l water car. a lumber car. a pole
car and large quantity
of hay and other fodder Nine of the
street ears. the water, lumber and pole
cars, all of the fodder, large number of
harnesses and the four mules already
mentioned persisted in the flames. The
books of the company and the small
amount of cash in the money drawer
were saved. None of the owners of the
line We're in the city last night, but
gentleman competent to form a reliable
opinion on the subject, estimated the loss
at about $4,000. c. G. Falligant, through
whose agency $1,000 of the insurance is
placed. informed a News reporter that
the insurance on the buildings, live
stock and cars aggregated 10000.
1t is safe to estimate, there
fore. that the total valuation of the pro-
perty would not fall short of $4,000.
MIR. HARMS LOSS.
Mr.. Harms stated to a reporter that he
valued his stock of groceries and liquors
at fully $4,000, upon which he had insur-
ance of s., 900 with John Sullivan Il Co.
The main building, in which was the
grocery and bar, was valued at ST, 500,
. -. sT.gs l-s+