The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1885-11-20
Great Fire IN Galveston, Texas.

At LAO o'clock Friday morning of
last week the most destructive fire in
the history of Galveston broke out in
foundry and Car repairing shop on
the north side of Avenue A known as
the Strand, between Sixteenth and
Seventeenth streets. A gale from the
north was blowing, and the flames
spread with rapidity to both of the
adjoining buildings, one being a gro
Gerry and the other dwelling.
Soon the long tongues crossed the
street, and two more buildings were
in flames, the inmates barely escaping
with their lives. At this moment the
Fire Department got two streams
going, but they were of no avail. The
heat became so intense that the firemen
had to abandon their places, and the
wind rose and carried myriads of
sparks to premises east of Avenue A.
In half an hour two blocks were burning
fiercely, and by 8 o'clock every one saw
that great confla2ration was upon the
city. People for squares around on
either side of the burning blocks be-
came panc-stricken, and the cries of
frightened women could be heard
above the roar of the fire and the mourn
full wind. AT 81 the fire had travelled
three blocks distant from its starting
point, but in a straight line, being con-
fined to the blocks bounded by Six
teenth streets.
About o'clock the fire began to
spread to the east and to the " est of Six.
teenth and Seventeenth streets, and
the wind rose to gale. For time
it seemed as though the entire eastern
half of the city was doomed. The
fire spread to the southwark, licking up
the blocks of fine residences hastily
abandoned by their inmates. BY 5
o'clock it had reached Broadway, which
threads the centre of the island, run.
ming east and west. At 7 o'clock the
wind began to shift, then to decrease
until by o'clock only fair breeze
was blowing, But by this time the
fire had eaten its way to Avenue o,
where, at 81 o'clock, it seemed to
exhaust itself, and the firemen, coming
up, checked its further ravages at this
point, or within two blocks of the Gulf.
From the housetops the smoking
burned district resembles huge black
half-opened fan, lying across the island
from the bay nearly to the Gulf. The
island at that point is nineteen blocks,
or one mile and quarter wide. The
business part of the city begins at
Twentieth street and runs west ten
squares. The burned district includes
the wealthiest and most fashionable
portion of the city. One hundred
elegantly furnished mansions are in
ruins. Many of these residences had
beautiful gardens attached to them,
and the moneyed loss does not represent
half their value. The scene during the
progress of the fire was frightful; so
filled with misery and terror that who
ever witnessed it must bear its vivid
impress for lifetime. The wind rose
to screaming gale and swept through
the burning belt in swirls. carrying
millions of live cinders high up in the
air and raining them down mile
distance over the wooden city and its
panic stricken inhabitants. The entire
east end of the city contains hardly a
dozen brick dwellings. All is wood
Texas pine - and it burns with
indescribable fury. Five minutes after
a house had caught it would be wrap
ped in flames.
The alleys and streets for ten squares
on either side of the burning belt were
filled with the blanched faces of women
and equally helpless men, who
could do nothing in sach a gale but
crouch down for shelter from the
piercing norther and watch the fla mes
lick up the fruits of lifetimes.
Although the victims number many
of the wealthiest residents of the city,
such as Julius Runge. Leon Blum,
Mrs. Magale, and score of others,
whose individual wealth runs up near
the million and half million, yet the
great majority of those burned out lose
the better portions of their fortunes.
When the fire started the gale was
blowing at the rate of thirty miles an
hour At 2 o'clock the Signal Service
observer estimated the velocity of the
gale in the vicinity of the fire at sixty
miles an hour, and this velocity was
until near 6 o'clock. The
,otal area of burnt district is 100 acres,
md forty blocks were swept clean of
everything combustible. More than
100 houses burned, and it is estimated |
oy the Relief Committee that about |
900 families were unhousod, the great ,
majority of whom especially the poor
'nes, lost everything.