The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1885-11-18
A MASS OF FLAME.
Efty-twO Blocks In Galveston, Texas, Swept
Away BY Fire.
A Tract a Mile and a Half Long and a Third
Wide Devastated-SeveD Hundred
Dwellings BurDed-


history of Galveston broke out in small
foundry and car repairing shop on the north
side OF Avenue A, known as the Strand, be-
tween Sixteenth and Seventeenth streets. A
fierce gale from the the north was blowing at
the time, and the flames spread with light
ming rapidity to both of the adjoining build
Ings, one being grocery store and the other
a humble dwelling In a twinkling the
long fiery tongue had crossed the street
and two more dwellings were in
flames, the inmates barely escaping with
their lives. At this moment the fire depart
ment got two streams going, but they were
of no avail. The heat became so intense
that the firemen had TO abandon their posi-
tiop. A general alarm was sounded. In
half an hour two blocks were burning fierce
ly, and by O'Clock every one saw that a
great confiagration was upon the city. Peo-
pie for squares around on every side of the
burning blocks became panic-stricken, and
the piercing cries OF frightened women could
be heard above the hoarse din of the fire and
the mournful wind. At $3.50 the fire had
point, but in perfectly straight line. being
confined to the blocks bounded by Sixteenth
and seventeenth streets.
About O'Clock the fire began to spread to
the east and to the west of Sixteenth and Sew
enteenth streets. The wind rose TO a gale
and pandemonium reigned. For time it
seemed as though the entire eastern half of
the city was doomed. The fire spread rap
idly to the southwark, licking up the blocks
of elegant residences hastily abandoned by
their inmates. By o'clock it had reached
Broadway, which threads the center of the
island, running east and west.
AT o'clock the wind gave signs OF dying
w ffar 10 Sbi
to decrease. By o'clock only fair breeze
was blowing, but by this time the fire had
eaten it's way TO avenue O.. where at 9
o'clock il seemed to exhaust itself, and the
firemen coming up checked its further raw
ages at this point, or within two blocks Of
the gulf.
The burned district covers ffty-two
blocks, seven of which are not swept entirely
clean. 1t is sixteen blocks in depth and
averages width of three blocks From the
house tops the smoking burned district re-
sembles huge, black. half-opened fan lying
across the island, from the bay nearly 10 the
gulf The island at that point is nineteen
blocks. or one mie and quarter wide. The
fire started on the north side of avenne A,
better known as The Strand" which is one
block from the bay, aud it stopped within
two blocks of the gulf. Sixteenth street is
nine blocks west of the extreme inhabitable
end of the island, the first resident street
being Sixth. From avenue A TO avenue ID
the tire was confined the strip bounded on
the east by Sixteenth street. and on the west
by Seventeenth street.
The business part OF the city begins at
Twentieth street and runs west ten blocks.
This outline locates the fire. which began To
spread after il had passed avenue A.
By the time ii had reached avenue l. or
Broadway, it was sweeping nearly three
blocks in width from the west side of
Eleventh street to the east side of Fourteenth
street. About 900 houses were burned,
which were occupied by fully 800 families.
From avenue y to avenue + for four
squares, the burned dwellings were occupied
almost entirely by the poorer classes, and
several families were crowded in single
house in this strip.
From avenue l., however, the burned dis
trict included the wealthiest and most fash
iOnable portion of the city. one hundred
elegantly furnished mansions are in ruins.
Many of these residences had beautiful gar
dens attached, and the moneyed loss does
not represent over one.half their value.
All manner of estimates are to be heard al
this time. The City Assessor says the tax
able value Of the dwellings burned was $780,
900. This makes the probable actual value
of the property S1,J0O,000 which perhaps
represents the loss in money. The insurance
is estimated at $4,000, although some in
surance men who have walked over the dis
trict place the insurance at $S00000.
So far as can be learned not single acci-
dent occurred. The scenes during the pro-
gress of the fire were simply frightful-so
filled with misery and horror that whoever
witnessed it must bear its vivid impress for
a lifetime. The wind rose to a screaming
gale in the vicinity of the fire and swept
through the burning belt in a terrible whirl,
carrying millions of live cinders high up
in the air and raining them down a
mile distant over the wooden city and its
panic-stricken inhabitants. The entire east
end of the city scarcely contains a brick
dwelling. All is wood-Texas pine-and it
burns with an indescribable fury. Five min
utes after house had caught it would be
wrapped in one mighty flame.
The alleyways and streets for ten squares
on either side of the burning belt were filled
with blanched faces of hopeless men, women
and children, who could do nothing in such
gale but crouch down for shelter and watch
the flames lick up the fruits OF lifetime of
labor. Although the victims comprise n
number of the wealthiest residents of the
city, whose individual wealth runs up near
the millions. yet the great majority Of those
burned out lose the better portion of their
fortunes or their little all. Some families
saved a good deal of furniture, Others are
left with only the clothes ON their backs, so
confident were they that the fre would not
reach them. The loss III personal and house
hold property can never be estimated, and is
not included in the previous estimates Of the
loss.
The hotels are filled with homeless people
and Citizens Committee is now at work APP
pointing families TO rooms ard premises va
Gated for their use. Every vehicle in the
city is at work carrying the strewn furni-
ture, bedding and pictures TO secure places.
Thousands of people hunt the burned dis
trict, looking among the smoking ruins for
valuable keepsakes or iewery hoping TO
find something left, but all is as bleak and
barren as a desert.
Even the huge wooden water tanks and
fences and sidewalks and telephone poles are
burned to white ashes. Business is entirely
suspended. The calamity is so great that
mer choke with tears in speaking of it. Some
score of sick people were hurriedly..removed
during the conhagration and many women
are reported prostrated by the terrible ex-
citement. A meeting of citizens is now in
progress at the Cotton Exchange
to provide immediate relief fol-
the poorer victims. Already the
rich men of the city and the well to do, even
&I.os-