Delta chief., 1885-11-18
GREAT FIRE IN GALVESTON.
Over Fifty Blocks In Ashes--Great Suffer
Ing Among the Poor.

Over Fifty Blocks In Ashes--Gfeht suHer-
Ing Among the Poor.
GALVESTON, Texas, November 13.--
At l 40 O'Clock this morning the most destruc-
tive fire In the history Of Galveston broke out
in small foundry and car repairing shop On
the north side Of Avenue A, known as the
Strand, between Sixteenth and seventeenth
streets. A fierce gale from the north was
blowing at the time, and the flames spread
with lightning rspidity to both OF the aijo'n-
ipg buildings, one being q grocery store and
the other humble dwelling. In twinkling
the long fiery tongues had crossed the street,
and two more dwellings were in flames, the In
mates barely escaping with their lives. At
this moment the Fire Department had got two
steamer at work, but they were OF no aTal.
The heat became so intense that the fremen
had to abandon their positions, and wind
arose snd carried myriads OF sparks to prcmI-
ses east OF Avenue A, and a general alarm was
sounded. In half an hour two blocks were
burning fercely, and By O'Clock It was eeen
that q great conhsgratlon was upon the city.
The people for squares around on either side
of the burning blocks became psnic stricken,
and the yic-c.pg cries OF the afiiiehted women
and the mourrful wind.
At $50 a. m. the fire had burned three
blocks distant from It's starting points, but in
a perfectly straight line, being confined TO the
blocks bounded by Sixteenth and Seventeenth
stn cts.
About 4 O'Clock the FIRE began TO spread TO
the east and west Of Sixteenth and Seven.
.eeuth ,trec,s. The wind rose to = gale and
randcmonium reigred; and for time seemed
as though the entire eastern half OF the city
was doomed. The Are spread rapidly TO the
southward licking up blocks Of elegant resi-
deucts, which htd been hastily abandoned by
their inmates. By 5 O'Clock It fsd reached
Broadway which threads the center OF the
island, running east aud west At I O'Clock
the wind gave siens OF dying swIy and short
Iy It began to ,hi't, and then to decrease, un-
I'll by O'Clock only n fair breeze was blowing
By this time the FIRE hsd eaten If way to ASe-
nue. n, where Rt O'Clock II seemed TO exhaust
itself and tie A. 'cmen getting quickly st work
there, they checked It's further ravsges at this
point, or within two blocks OF the gulf.
The buried district covers ff;y-;wo blockf,
seven Of which are not swept entirely clean. II
Is sixteon blocks In depth and averages a width
OF three blocks. From the house tops the
smoking burned district Is in the shape OF
hAlf-openod fan, lying scross the island from
the bay nearly to the gulf. The isl'nd at that
point is nineteen blocks, or y. miles wide.
About 80 houses were burned, which were oe-
cupied By fully 500 families. From Avenue A
to Avenue F, four tquares, the burned dwell
iings were occupied almost entirely by the
poorer class, and several families were crowd
ed In a single house In this strip. From Avenue
f, however, the burned district includes the
wcalthicSt and most fashionable tortion Of Ii c
city, and 100 elegantly furnished mansions nIe
In ruins. Many Of these residences had beau
tgful gardens attached, and the moniod loss
does not represent over half their value. All
manner OF estimates are to I've heard at this
time.
The city asscfsor says the taxable valuo Of
the dwellings burned is $3.50, 900. This MAKES
the actual value OF the property 81, ,50o, goo,
which, perhaps, represents the loss in mone,.
The insurance is estimated at 100000 a.
though some insurance men who have walked
over the distric, place the insurance At $780,
0oo SO far as can be learned not single ac-
oident has occurred.
ne tc'ne uurlbp Inc progress OF the nrc
was simply fr'ght.ul. 1t wns so filed With
misery and terror that whoever witnessed It
must bear Its vivid impressions for a life e-tims.
The wind rose TO screaming gale In the VI
ciuity OF The fire, and It swept through the
burning belt In terrific whirls, carrying MIL
lions of live cindors high up In the air and
raining them down = mile distant over the
wooden city and Its panic-stricken inhabi.
stanfs.
The entire east end OF the city scarcely con.
taips dozen brick houses; all is wood, Tex IS
pine, and It burns with nn indet cribSble fury.
Five mInu,cs after house hid caught 1t
would be wrapped In one mighty fame. TIE
Alleyways and streets for ten squares on either
side OF the burning belt were filed with the
blanched faces OF helpless men, women aud
children, who could do nothing In such gaze
but crouch down for shelter, and watch the
flames lick up the fruits Of n lie time. A.
though the victims were many OF the wealth.
lest people Of the city, whose individual wealth
runs up near the millions, yet the majority Of
those who were burned out lose the better por-
uons OF their fortunes, or their little all.
Some fsmiies lose a good deal OF furniture;
others are left with only the clothes en- their
backs, so confident were they that the fire
would not reach them.