Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1885-11-19
A GREAT GALVESTON FIRE
HUNDREDS OF FAMILIEs LOSE
EYERYTHfHG.



A very destructive fire is now raging in
the eastern part of the city between Six
teenth and Seventeenth streets. The fire
broke out at lao o'clock in small
foundry on the north side of Strand street
near the corner Of Sixteenth. The flames
spread rapidly under stiff north wind,
and the prospects at this time are That
Galveston win suffer great loss.
Six dwellings have already been de-
stroyed and immense clouds of sparks are
being carried four and five squares over
the roofs of houses The entire fire
department are on the grounds, but they
seem paralyzed and unable to fight the
flames because of the fierce wind and suf-
focating smoke.
The fire has at this hour (3.45 a. m,)
spread seven squares md has become o
great conhagration. Fully so dwellings
are burning and the path of the fire as it
progresses southwark is filled with the
finest residences in the city, all of which
are wooden.
For five squares south the fire was con-
fined to the width of one square, between
Sixteenth and Seventeenth streets, but
when it crossed Winnie street, six squares
from the starting point, it jumped dag
onally to the southeast into the next
block and at the present writing gives
evidence of consuming one-third of the
city.
About o'clock the FIRE began 10 spread
to the east and the west of Sixteenth and
Seventeenth streets, the wind rose to a
gale and pandemonium reigned. For
time it seemed as though the entire
eastern half of the city WINS
doomed. The FIRE spread rapidly to the
southward, licking up the block of ele-
CANT residences hastily abandoned by
their inmates. By 5 O'clock it had
reached Broadway, which threads the
centre of the island, running east and
west. At z o'clock the wind
gave signs of dying out and
shortly it 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 $50 o'clock, it seemed to
exhaust itself, and the fremen coming up
checked the further rayages at this point,
or within two blocks of the gulf.
GALVESTON, TEX, Nov. 13-7 a. H.
The fire is still burning fiercely. 1t is
now about four blocks from the beach.
It is raging on Avenue N, is still spread
ing on both sides and has cut swath Of
six blocks. About go blocks have already
been destroyed Hundreds of families
have lost every thing, and great distress
prevails. The loss is placed by some at
$4,000 900.
GALVESTON, Texas, Nov. 13-11.20 n.
m.-The fire has reached tine beach,
which is distance of about a mile and a
half from where it started. In some
places the path of the fire is six or seven
blocks wide. Over 700 residences were
burned. The wind is blowing terrific
gale. The fire is still burning fiercely,
and is not yet under control.
The burned district covers So blocks,
seven of which are not swept entirely
clean. IT is 16 blocks in depth and aver
ages n width of three blocks. From tho
house-top, the smoking burned districts
resembles a huge black, half-opened fan
lying across the island from the bay
the nearly to gulf. The island at that
point is 10 blocks or IT miles wide.
The fire started on the north side of
Avenue A, better known as the Strand,
which is one block from the bay, and 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 d, the fire was con-
fined to the strip bounded on the east by
Sixteenth street and on the west by Sew
enteenth street.
The business part of the city begins at
Twentieth street and runs west ten
squares. This outline. locates the fire
which began 10. spread rapidly after it
had passed avenue d. BY the time it
reached avenue or Broadway, it was
sweeping nearly three blocks in width
from the west side of Seventeenth street
to the east side of Fourteenth.
About 800 houses were burned which
were occupied by fully 500 families.
From Avenue A to Avenue e for four
squares the burned dwellings were occu-
pied almost entirely by the poorer class,
and several families were crowded in 0
single house in this strip.
From Avenue Z, however, 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 ovel
half their value.
All manner of estimates are to bt
heard Mt this time. The city assessor say
the taxable value of the dwellings burned
lis $650, 900. This makes the actual valut
of the property 81 100000 which per
hapb represents the loss in money.
The insurance is estimated at 5000, 900
although some insurance men who hav'
walked over the district, pluce the insur
anee at $500, 900.
So far as can be learned not II singh
accident occurred, notwithstanding tn
fearful panic that prevailed.
The scene during the progress of tn
fire was simply frightful, so filed witt
misery and terror that whoever saw
must bear the vivid impress for life
time.
The wind rose screaming gale in tn
vicinity of th fire and swept through tn
burning belt in terrific swirls, carryin
millions of live cinders high up i'll til
air and raining them down n mile distan
over the wooden city and its panic
stricken Inhabitants.
The entire east end of the city scarcel
contains n dozen brick dwellings all
wood, Texas pine, and it burns with ii
descFibable fury.
The alleyways and streets for l0 square
on either side of the burning belt wei
filled with the blanched faces of womei
children and great, strong, helpless mel
who could do nothing in such gale bl
crouch down for shelter from the pier'
ing norther and watch the flames Lie
abe fulita of lifetime.
Although the victims number many
the we,lthiest residents of the city, who's
individual wealth runs up near IL
millions and half millions, yet the gre
majority of those burned out lose Il
better portion of their fortunes or the
little all.
Some families saved a good deal
furniture, others are left with only Il
clothes ON their backs so confident We
they that the fire would not reach ther
The loss in personal apparel and hous
hold property can never be estimated al
is not included in the previous estimat
The hotels are filled with homele
people, and citizens committee is no
at work apportioning families to ROOF
and premises vacated for their use. Eve
dray or other vehicle in the city is
work, carrying the strewn furniture, be
ding and pictures to secure places.
Thousands of people hanntthe burn
district, looking among the smoking rui
for valuable keepsakes or jewelry, vague
hoping to find something left, but it is
bleak and barren as the desert of Saba
Even the huge wooden water tanks
fences, sidewalks and telephone poles {
burned to white ashes.
Business is entirely suspended. I
calamity is SO great that men choke W
tears in speaking OF it.
Some scores of sick people were b
riedly removed during the eonhagrati'
and many women are. reported prostra