The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1885-11-20
/. A GREAT CALAMITY.

| The City of Galveston, Tex, Visited by
| C0nflagration of Huge Dimensions -
| Three Hundred Houses Burned A
| Thousand Families Made Homeless
The Loss Estimated at $4,000, 0O8-Re.
| lief Measures.
GALVESTON, Tex, Nov. 14,-Fire broke
out at 40 d. nj. yesterday III small
foundry on the north side of Strand street,
near the corner of Sixteenth The flames
rapidly spread under a stiff north wind.
The entire fire department was soon on the
ground, but they seemed paralyzed and Tin
able to fight the flames because of the
fierce wind and suffocatng smoke.
| About four o'clock the fire began to
spread to the east and to the west of Six
tenth and Seventeenth streets. The wind
Jose to gale and pandemonum reigned.
| For time it seemed as though the entire
| The fire spread rapidly to the
southwark, licking UP blocks of
elegant residences. hastily aband-
oned by their inmates. BY FIVE O'clock
! it had reached Broadway, which threads
/ the censer of the island, running east and
west. at seven O'clock the wind gave
| signs of dying away, and shortly it be-
gan to Shift, then to decrease, until
| by eight O'Clock only fair breeze was
| blowing. But by this time the fire had
| eaten its way to Avenue o, where at nine
| o'clock, it seemed to exhaust itself, and the
/, french coming up OPPORTUNITY checked its
| further ravages at this point, or within two
blocks of the gulf. 1t continued to rage,
however. in spite of noble efforts to ex-
! tinguish it, and at noon had reached the
beach, about mile and half distant from
where it started
At 1920 the fire reached the beach, about
mile and half from the starting place,
having burned course seven blocks wide
and consumed three hundred buildings,
among them some of the stateIiest resi-.
dences of the city. Al the beach the rage
of the flames expired, and two hours subse-
quent the conhagration was under the con-
troll of the fire department.
Accurate charts of the burnt district were
completed last evening, showing that the
course of the FIRE was in southeasterly di-
rectiOn. Beginning at the foot of Sixteenth
street on the strand, the fire crossed avenues
| C, ID and E. Hereit worked its way to tho
east half of the same block, Oh
which stands the post-office and
United States Court. The flames threat
ened the post-Office. and the build
ing was hurriedly cleared of Matchmaker,
and all valuable mail was placed in vaults.
Fortunately, the flames spared the build.
| ing, and passed onward toward the gulf.
AT avenue the fire destroyed the state
Hest mansions of the city. One Of the first
to succumb was that of Mrs. Magale, a
$40, 900 house.
The business portion Of tile city was not
&onn hod h1lt in 4 no hnr dicfri ofx
twenty-One groceries, saloons and small
stores.
The only public building consumed was
the Second District school building, frame
structure, which was recently built at a
cost of 800, 000 The total area of the burnt
district is one hundred acres, and forty and
a half blocks were swept clean. Something
| over four hundred houses were burned, and
it is estimated by the relief committee that
about one thousand families were rendered
homeless, the great majority of whom
especially the poorer oneS-lOSt everything
| AS the FIRE started in the poor district they
had little or no time in which to move their
| furniture, while the weather. victims
| moved their valuable pictures and effects.
| Several of the finest houses, however, were
burned without single article having been
| saved, so confident were the occupants that
the fire would pass by them. The hotels are
filled with homeless people, and citizen s
committee is now at work apportioning
| families to rooms and premises vacated for
their use. Every vehicle in the city is at
work carrying the strewn furniture bed
ding and pictures to secure places. Thou
sands of people haunt the burned district,
looking among the smoking ruins for val
liable keepsakes of jewelry, hoping to find
something left, but all is as bleak and bar.
rem as desert. Even the huge wooden
water tanks and fences and sidewalks and
telephone poles are burned to white a4hes.
Nearly every one has an estimate as to
what the total loss f00ts up. The best
posted citizens estimate the loss at fully
| $2, 600, 900, while many who claim to have
| figured on the matter put the estimate as
| high as So, 100000. a list of insurance
companies having policies on the burned
district is published the total amount reach
| ing to $3.50. 730.
Captain James E. Eads, the celebrated
| engineer, telegraphs 1000 from st. Louis.
| Kinman & Co., cotton buyers of Houston,
| sent $500. Jay Gould telegraphs draft
| for SIS, 600. The City Council met in special
session last evening and voted donation
of $751; 900 for the sufferers. and appointed
| a committee of three Aldermen to act with
| the Citizens Committee in distributing the
| funds. This makes $31, 500 already
donated by citizens of Galveston, which,
together with outside donations, foots up a
| total Of $3s, 900 in one day.
The Galveston NetOs says, touching the
great fire:
The conduct of the people of Galveston in
view OF the calamity that overlook them yes
terday can not be too highly commended.
The shock was severe, the test terrible,
but Galveston will come out of it UNI
dismayed. The loss is great but not
pressure. The people of the city are now
on their mettle, and in this condition they are
at their best. Many families are nomless;
some lost their ALL 1t was q great calamity,
but there will be no unreieved suffering.
The driving-wheel of Galveston's existence
| is unimpaired, the soul of the city is
m mel ego 90 on on as if nothing had hap
pened. The prompt manner in which citizens
assembled to make provision for the impoyer-
ished and distressed shows the spirit that
animates the city. Galveston is equal to the
emergency, and would be equal to an emer.
gency much greater than she is confronted
with at present. She will beias besutiful as
ever in few months, and is doing business
at the old stand.
Galveston is situated on an island at the
mouth of Galveston Bay (the Gulf of Mexco),
aud is the most populous and commercial
city in Texas 1t is $50 miles southwest of
New Orleans. The island is thirty miles long
and three miles wide. The bay is thirty-five
miles long and varies in breadth from
twelve to eighteen miles. From this
port steamers make regular passages
to New York, New Orleans, Indian
ola, Havana, Liverpool and ,ther cities. The
chief articles of export are cotton, hides,
grain and pork. The value of the annual ex-
ports is about $35, 100000 The quantity OF cot
ton received yearly is over 10000 bales. 1t is
q Catholic Bishops See. Its population at the
last census was 10000 which has increased
rapidly since.
The Dairymen Adjourn.
CHICAGO, Nov. 1.-THE Butter, Cheese
and Egg Convention adjourned yesterday.
A committee sent to the fat-stock show re-
ported that butterine was on exhibition
there alongside dairy products. whereupon
the committee passed resolution condemn
ing the Illinois Board of Agriculture for
recognizing a fraudulent article. The
Board has retaliated by the adoption of
resolutions alleging that large number Of
creameries use the product of the beeve and
hog in the manufacture of what they sell
for genuine butter. The convention APP
pointed committee to demand of the
Board of Agriculture proof Of the charges,
or their withdrawal, and threaten legal
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