Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-11-14


top of his head entirely blown Off; boy
named George Werling; J. 2. Brining, the
miller, Frank Werling, the engineer, es-
| capped with painful bruises
FriGhtful Confiagration in Galveston.
GALVESTON, November 18th. At lao
o'clock this morning the most destructive
| fire in the history of Galveston broke out
! in small foundry and car-repairing shop
on the north side of the avenue known as
| the Strand, between Sixteenth and Seven
| teenth streets. A fierce gale from the north
| was blowing at the time and the flames
| spread with lightning rapidity to both the
| adjoining buildings, one being q grocery
| store, the other an humble dwelling. In a
twinkling the long fierce tongues of fire
had crossed the street, and two more dwell
| ings 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 be-
came so intense that the firemen had to
abandon their positions, and the wind arose
| and carried myriads of sparks to the prem
ises east of the avenue, and a general alarm
was sounded. In half an hour two blocks
were burning fiercely, and by o'clock it
was seen that great confagration was
upon the city. The people for squares
around, on either side of the burning
piercing cries of frightened women could
be heard above the hoarse din of the fire
and the mournful wind At half-past 3
the fire had leaped three blocks distant
from its starting point, but in per-
fectly straight line, being confined to
the blocks bounded by Sixteenth and
Seventeenth streets. About 4 o'clock the
flre began to spread to the east and to 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 was doomed.
The fire spread rapidly to the southwark,
licking up blocks of elegant residences
hastily abandoned by their inmates. BY 5
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 away, and shortly it began
to shit, 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, al $50 o'clock, it seemed
to exhaust itself, and the fremen coming
up, checked its further ravages at this point,
or within two blocks of the Gulf. At11:20
the fire had reached the beach, about a
mile and a half from the starting place.
and six or seven blocks were consumed.
Over 700 residences were burned. The
burned district covers 81 blocks, seven of
which are not entirely swept clear. 1t is
sixteen blocks in depth and averages a
width of three blocks. From Avenue A
to Avenue L, for four squares, the burned
dwellings were occupied almost entirely bv
the poorer class, several families being
crowded into a single house in this
strip. From Avenue E. however the
burned district includes the wealth
lest and most fashionable portion
Of tho situ lOr,a htrDlral ol f,,,
nished mansions are in ruins. Many of
these residences had beautiful gardens at
tached. All manner of estimates are to be
heard at this time. The City Assessor saws
the taxable value of the dwellings burned
is S650,000. This makes the actual value
of the property $l,500,000, which, perhaps,
represents the loss in money. The in
surance is estimated at $500 although
some insurance men who have walked over
the district place the insurance at $500 900.
So far as can be learned not a single acc1-
dent occurred. The loss in personal and
household property can never be estima-
ted, and is not included IN the previous
estimate.
The hotels are filled with homeless peo-
pie, and the citizens committee is now at
work apportioning families to the rooms
and premises vacated for their use. Every
vehicle in the city is at work carving
strewn furniture, bedding and pictures to
secure places. Thousands of people haunt
the burned district, looking among the
ruins for valuable keepsakes or iewelrye
hoping to find something left. Business is
entirely suspended. The calamity is so
great that men choke with tears in their
eyes in speaking of it. Some scores of sick
people were hurriedly removed during the
contiagration, and many people are pros
trated by the terrible excitement
THE LOSSES.
GALVESTON, November 13th.-Nearlv
every one has an estimate as to what the
total loss of the great fire foots up. The
best-posted citizens estimate the loss at
S2,OOO,OOO, while many who claim to have
Inquired on the matter put the estimate as
high as $2,500,000. Insurance men have
been hard at work all day and tonight
completing the list of their policies. So
much confusion and uncertainty has pre-
vailed that the task of locating the policies
was difficult one.
THE BURNED DISTRICT.
GALVESTON, November 13th.-The total
area of the burnt district is 100 acres. and
forty and half blocks were swept clean of
everything possible. Something over 400
houses were burned, and it is estimated
by the relief committee that about 600
families were rendered homeless, a great
majority of whom, especially the poor
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 weal Cr victims moved their
valuable pictures and effects. Several of
the finest houses, however, were burned.
without single article being saved. so conf
dent were the occupants that the fire would
pass by them. As the fire swept past the
County Jail, rejecting its fearful glare and
intense heat through the grated windows,
the forty imprisoned inmates became
nearly frantic with fear. They set up a
yell which was heard for squares above the
awful roar of the terrible fire. On top of
the Jail and Court house were corps of
strong men, determined to save the build
lngs, and with the aid of the brick walls
succeeded The Jail was on fire a dozen
times, but was saved. All the street cars
were hastily run out of the Galveston
City Railway stables, and they
were abandoned to their fate.
But as if in mockery at their fright, the
fire monster spared the habitation of the
humble mule, seeking richer fields. When
the fire started a gale was blowing at the
rate of thirty miles an hour At o'clock
the Signal Service observer estimated the
velocity in the vicinity of the fire at sixty
miles an hour, and this velocity was main
tanned until near o'clock, when the fire
gave signs of exhaustion, and the cyclonic
vacuum seemed broken. The fire swirled
through its path as though it were a gi-
gantic funnel, and for two squares on either
side the heat was suffocating and the clouds
of cinders binding. The fire department
had become utterly helpless, and the water
works gave poor satisfaction.
An Important Diplomatic Move.
BosToS, November 13th.-A special to
the Adpertiser from Washington SAYS An
important diplomatic move to secure the
neutrality OF the islands of the Pacific, so
far as they are not now possessed bv the
Continental powers is on foot. which con
templates disregard of Spain's claims of
sovereignty over any islands upon which
she has not established and maintained her
colonies. Regarding this an opportune
time, in view of the apprehensions