Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1885-11-14
SWEPT BY FIRE,
The City Of Galveston Becomes the
Prey Of a Scorching Mass
Of Flames.
Over 400 Families are Made Homeless in
Short Space Of Time.
The Loss is Estimated at $4,000, ,Oo0-
Relief Committees are Kept Busy.

GALVESTON, Tex, Nov. l3.
fire broke out here Friday morning, and
has to this hour, 3.45 A NJ, spread seven
sQuares and has become great conflaxratiou.
Fully fifty dwellings are burning fercely and
the path of the fire as it progresses south
ward, is filed with the finest residences in
the city, all of which are wooden.
For five squares south the fire was confined
to an area of one square between 18th and
18th streets, but when it crossed Minnie
street, six squares from the starting point, it
jumped diagonally to the southeast into the
next block aud at present writing gives evil
dence Of consuming one third of the city.
ll.20 A. M.-The fire has reached the
beach which is distance of about mile and
half from where it started. In some places
the path of the fire is six or seven blocks
wide. Over 700 residences have burned.
The wind is blowing terrific gale. The fire
is still burning fercely and is not yet under
control.
The burned district covers SO blocks. seven
OF which are not swept entirely clear. 1t is
Is blocks in depth and the average width is
three blocks. From house tops, the burning,
smoking district resembles huge, black,
half opened fan, lying across the island from
the bay nearly to the gulf
hS ASiohu az tHoe polit As ouC uiiC anu a
quarter wide The fire started on the north
side of avenue A, better known as the Strand,
which is one block from the bay. 1t stopped
within two blocks of the gulf. Sixteenth
street is nine blocks wide on the extreme
habitation end of the island, the first resident
street being that from avenue to avenue
ID.
The fire was held to a strip bounded OF the
east by 10Th street and on the west by 18th
street. The business portion of the city be-
gins at goth street and runs west ten squares.
This outline locates the fire, which began to
spread after it had passed avenue ID. By the
time it had reached avenue j or Broadway, il
was sweeping nearly three blocks in width
from the west side of 18th street to the east
side of l4th street.
About 800 houses were burned which were
occupied by fully 500 families. From ave-
nue. A to avenue 4, for five squares the
burned dwellings were occupied almost en-
tirely by the poor class, and several families
were crowded into single house in this strip.
From avenue E. however, the burned district
includes the wealthiest aud most fashionable
portion of the city. One hundred elegantly
furnished mansions are in ruins. Many of
these residences had beautiful gardens at
tacbed to them, and the monied loss does not
represent over half their value. All manner
of estimates are to be heard at this time. The
city assessors say the taxable value of the
dwellings burned is $500, 600. This makes
the actual value Of the property 81, 100000,
which perhaps represents the loss in money.
The insurance is estimated at 5000, 900.
So far as can be learned not u single acc-
dent occurred. The scene during the prog
ress of the fire was simply frightful. The
wind rose to a screaming gale in the vicinity
of the fire and swept through the burning belt
in terrific swirls, carrying millions of cinders
high up in the air, and raining down mile
distant over the wooden city and its panic
stricken inhabitants.
The last end of the city scarcely contains a
dozen brick buildings. All is wood-Texas
pine-and it burns with an indescribable fury.
Five minutes after a house had caught it
would be wrapped in one mighty flame. The
center of the burning pile gave out a white
heat. The flames were fitfully splitting high
and far, on every side. Alleyways and
streets, for ten squares on either side of the
burning belt we're filled with blanched faces
of women, children and helpless men. The
great majority of those burned out lose the
better portions of their fortunes or their little
all. The loss in personal and household
property can never be estimated and is not
included in the previous estimate. The hotels
are filed with homeless people, and a citi-
zens committee is now at work apportioning
families to rooms and premises vacated for
their use.
Every dray and vehicle in the city is at
work carrying the strewn furniture, bedding
and pictures to secure places. Thousands of
people haunt the burned districts, looking
among the smoking ruins for valuable keep
sakes or jewelry, vainly hoping to find
something left, but all is as bleak and barren
as the desert of Sahara; even huge wooden
water tanks and fences and sidewalks and
telephone poles are burned to white ashes.
| Accurate charts of the burned district were
completed this evening, showing that the
course of the fire was in a south-easterly di-
rection. Beginning at the foot of 10th street
| on the Strand, the fire crossed avenues G, ID
and E. Here it worked its way to the east
half of the block on which stands the post.
| Office and United States sub-treasury. The
flames threatened the postoffice in the most
aggressive manner and the building was has
tilv cleared of mail matter and all the valua-
| BILE mail was placed in the vaults. Fortu-
pately the flames spared the government
building and passed onward toward the gulf.
| At avenue l, the fire levelled the stateliest
mansions of the city. The business portion
of the city was not touched, but in the burned
district were 81 groceries, saloons and small
stores.
The total area of the burned district was
one hundred acres, and forty and one-half
blocks were swept clean of everything com
bustible. Over 400 houses were burned and
it is estimated that about 1000 families were
rendered homeless, the great majority OF
whom lost everything. As the fire started in
the poor district, the people had little or no
time in which to save their furniture. Sew
eral relief committees were formed to pro-
vide for the homeless and suffering. The
best posted citizens estimate the loss at near
ly s2,O0O,0O0.