Savannah morning news., 1885-02-25
THE DAY AFTER THE FIRE
AMONG THE RUINS OF MON
DAYS CONFBAGRATION.

The site Visited by Hundreds OF Gu
rious PeopIe-Pulling Down the Tot
tering Chimneys and Walls, and Get
ting Ready to Clear Away the Debris
other Disastrous Fires Which Have
visited Savannah and Devastated the
same Locality
The ruins OF Mondays fire were visited
bv hundreds of people yesterday. The
debris was smOuldering during the early
part Of the day until the rain began to
fall. when it was drenched and puddles OF
water stood in the hOllOws all over the
site where the ground was hard enough
to hold il. Groups of curious visit
Ors and negroes picking among the
debris of their ruined homes for scraps of
iron to be sold for junE. covered the site
during the morning. but the rain IN the
afternoon drove them away, aud last
night the open space, and totterlng chlm-
neys among piles Of brick, were all that
marked the spot where the IRE had ragged
the hottest. A few pieces of broken fur
niture, and here and there a torn quilt or
bed. or some article OF household
adOrnment, was scattered about, too
worthless to be saved. A number Of
chimneys and walls which threatened to
fall were pulled down and the vaults
where people would be likely to fall were
covered over. The buildings outside the
limits OF the fire. which were scorched
and charred and from which the windows
were broken by the heat, were repaired
and made habitable for those who piled
their goods into the street while the fire
was IN progress, thinking they would be
burned 10 the ground.
There are no signs yet Of clearing away
the ruins, but it is understood that in
few days the ground Will be cleared On
and most Of il Will be rebuilt with more
substantial and handsOmer structures
than most Of those that were burned. The
location. convenient TO the centre of the
city and near its principal retail thor
oughfare, affords eligible sites for more
attractive buildings than those which
were DESTROYED. and viii doubtless be re-
built in substantial rows.
The disaster, from the spot where II Oc-
Cured, recalls at least four other calami-
tous cOnfiagrations which have visited the
city. three of which have swept over the
same territory as that visited on Monday.
The town had Just emerged from the
ruinOus effects or the revolutionary war
when il was visited by a fre on Nov. 20.
I1S6. which. considering the size of the
town at the time, was the most destructive
which ever occurred in the history OF
Savannah. 1t broke out in a bakery shop
near the market and swept in every
direction, destroying 229 houses. and
causing a loss of more than 100000. The
people were driven from place to place as
theV retreated before the march of the
flames. The suffering and distress were
very great Notwithstanding the generous
donations from all parts of the State.
On Jan. IL. 1870. after lapse of "a
wears. the city was again the scene Of
great cOnfagration. The fire broke out
this time between midnight and daylight
in a stable in the vicinity of the market.
The wind was very high. and before the
flames could be subsued 463 buildings
were destroyed. With the exception Of
the building on johnson square. now oc-
cupied by &. ii. Olmstead & Co. bankers.
Christ Church. the old Planters Bank
building. now owned and used by Messrs.
Chisholm X Erwin. and three or four 9TH
er buildings, the town from jefferson
street to Abercorn and from Bay to
BrOughtOn streets vas reduced 10 ashes.
The loss was 81. 100000.
The next disastrous c0nhagratiOn. that
which was referred To IN yesterdays
NEWS. and which swept over the terri
tory Of Mondays fire, was in 1882. AL
though not as destructive as either OF the
others. il burned over the entire district
from Harrison street To Pine. and from
West Broad 10 Farm.
During the late war, when the people
were harassed and oppressed by the OccU-
patton of the city by the Federal army
under Gen. Sherman. a fire broke out on
Jan. -. 1860. which destroyed over a
hundred buildings and threatened the de-
stIuctiOn Of the entire city. To
the horrors Of disastrous fire We're
added the dangers of q terrific lombard
ment. The fire broke out in "A stable in
the rear Of Granite Hall, at the head of
BrOughton street. very nearly opposite on
the north side OF Zubly street from the
stable where the fire started on Monday.
The building had been a Confederate
arsenal and was filed with fixed ammu
milton. 1t took fire. and for hours the eX-
plOdmg cartridges sent cannon and mus
ket balls in every direction. The fire
spread rapidly, and before it could be
checked. burned from Harrison to Pine,
over the same territory devastated on Mon
day, and from 81. Gaul on the west, to
Montgomery street on the east.