The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-11-14
GALyESTON'S CALAMITY
Fifty-Two Blocks in the Residence Portion
of the City Destroyed.

Fifty-Two Blocks in the Residence Portion
of the City Destroyed.
GALVESTON, Nov. 13-At LAO this morning
the most destructive fire in the history of Gal
weston broke out in small foundry and car
repairing shop on the north side Of Avenue A,
known as "The Strand" between Sixteenth and
Seventeenth streets. A fierce gale from the
north was blowing at the time, and the flames
spread with lightning rapidity to the adjoining
buildings, one being grocery store and the
other humble dwelling. In twinkling the
long fiery tongues had crossed the street, and
two more dwellings 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
became so intense that the fremen had to
abandon their position. A general alarm
was sounded. In half an hour two
blocks were burning fercely, and by
o'clock everyone saw that great
squares around, on every side of the burning
blocks, became panic stricken, and the piercing
cries of frightened women could be heard above
the hoarse din of the fire and the mournful
wind.
At $3.50 the fire had leaped three blocks dis
tant from its starting point, but in a perfectly
straight line, being confined to the blocks
bounded by Sixteenth and Seventeeth streets.
About o'clock the fire began to spread to the
east and to othe,west of Sixteenth and Seventeenth
streets. The wind rose to gale and pande-
monium 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 the 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 after began to shift, then to
decrease; by o'clock only fair breeze was
blowing, but by this time the fire had eaten it's
way to Avenue o, where, at 9 o'clock, it seemed
to exhaust itself, and the fremen coming up
checked its further ravaees at this point, or
within two blocks of the gulf.
The burned district covers ifty-two blocks
seven of which are swept entirely clean. 1t is
sixteen blocks in depth, and averages width Of
three blocks From the housetops the smoking
opened fan lying across the island from the bay
nearly to the gulf. The island at that point is
nineteen blocks, or one mile and quarter 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-
fired to the strip bounded on the east by Six
teenth street, and on the west by Seventeenth
street
The business part of the city begins at Twen-
tieth street and runs west ten blocks. This out
line locates the fire, which began to spread after
| it had passed Avenue A.
| By the time it had reached Avenue /, or
Broadway, it was sweeping nearly three blocks
| in width from the west side of Eleventh street.
to the east side Of Fourteenth street About
three hundred houses were burned, which were
occupied by fully five hundred families
From Avenue A to Avenue E, for four squares,
the burned dwellings were occupied almost lit
orally by the poorer classes and several families
were crowded in single house in this strip.
From Avenue E, however the burned district
portion of the city. One hundred elegantly
furnished mansions are in ruins. Many of these
residences had beautiful gardens attached, and
the moneyed loss does not represent over half
| their value
All manner of estimates are to be heard at
this time The city assessor says the taxable
value of the dwellings burned was $780, 0OO
This makes the probable actual value of the
property 100000, which, perhaps, represents
| the loss in money. The insurance is estimated
| at 5000, 900, although some insurance men who
have walked over the district place the insurance
| at $500. 600.
| So far as can be learned not single accident
occurred. The scenes during the progress of the
fire were simply frightful-so filled with misery
| and horror that whoever witnessed it must bear
its vivid impress for lifetime The wind rose
to a screaming gale in the vicinity of the fire and
swept through the burning belt in a terrific
whirl, carrying millions Of live cinders high up
in the air and raining them down mile distant
over the wooden city and it's panic stricken in
habitants The entire east end Of the city