The Cecil Whig., 1885-11-21
GREAT FIRE IN GALVESTON.
Seven Hundred Residences Rurned-Suf-
ferings of the Pcor-Ti.c Eir.mcn Help

Seven Hundred Residences Hurned-Suf-
ferings of the Pcur-Tic Fir, Help
less.
GALVESTON, Tex N0vcn. bcr 13-2:15
p. NJ "A destructive fire is now raging
in tue eastern part Of the city between
Sixteenth and Seventeenth streets. The
fire broke out at l 40 in a small foundry
on the north side of Strand street, near
the corner of Sixteenth. About o'clo *
the fire began to spread to the east and
to the west of Sixteenth and Seven
teenth streets, Tie wind /, Sc to gale.
For a time it seemed as though the en-
tire eastern half of the city was doomed.
Onward and southwark it swept licking
up the blocks of elegant residences has
tlly abandoned by fleeing inmates. By
) o'clock it had reached Broadway,
which threads the centre of the island
running west. At : O'clock the wind
gave signs of dying out, and soon it be.
gan 30 shift, then to decrease until by
o'clock only i fair breeze was blowing,
but by this time the fire had eaten its
way to Avenue O, where az $50 O'clock,
i seemed to exhaust Itself, aud the fire.
meu coming up checked its further raw
ages at this pnint or within two blocks
of the gulf. 'Hhe burned district covers
fifty two blocks, seven of which are not
swept entirely clean. 1t is sixteen
blocks in depth and averages 4 width OF
three blocks.
From the house top the smoking
burned district resembles huge, black,
half-opened fan lying across the island
from the bay nearly TO the gulf. The
island at that pojnt Is nineteen blocks,
OF one mile and quarter wide. The
fire alted On the norIh side of Avenue
y, better known as iho Strand, which is
one block from the bay, aud 1t stopped
within two blocks Of the gulf. Sixteenth
street is nine blocks west OF the extreme
inhabtatle end OF tno lalaad the first
resident street beng SiXuh From Ave
une y to .iveMi:e i; tle tire was con,
fined to the strip ocundcd Gn The east
by Sixteenth street ,i;ia Oh the weEt by
Seventeenth. The business part of the
city p3giG> at Twentieth street and runs
west ten squares. This outline locates
the FIRE which began to spread liercely
after it passed Avenue ID. BY the time
it had reached Avenue J, or Broadway |
it wa sweeping nearly three bloc.s in |
width from ti:G vest side of Seventeenth |
street to the east side Of Fourteenth. |
About 800 houses were burned which |
were occupied by fully 500 families, !.
From Avenue \ to Avenue T. for four |
squares the burned dwellings were CO.
cupicd almost entirely ny the poorer |
class, and several families were crowded |
in single Eouse in this strip. From
Avenue E however, the burned district |
includes the wealthest, most fashion
able .,G!tiun OF the city. \ hundred |
elegantly furnished mansions are in
ru!pS. Many ot these residences had |
beautiful gardens ;.,tacaed to them. |
All mannei oi estimates ass 10 he heard |
at this time. The CITY Assessor says |
the taxable value of the dwellings |
burned Is 500 900. TITS makes the ac-
tual value of the property 81, 800, 600, |
w.ic. perhaps represents the loss in
money. i!.c Insurance is estimated at |
$500, OU0, although! soE!3 insurance men |
who have walked over tbs district place |
it at 500, 600. 81 far rs can hs ie;irpeG |
not a single accident occurred, notwith-
standing the fearful panic that pre-
vailed. tie scene during the progress
of the fire was simpl: iriShtful, and So
filled with misery aud terror that who |
ever witnessed it must bear its vivid |
ln:pgesS for lifetime. The wind rose to IA
screaming gale in tho vicinity of the
lire, and swept through the burning
belt in terrific swirIs, carrying millions |
of live cindrrs hish up in air and rain
ing them down milo distant over the |
wooden city ard its panic-striaken in |
habitants. The entire east end of the |
city scarcely contains n dozen brick |
dwellings. All are Texas pine, and it
burns with an indcScribable fury. The |
alleyways and street for ten squares Oh
either side of the burning belt were
filled with the bianchcd faces of wo-
men, crying children. and great, strong
helpless men who could do nothing in |
such gale but crouch down for shelter
from the piercing norther and watch the
flames lick up the fruits of lifetime's |
toll. Although the victims number |
many 3f the wcalthiest residents of the |
city such DIS .uiius !!unge, Leon Blum,
Mrs. Magale and q score of GtEer people !
whose individual wealth runs I'D nc2r !
81 ,0O0, 600, yet a great majority of those
la, l,ntt NC