New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-11-14
GALVESTON IN FLAMES.
orrp THREE HUNDRED HOUSES BURNED
Pooh NNp sperAn BY VIOLENT WIND.

, .f botwren sixteenth and seNen'eeL'n "
60 ralo from the north was blowing 81 tno S,d.
- ea,,os spread rapidly tO botn OF tue "uJoi"e -,
the h"in' -, grocery store and the other siha'I
ihsS' O"o ,sn Tn 4 moment the sparks were oio"n
-. ,po street and two more dwellings, Weie So
eomes the inmates barely escaping WIN MI hrt
Tne Fire Department got two streams VI N"'0 t .h
,nov we're of no avail The heat was 50 Eie"V '"s
aremen had to retreat The wlhu ros0
.Ids Of sharks to buildings east OF ave a.
MY fro alarm was sounded. In
~. @, hour two blocks were burning hercey' "n"
NV Q n M the whole population was aIdrn'' g.
even at some distance from the startns-poin' 0'
became panicstricken, and the piercing ciie "a
ened women could be heard ABOVE tno lo' VI -,
ond the mournful wind. Al half past the nro n"u
leaned three blocks distant from It's staruhg-pon' ou
os s,il confined to the blocks bounded by siAteeh'h
aud Seventeenth SITS. .
About o'clock the began to spread to the o"s'
and to the west of sixteenth and seventeenth SIS Fo
time it seemed though the entire eastern nan Vi ~
citv was doomed The spread rapidly to the sOu'
ard licking nm the blocks of handsome houses, hastily
abandoned by their inmates. BY o'clock 1t had Ieach'u
broadway which is about the middle OF the lsahu' run
ming east and AT o'clock the Wlnd pegah 10 Ili'
and shortly it begato shift then to decrease rapidly
until by O'Clock onisatair breeze was blowing But
by this time the fire had eaten It's way 10 ave. ~
hre at o3O o'clock IL seemed TO exhaust ttsolf The
remen checked its ravages at last within two Docs ol
the Gulf.
The burned district covers ffty-two blocks on some
NJ which some buildings are still standing. II is sixteen
blocks in depth and has an average Wluth oI VnIcc
blocks From the housctop the smoking burned district
resembles huge black halfopcned fam lying across the
island from bay nearly to the Gulf The lSahu at
that point is nineteen blocks or one mile ana quarter
wide sixteenthSt is nine blocks west OF the extreme
babtable end.of the island the first resident street
being sixth. From Ave. 10 Ave- ID the hle was con-
fined to the strip bounded the east by S!Xteehtus
and on the west by seventeenthst The business part
of the city begins at TWentcthst. and runs west ten
squares
The fire began TO spread widely after
it had possed Ave. ID. By the time 1t
had reached Ave- ]. Broadway, the line
of flame was nearly blocks in width from the west
side of seventeenthst the side OF Fourtesnth-s
over 400 houses were burned. FdIy looo
families were made homeless. From Ave- A 10
Ave E. four blocks. the burned houses were occu-
pied almost entirely by poorer class of people aud
several families often crowded in single mousse III
this strip From Ave. T.. however, the burned dis
trct includes the weahiest and most fashondpe por'
tjon of the city. One hundred well furnished dwellings,
are in ruins Many OF these houses have beautiful gar
dens attached to them, and the moneyed loss docs
not represent ono-half their vaIue.
The city assessor said today 'hat tEe
taxable value of the dwellings burned Is
SjOOOO This makes the actual value OF the property
81 which perhaps, represents the loss inIhoncy
The insurance is estimated $6oO,000 although some
insurance men who nave WalAcd over inc osIV' P"'0
the insurance at 100000.
sofar As can be learned single person was hurt,
Notwithstanding the pane that prevailed. The scene
during progress Of tho fire was so ed with misery
and terror that whoever witnessed IL
will carry the memory of 1t tarouSh life. The
wind rose to a screaming gale in the vicinity Of the re
and svept through the fire carrying millions Of live
cinders high up in the air and raining them down milo
distant over the wooden city and ts frightened inha-
iants The end of the city contains not more than
dozen brick dwellings. All the rest are Texas pine
which burns with indescrlbable fury
Five minutes after house caught
fire it would in blaze. Tho centre OF the burning
pile gave white heat, while the flames on the edges
spraug high every side The aleyways and streets
for ten blocks each side OF the burning belt flied
with women children and men, who could do nothing
but crouch down for shelter from the piercing northcr
and watch the flames.
Thousands Of people visited the burned district look
ing among the smoking ruins for valuable kcesake
iewelry, vaguely hoping find something. But they
found all bleak and barren Even tue huge wooden
water tanks and fences and sidewalks and telephone
poles are burned TO white ashes. Here and there are
bnrnng piles showing where the thrifty householder
stored his winters coal.
weathiest residents of the city such a julius Runge
Leon Blum Mrs Magae and score OF others, whose In
dollars the great majority OF those driven from their
homes have lost the better portion OF their fortunes aud
good deal Of furniture, others are left with only the
% eoi1es on ne D%orv cam never he csimtc Inc
hotels were nled to-day with homeless people.
to roons and premises vacated for their use Every
dray and other vehicle IN the city was at work carrying
the furniture bedding and pictures that were saved to
score OF sick people were hurriedly removed from
their homes while the fire In progress and many
reported to have been prostraed by the ex
meeting citizens held at the Cotton Exchange
TO provide Immediate relief for the poorer victims The
lost their elegant houses have determined 10
vide their poor people, and Galveston Will prob
all tV uqaly n q 4
The meeting tins afternoon was largely attended by
business who Immediately set about providing
lief for the homeless and suffering. General Relief
Committee Consisting Of tweniy.seven prominent cti
zens was organized with Colonel W. l. Moody, pr sidcnt
of the Cotton Exchange, chairman. Finance Com
mittee of five, with Colonel william II. Sinclair
chairman, was named by the original com
Ipittee. Besides these committees. there are sub
committees for the various portions of the burned
district Contributions are pouring IN from all parts OF
the city. A. on the meeting OF the Cotton *
men. Among the largest subscriber. are Ball
Katchins & Co.. bankers. 81 900; L. J. Willis
$500; Samson Heidenheimer. $500; ". L. Moody 5000
J: y; Rogers & Co., 500 Island CITY Sayings Bsuk
tain James b. 600 E9as; ,a the wellkn9wn engineer
following telegram was received at 8 O'CLOCK tonight
NEw-YORK, Nov. l3
am just IN receipt OF dispatches with Of
city. Please accept my deep sympathy in your mis-.
fortune. l only hope the loss is oycr.estinatcd.
rnder the direction OF relief committee or otherwisc
at your discretion to relieve the needy. JAY GOILn
A. A. Fowe, general manager OF Ihc Boston GIo5c
telegraphed Mayor Fulton rs follows:
What the people Of Boston do for the homeless In
Galveston Please answer. We will collect for publ
cation and do our BEST
FOrus "MlkadO" company, playing
here gave benefit the Green
wald Opera House tonight which netted $500
for the sdererS The City Council met in special session
tins morning and voted donation OF $4,000 for the
sufferers aud appointed committee Of
thIeo Aldermen act with the Citizens
Committee in distributing the 1uuds. This
makes S3 800 already donated by the citizens OF Gal
vestOn WINCH together with outside donations foOts up
total OF S3S 900 in day
Following close On the heels OF the strike,
which inflicted loss the business of Galveston
Of fully 100000 ths calamity severely felt although
with the exception OF half dozen grocery stores and
The iron and carrepairing foundry where the fire
started no places OF business were 1@stroyed.