Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1886-10-21

mOtlOn duuBe hoinB1u hppointou ,JoloheA
Samuel A. Graham, chairman; I. II. j.
Rider, e. e jackson, L. M. Dashiell and
Simon Ulman a committee to receive any
contributions, and to contribute such aid
where It is most needed. IL was decided
by the expressions Of those present
that immediate relief was needed as
/ 900 people are homeless, and many who
live from hand TO mouth are thrown out
OF employment by the destruction of the
town's manufacturing interests. Many |
clerks who have widowed mothers and
families to support arc deprived of their
positions TO earn their livelihood. A
message of thanks was wired to the good
people of Princess Anne for their aid,
which they were advised TO send at once.
Mr.. Nathan Ulman of Baltimore, who |
was present at the meeting, presented q
card of the firm Of Ulman, Boykin q Co. |
with 800 subscription.
HOW THE FLAMES SPREAD.
After describing the failure o. the |
home engine to~ork, the Baltimore SUMS |
Salisbury correspondent says: "When |
this fact became known to the people they |
looked at each other in blank dismsy, then |
gazed in terror at the roaring flames, |
shrank back from their hot breath, which |
was so intense that the buildings could |
not be approached with water buckets,
and with one accord shouted to each other
ttSave your own home !" and retreeted
slowly up Main street before the rapidly
advancing fire. Some of the cooler minds
advised united effort TO check the FIRE
by dowsing adjacent structures with
water carried in buckets, but this feeble
defence would have been useless, for the
fire had now reached the liquor store of
Ulman Bros, and with the increased fury
thus given to it the business part of the
town was at its mercy.
A store in which powder and cartridges
were kept became ignited, and the horror
of the situation added TO a hundredfold
by the simultaneous explosion of kegs of
powder and barrels of whisky, and the
incessant reports Of the exploding cart
ridges. Sparks flew in every direction,
and in q short while flames burst forth
from the jackson mills and from several
stores. The people no longer retreated
slowly, but fed panic stricken from street
to street, from house to house, stopping
at times to help move piece of furniture
which had caught, or waiting moment
to look back at the pursuing flames, and
then again fleeing. Many of the men
stood their ground, and with heroic self
sacrifice, in trying to help their neigh
| bore. Furniture and silverwnre were
moved in some instances to places of
| comparative safety, but IL would not be
i many minutes before the flames would
flash from an unexpected quarter and the
/ things would have to be moved further
and further, as it seemed as If the fire
would never stop spreading.
u NJ 10
Il leaped from house to house 1t is but
necessary to say that the occupants of
| dwellings, on Main street, square away
| from the Dock street stables, were not
| able TO save more than little silverware
and odd pieces of furniture. Valuable
| articles were thrown from the windows by
the most excited and smashed on the
sidewalks, while feather beds were care
fully taken down stairs. The uproar in
the streets was made more deafening by
the dashing to and fro of horses and
wagons and the pitiful Screams of women
and children, but even in their fright
some of the ladiea worked with o will to
save household valuables. A number Of
them lost all their clothes except the
dresses which they were wearing.
The handsome new courthouse was
saved by the citizens with buckets, aided
by the fremen. The towers of the court
house were scorched, and the whole
structure would have been burned to the
ground If its isolated position had moi
enabled the use of buckets.
The work of destruction is as complete
as it is possible TO be. The total number
of buildings destroyed was 1928, as fol
lows One large planning mill establish
ment and lumber yard, 55 stores, 81
dwelling houses, four stables, two hotels
three churches, two newspaper offices
one opera house, one post office and on
bank.
The scene during the reign of the de
vouring elements beggars description
The streets are filled with frightened
: men, women and children hurrying t.
and fro, endeayoring to save what littl
they could from destruction. Childrel
+, paralyzed with fright, were screaming il
their mothers arms, and nothing coult
. pacify them. All the wagons, carts, cal
3 riages, and every conceivable vehicl
: were brought into use to haul away wha
! could be saved from the burning build
ings.
) The failure of the Salisbury engine t.
work is attributed to rust.
" Nothing now remains of the best por
|; tons of the town but brick walls an
= chimneys.
: The streets are filled with iron safes
where they were rolled from burnin
buildings.
), So many dwellings have been burned
and the hotels also, that hundreds will b
without homes. What the people will d
/ is question that cannot be answered a
Y present.
The origin of the fire is unknown. ST
!. Toadvine's hostler was in the stable
4 short time before 6 O'Clock and fed tn
! horses, but said he was not smoking, an
q there was no fire about when he left.
o is the general opinion thnt the FIRE was o
I incendiary origin.
v Every available place of safety wher
4 furniture and goods could be put is !
n use. Yards. houses, churches, the cour
a house and jail and other secure places al
i. literally packed with furniture. 1t
ii piled in one confused mass and no on
d knows his own. The shores Of Hun
IA phrey'a pond are lined with furniture an
d boxes of goods from the stores.
" Inquiry among the insurance agents {
ti,iB city as TO policies held on SRlisbur
k property that are affected by the disa
n trous fire in that town, developed the fin
le that most of the policies of foreign con
If panies were placed by Baltimore agent
Do There are, however, a number of polici'
!, held by the Farmers Mutual Fire Insu
81 anoe Company of this city. This con
m pany has insurance. on the properties
Y. Il. X. Truitt, II. Z. Powell d Co.,
10 M. Dashiell, r. X. Truitt a. Son
g. James Cannon & Son, L.
i. Williams and j. It. Truitt, the tot
/, amounting to $14, 900. The company III
ID not yet received notice from any of Il
or above except II. X. Trnitt and II.
o. Truitt Il Sons, and cannot tell yet VIII
Of their losses will reach. f. L. Gilpin hi
IL one policy in Salisbury, but has receive
he ne notice of the loss of the pr oper
b. which was located away from the businc
ia | centre.
N information has been received in IL
Ia city from the Mutual Fire Insuran
ct Company of Cecil county, Nd, the hea
O. quarters of which is at Elkton, to d
d. effect that it's losses foot mp $4,000.
MT When a GAZETTE AND JOURNAL report
visited Salisbury, Nd, Tuesday, I
.st scene of destruction that met the eye W
ed appalling. Nearly oil the burned distri
ed could be taken in at o glance, and pl
Dir sented simply mass of smouldering Ell
to bers, brick and stone foundation wal
IT. and towering chinneys that standi
ed grim and great amidst the ruins, seem
se like ghosts of the towns departed gre
ness. The fact that three-fourths of I
Tor destroyed buildings were of frame ma
AL the destruction complete, for with su
nd inflammable material to feed upon,
ST. fire consumed the last vestige of