The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-02-27

FIREMAN CONNALLY NEARLY
LOSES BIS LIFE.


riously Injured
Fire broke out at 4:45 o'clock yesterday
afternoon in the house occupied 10y Aaron
Adams at Second and Lincoln streets Be
fore it was got under control three houses
owned 10y Jacob S. Collins and that of
John d. Gould, were burned. and Fire
man John Connally nearly lost his life by a
falling floor.
The fire started in kitchen in the rear
of Mr.. Adams house. An alarm was sent in
at o'clock from box No. Al at Drayton
and New Houston streets, and simulta-
neousy with the alarm dense volumes Of
smoke were seen going up in the southern
part of the city.
The block in which the fire started com
prised three two-story buildings and a store,
Cornering on Lincoln and Second streets.
The store ana dwelling on the corner We're
unoccupied. Mr.. Adams occupied the middle
house, fronting on Second street J. s
Collins doing business at Nos. 1t and -
Market Square, and the owner of the block
occupied the dwelling on the west
John d. Gould, builder and contractor, had
q handsome two-story frame house on the
lot adjoining the Collins property on the
west.
HARD FIRE TO FIGHT.
The fire was in progress quarter of an
hour before an alarm was turned in. 1t
spread rapidly, communicating with the
vacant building and store on the east, the
Collins house and Mr.. Gould's house. Be
fore the arrival of the fire department a
little cottage on the Collins lot, fronting on
Lincoln street, took fire, and all were CON
sumed The cottage could have been saved
had the fire not Threatened more valuable
property east of Lincoln street and south
Of Second street, and the firemen bent all
their energies toward saving this property
and controlling, as far as possible, the main
conflagration.
Henry Sacks two-and-a-half story house
Just across Second street from the Collins
property, caught fire several times, and
the front was pretty badly scorched, but
otherwise the damage is slight. The stable
across Lincoln street from the cottage was
on fire several times, but was saved rs was
the stable in thu rear of tn cottage.
Three engines were called out, No. /, No
8 and No. 4. no. / was stationed at the
hydrant at Anderson and Lincoln streets a;
No. at Abercorn and Anderson streets,
playing four streams No. could get no
hydrant nearer than Drayton and Aber-
corn streets, and was not connected
ALACK OF WATER.
There being no water south of Anderson
street all the hose was required for the two
engines nearest the fire.
So fierce were the flames driven by the
strong wind that the firemen on the Lin
coin street side had to use the stable doors,
which were taken from the hinges and held
up for barricades, behind which they
worked up in the very jaws of the fire The
heat was intense but the men worked like
heroes, and they We're compelled several
times to fall back, or be suifocated from
the dense volumes of smoke. The stable in
the rear of the cottage afforded protection
for one section, but it caught fire several
times, and drove the firemen back.
In the rear of the Gould house ladders
were run up and a stream was played upon
the interior At one time the force of the
water was such that a section of hose was
violently wrenched from the hands of the
firemen, and gyrated over the head of the
man on the top rung of the ladder. His es-
cape from being knocked off was narrow
one. The hose came down with a crash,
and threshed about on the ground drench-
ing the spectators, and many narrow es-
Capes from broken legs were had before il
was got under control. Axmen climbed the
ladders and cut away the weather boarding,
and soon two nozzles were turned against
the west wing of the Gould house, which,
with the streams from the front and north,
checked the spread of the flames, and it was
this portion of the house which was not en-
tirely consumed Here it was where the in
jured fireman went down with the falling
floor.
THE BUILDING Quilted.
By this time the interior and exterior
frame work of the Collins house began 70
sway toward the east, the cottage had be-
come so thoroughly a flame that all hope OF
saving it whole was abandoned, and three
of the MOBILES were turned back upon the
swaylng column of fire. The crowd which
had assembled on Lincoln street retreated
hastily, and the firemen were compelled to
fall back, fighting the fire in the retreat,
and prepared to turn two streams upon the
buildings east of Lincoln street when a
shower of fire followed the fall 1t came
soon, and with a great crash During this
time the cottage was ablaze, and the tin
roof crumbled in leaving nothing but the
flaming skeleton work standing from which
the flames were soon extinguished, leaving
nothing but the charred frame work
BY this time it was growing dark. The
women and children who lived in the burned
houses kept watch over the few articles that
were saved and had been taken to places of
safety before the heat became so intense.
j. M. Hamilton, carpenter in the
Savannah, Florida and Western railway
Shops, who lived in the burned cottage, says
that be was reading at the time the alarm
was given, and he did not hear the fire bell.
and did not know the fire was in such close
proximity to him. He rushed out and saw
the smoke issuing from the kitchen of Mr.
Adams house in the rear of his cottage
out of the cottage and then went to the help
of others.
A PRESENTIMENT OF FIRE.
Mr.. Collins was away at the time the fire
broke out and was walking leisurely in the
direction of his home, when seeing the
smoke he remarked to his companion, ''it
would be serious thing to me if that should
happen to be my house" A negro hearing
the remark, said, lit is your house, Mr..
Collins" Hurrying home, he found that a
trunk, parlor set and mattress were all
that had been saved from his burning home
To add to his apprehensions his wife Is in
poor health, ana they stood together on the
lot over the bare handful saved from their
pleasant home and watched 1t
go down. 1--WE haven't even
bed to sleep ON said he,
land we shall have to depend on the neigh
bors tonight" They were proffered aid on
ali sides, and the neighbors began to trans
fer the few articles to places of safety. Mr..
Collins had several head of cattle and horses
which were with difficulty released from
the stable before it was burned. One OF
the horses, panic stricken. ran madly from
the fire, and never stopped until lie collided
with hitching post at the market, and
was BADLY hurt. The animal was taken u
GleasOns stables and cared for there