Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1889-08-08

soon beyond control. The famas
| jumped across the street to the
| Russ house and the Pacific hotel
! BY this time strong wind sprung mp and
| if was evident that the city was doomed d.
| The flames spread with fearful rapid
| ity. The firemen were pOweTleSs. At
| tempts were made to check the fire by
blowing up the buildings in its path, but
it was useless. From the Pacific hotel
| the fire swept across First street to the
frame buildings in the next block and
| soon il reached the heart of the city. a
block of tYo-story brick buildings on
Riverside avenue was easily carried
away. From here the fire communicated
to the magnificent Hyde block, four
story building. Taking in the whole
square between Mill and Howard streets
on the Riverside avenue, the fire next
leaped across Howard street and in few
! minutes the block between Howard and
Stevens street was a mass of redhot
ashes. The next structure TO succumb
was the large Tut block. From there
the CONFEDERATION Wept
WHIRLING THROUGH SOLID BLOCKS
of four-story buildings, iuclud-
ing the postofEce between
stephens and Washington streets.
At this point the fire burned ont from
lack of material. From the place of ori-
gin the fire had meanwhile taken an
other direction, leaping across Sprague
street TO the opera house and thence oyer
Riverside avenue to Brown s bank. Then
both sides of the avenue were IL flames.
The buildings between Post and Biill
streets were quickly licked up, including
the Grand hotel. From here waves of
flames poured into the adjoining square
on the right containing the Frankfort
block, the largest building in the city.
The Frank fort cost $3.50 ,000. 1t with
stood the fire for some time, but finals
disappeared. The Arlington hotel was
now enyeloped in flames. Suddeffig a
man was seen to jump from the seeSld
story. He arose and started TO run doSzls
Howard street, but was overcome b. thss
heat and fell. Several people rushed too
his assistance and carried him to place
of safety. He
PITIABLE SIGHT,
having been literally roasted alive, the
skin peeling off all over his body.
The unfortunate man s name was
Charles Davis. He died at
noon to-day. Northward was
the direction taken by the fire from the
Arlington. 1t consumed the block be-
tween Howard, Main, Front and Stevens
streets, burning east as far as the latter
thoroughfare, where a vacant lot checked
further progress in that direction.
Everything in northerly direction, in
Guiding the Northern Pacific express Of
fee, Union block and the Windsor hotel,
was soon q mass of flames. The riEer
prevented the fire from doing sSlfSHEflez<tzzs =
damage and was the means of saEing all
the big Touring and lumber mllls9Ighree
hours sufficed to complete the awRtaAe-
struction. The only business biacis
standing in the city is the Crescent buiA3-
ing, which was saved by means of tea1e
ing down the intervening buildingse7
Owing to the rapiditY with which the fire
spread scarcely anything was saved.
PROVISIONS ARE SCARCE
and will last only a short time. The city {
council met this morning and appointed
a committee on relief 1t was decided
that provisions should be sent for and the
needy supplied free. The superintendent
of the city waterworks was denounced by
the council for neglecting his duty, he
being absent at the time of the fire. The
big pumps were not connected, and as a
result there was scarcely any pressure.
Had the contrary been the case the fire
would have been easily gotten under con-
troll The militia is out in force and all
persons without passes are forbidden to
enter the burned district Five out Of
the seven banks destroyed were again
doing business to-day, all being located
in the Crescent block, the only business |
structure left standing.
Notwithstanding the extent of the ca |
lamity the people were cheerful and bear |
their losses bravely. Many business men |
have already signifed their intention of
rebuilding.
With the utmost difficulty your cor
has succeeded in obtaining |
an account of the terrible disaster Tel !
egraphic communication was interrupted /
for hours, and this account was sent /
from badly battered instrument |
on a woodpile outside the |
burned district