The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-04-20

moment, then it fell with a laundering crash.
The falling wall released 100 tons of stores
that rolled out in a blazing heap and filled
Sixtieth street, effectively blocking it.
Two engines had run the blockade Of the
awful heat aud got In on the railroad tracks
None could now follow. For that matter
that would have been useless.
NOTHING COULD SAVE IT.
The elevator was on fire and nothing
could save it, The huge building of 200
feet long aud over l25 feet high was ablaze
from end to end, from the ground to the
top of it's tall mansard roof. 1t was grand
but awful sight. The refinery and Rossiter
stores still burned fercely and wickedly.
The heat was so ferce even ali a distance of
200 feet that it was thought prudent to
clear the stock yards altogether. The same
precaution was taken with the shop house,
long three-story building that presented
its gable end to the burning refinery. 1t
would not have stood for baf an hour had
not the wind blown from it. Thus it was
saved.
FLIGHT OF THE FIREMEN.
At the first intimation of danger to the
elevator Capt. Killilea had sent policemen
into it to warn the firemen out of harms
way. They fed, leaving their apparatus,
and were none too early. A hundred casks
of ale that had been rescued from an iron
shed on the river behind the refinery. be-
fore it went to the bottom with the pier it
stood upon in a common wreck and
rolled under the caves Of the ele-
vator, as it was thought far out
of harms way, were burned there
where they lay. No one longer cared for
anything but flight; complete demoralza-
fire. There was nothing to be done, The
firemen themselves were powerless. The
streams their boats and their couple
of engines persisted in throwing
against the threatened elevator, no
onger A but B, the next building
in line, were worse than useless, 1t was Z
o'clock when the second elevator caught
fire. 1t went like the first. Intifteen min
utes from the first Pickering about one of
the upper windows, the whole mansard roof
was roaring mass Of flames. From that
time on it was the same story over again.
CONTENTS OF THE ELEVATORS.
Elevator A contained 1O0,O bushels OF
grain, chiefly oats, worth probably 40 cents
a bushel. The greater part of the small
quantity in elevator was barley. The
two elevators, with capacity Of 1000, 900
bushels had barely $50, 900 in them, worth
less than 100000. Elevator A was worth
$750,000 1t was built thirteen years ago.
Elevator B was worth 5000, 200. They were
of brick to the third story. Elevator B was
built three years after elevator A A large
part Of the expense was in the solid founda-
tion, which may be saved.
The New York Central also owned the
building at the foot Of Fifty-ninth street, in
which the fire broke out. 1t was leased to
Fairbanks a year ago. 1t was six-stories
high, 200 by 200 and built of brick. Twenty
thousand dollars may cover the losses upon
that.
What are theilosses on Fairbanks and Ros
ster's stores lis conjectural. Putting the
formers loss at $300,000, Rossiter e& Co.
loss individually hitler or nothing.
Merchants who used their storerooms had
goods there, chiefly -four and lard, worth
$25o,0O0. The building was full to the
roof.
The railroads loss is at least 81 100000.
1t is covered by insurance, it is said. An
other account gives the losses as follows;
Rossiter stores, contents, 5000, 900; the
Wilcox Company. stock, $3.50, 900; elevator
A, $4,000; elevator B, $750,0O0; dock d
contents, $2O0, 900; dock A, 100000; Will
COX building. $220, 900.