The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1889-02-03
Tho Finost Business Blocks OF that
City in Few Hours.
Heroic Firomeu Respond Promptly
and Eat,le Stoutly.
Two Hotels, Whose Guests are Dis
turbod in the Dad OF Night,
Are Burned TO the Ground, Put Every
Person Escapes Before Thoy Take
Fro-Only ono Life Known
to Have Been Lost.

NNE'u Ahu III great part occupied by kOOt
y Heating, wholesale solclclthcr dealers
at the corner OF Carroll and Wells streets.
The ioroci,y OF the wind made Il certain
that the fire il it got head, would be q
disastrous ono. The building with 'front.'
ages Of l3I feet on Carroll aud l27 feet on
Wells street, was situated in tho heart Of
business blocks. 1t was separated only by
the breadth of Carroll street from the fire.
proof Jcwctl block iIonting ON Seneca aud
was nearly in line with the new six.story
block OF Siblcy Il HOLLYWOOD, candy man
ulacturcrs On the opposite side of Wells
street, "A little further north IL the Br1scl
House, n massive EiN-story structure,
whose guests were up and dressed few
minutes nltor the alarm. They woro
scared, aud they had good reason to be,
| Tor commercial men, who largely composed
| lis guests, had painful memories OF hotel
| fires IN Buffalo.
The flames had a good hold OF the Root
" Heating building aud ut o'clock wore
q boiling and scothing mass, entirely ill
ing thai part ol Carroll street directly in
lront Of the doomed building. 4 few
minutes after 3 o'clock the heat was 50 in
tense us 10 bc almost vulnerable even nc
Seneca street. The sky was illuminated
Tor many miles and crowds from all parts
oi the city KEEP, the police busy.
AtH2' q. clock i've rear ot the siX-story
brick building ut S,hlcy 4 NolnWoo,l hnt
caught aud portions Of the back OF tho
iro.cl House were smoking. There were
| nearly hity tons OF starch stored IN the
| top iloon of the Siblcy * HOLLYWOOD
! building, according 10 the statement 81
ono OF their employees and the starch
! burned like finder when once iguiiCd. car
rying the flames through from the rear TO
the front Of thc building In a few mo-
mcns.
At&27 o'clock the rear Of SIT & STAN
haCli's and 4. &. Rryuolis's stores, ON
Seneca street, were in full blaze. The hro
ran along the roof us though the material
that composed il was paper
At $3.50 o'clock the southwest corner ot
| the lifusul House was burning fast Tho
/ guests we're moving out their baggage and
large number of fwmcn went to Tie aid
Of The guests In the hotel. The wind had
shifted 10 the northwest and the slccl was
coming down in torrents. which added TO
| the difficulties under which tho hrumen
lubprrd.
AtIlO O'Clock the roof of S. Exams
whisky siorc, Just east oi the lfusrl House,
WIS ON tire. The iirrmcn On seneca street
directed their efforts tu the buildings ON
ihD other side of tbr street the front Ut
tine llrusrI lluur hId become a mIs OF
flames. shortly before I o'clock the sixth
floor ol the Sihlcy * HOLLYWOOD
store lull With Tremendous crash,
sending storm at debris aud cm-
bcn in ull dmcliunN ~ this time tho
| top ilpur ot thc JoNolt building appeared a
| roaring oven. Tie scene un Carroll street
was appalling On ihr north side Ut the
street the slblcy n HOLLYWOOD building
was IN ruins and the JywriI building Nas
! blazing irum basement to root Ih' largo
-iN story building occupied by Monilt
lirus., llooilrli y Co., aud other iirus on
/ the opposite side, next 90 the Root *
| kcuuug ruins, was yet untouched. bat nc
40 o'clock the rurncis ct lhD top story
| began To b,lzr, though the irymou held
them iu check ipf % time. The wallis Of
| the JrNcit block nov began lo bulsc and
! thr crowd gave howl ul WaTnin. o. the
| hvmcn. At as O'Clock thc walls icll
With shock that fairly shook ihg sur.
/ rounding walls and bcIDr1 tho cloud VI
/ dus cleared away q tpuibl1 panic took
place. 4 frantic struggle was made Ia
| getting ont horses from q stable next 70
/ the Jyvcit block. ly En5 O'Clock tho
! Iruol House was abandoned 10 the
flames a. ilb o'clock ibr lnuscI frll in
| with laundering crush and tho men
| LA front narrowly escaped one IIIcmdn
/ v1a irI.I tu the ground, hul q heroic
! fellow worker rushed to bis usisluuce and
carried him out Despite hv efforts 81
thr Hfrmuu innns whisky tore was In
! mIl blaze. There WIS nothing 30 10 bot
lrt The hU run iis course.
AtIlD the fire luut through The fronts
Of Seneca street stores OF August Iyct aud
nn empty store adjoining,
At o'clock Seneca street stores, up TO
stewards. had been well Quilted. The
wind. by this time, had died out
The nfa extends from s. o. Kerr 4 Go. 4
down srurrl street tD Sidney shepard Z
| Co.'s. All Wells stree, is burned through
tp Exchange street and ihyruWc, D. burned
out completely 90 fHr Arlington House.
Tbr official records how Chat slciwren
md b O'Clock thH r.uIrH th' wind
maintained yrlUr.ty o' ...HN miirs az
LYur. ruI HI Iimts between B aud % clock
rtrLUI iliTf..tyr miles to- tII' bchn
ip iIir bi, Root Is kHU.ug building, and
.rra.I ly contact Ur ibo iurrn ot lhc high
v.YI blowing at thH tmc, ia Mi dlrcc-
| lions. bat chiefly to the noHhWatd aud
eastward. Wells street i8 % complete
d,.ar from seneca 90 EXDlan.c street, an
appaIlInr chaos VI brick, twisted iron aud
,nrNtrirablc tango ol Nirs. The total
ara included ia the burned district is
roughly estimated at seven ~ eight acres,
anil tic total number Of buildings Do
sifoycd br Quilted 90 forty
Tho puucipallusCl are figure about {"
follows .,
. s9IlDIl. IS. s.. Jcart q Co, 500 ,OO'
HrosI llous. sGO,uOo. S.bIcy y Holm
UoaI. $3.50 90. Fowler 4 Sons, s 81, UJg :.
r. Pan. 5000, sidney shepard y Co.
sjO 900. de Arlington Hotel $1,000 a.
r. kcrn q Co., $4,000. sIruuiman build
ing and tenants sjll.uM ..
i1.soa ON Exchange street. So, gOo.
LOSSES on north iic street, SUI
Other losses, $4,000 ....,,,
4. This would mako % total 81 s-'-t''.p'
on,ni,n. have been given, however ihe'
/ nv rut,rr loss viii not lil' rhor' % 81 oop'
OQ0. 4 n.,maa vas buraed "a 'he rams