Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1889-08-07
Fuller Particulars Of Last Sun
days COnAagratiOn.
The City VIII Rise Again ,Grander Than
Before-The Loss S1O,0OO,OOO.
Insurance One-FOurth,
The Great Sugar Works at Topeka Totally De-
strOyed-LOss Estimated at Seventy
Thousand Dollars,
The Burning of Spokane Falls.

| wires are now in such condition that
somewAkt, fuller particulars of Sundays
confagratidh can be given. The fire
started at ard uarter past O'Clock p.
m. in the rOofEef the LOring house on
Railroad avenne%S tt-ne third door from the
! depot. A dead catgl, prevailed at the
| time and the spectatOrSSuppOsed that the
| firemen would speedily bring the flames
| under control. This could have been
| done if better precautions had.hsen taken,
| but the superintendent Of the. water
works was out of the city, and forsome
| reason the man in charge failed to re
| spond to the call for more pressure.
| Heat created a current of air and in less
| than half an hour the entire block
| of frame shops were envelOped III
| flames, and burning shingles and other
| debris filed the air, igniting several of
| the adjoining blocks. At the same time
| the opposite block to that in which the
| fire originated, in which the Pacific no.
| tel, one of the handsOmest structures IN
! the Northwest, took fire. 1t was now 10
! CLOCK and by that time d high wind
| prevailed from the southwest, and it was
| evident that the entire business portion
| of the city was in danger. The mayor
| ordered that buildings be
BLOWN UP WITH GIANT POWDER
|
order was speedily put into execution
and the explosion added to the reign Of
terror. The picture was weird, grand
and awful. Block after block yielded
to the demon of destruction. The sky
! was overcast with black clouds and
| strong wind sprang up from the north
east, tanning the flames furiously, while
| an upper current continued TO carry
! burning timbers in an opposite direction.
| The Grand hotel, Washington block,
Eagle block, Tull block, the new gran
tie block, the Cushing building, Falls
| City opera house, Hyde block, all of the
banks and in fact every house
! from the railroad north to the river, and
| from Lincoln street east to Washington
street, with the exception of g few build
| ings on the northeast corner, were totally
! DESTROYED Meanwhile a sudden change
in the direction of the wind carried the
fire southwark across Railroad avenue
| and destroyed the Northern Pacific pas
senger and freight depot and several cars.
| The freight depot was splendid struc-
| ture, and was filled to the roof with val
| liable merchandise, very little of which
| was saved
The terrifying shrieks of dozen loco
motives mingled with the roar of the
! flames, the bursting of cartridges, boom
ing of giant powder, hOarse shouts of
| men and pitiful
GHRIEKS OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN
could be heard on every hand. Looking
upward q broad and mighty river of
flame was against jet black sky. Oc-
casiOnally two opposing currents OF wind
| met, causing q Whirlwind of fire that
seemed to penetrate the clouds. forming
all sorts of fantastic gyratiOns. IN this
manner the appalling monster held high
carnival until about l o o'clock, when
the Howard street bridge over the
| river went down. A boom OF
logs took fire and burned
for hours on the crystal surface of the
river. Many times flying sparks Of fire
covered the river, i@niting the mammoth
lumber and Touring mills that lined its
banks, but by heroic efforts its career
was checked on the south side of the
stream Looking backwards, however,
the beholders witnessed q scene of deYas-
tation that was fearful to contemplate.
! Fragments of naked walls of what were
four hours before magnificent structures
of brick and granite stood like grim SEN
tineIs. Over the surface of burning sea
ali was devastation and ruin.
The burned district embraces thirty
blocks, besides the depot. The only
brick houses left standing are the Ores
cent block and the American theater.
Schools and churches, the college and
hospital were beyond the lines of the
burned district and were not lost.
THE Loss TEN MILLIONS.
It is impossible at this writing to esti-
mate the loss with any degree of ac-
ouracy, but 1t will not fall short of S10,-
900 900, with an insurance of about
one-fourth of that amount. The
banks have obtained tempo
|
already opened for business. The work
of clearing away the debris has already
begun, and the work of rebuilding will
be commenced at once. Firemen are
blowing down dangerous walls and a
II company of militia is guarding the burnt
81 district, while mounted police patrol the
entirec city. The company viii be rein
t forced by a company from Walla Walla
/ to-day.
1.-The CITY council has held meeting and
discussed a resolution prohibiting the
erection of, wooden buildings in the
burnt district, and a mass-meeting of
citizens sustained il unanimously. 1t
/ will be passed at the regular meeting
Wednesday evening. The council has
L kpassed a resolution revoking the license
EGfau hotel and restaurants, and dealers
8 in provisions, who advance their prices.
l ! Only two saloons remain and they have
I been closed BY. order of the mayor. The
2 council ordered the committee on fire,
water and sewers to investigate
the cause of the absence of its
superintendent of works as the
man left in charge was in
competent A hopeful feeling
i prevails, and, although the destruction
4 viii retard the progress of the city for a
time, it is impossible that resources so
| oil %of bod
shonIdsbe. blotted out. It VIII rise again
grander and better than before, and will
still claim its position as the qAHafnereial
and railway center of EastefR Washing-
e ton.
sggar,sIill Bgrneds ae,
ToGsEahAS-K1N., Aug. '6.-The Topeka
; sugar works, tEeo largest in the state,
located four miles westef this city. were