The DeSmet leader. (DeSmet, Kingsbury Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1890-11-01
FIRE-SWEPT.
Twenty Squares IN Mobile, Alabama,
Devastated BY Relentless and
Fierce Flames.
Large Quantities Of Cotton Destroyed,
the Loss ApprOximating Three
Quarters OF a Million.
Criminal and Casualty Events Of thu
Day Tersely and yiyidly Given
the Reader.

A fire began about 2:40 o'clock on
the afternoon of the Goth inst, and
resulted in the most disastrous con-
| hagratiOn that Mobile has seen since
| the war
The fire began in shingIe mill and
fact ory near the river front just out
side the northern boundary Of the
city limits. A strong wind from the
northeast, perhaps a twcnty-mIle
| breeze, was blowing, and the flames
soon communicated to The cotton
! warehouses which line the river front
| from Beaurcgard street, the northern
| boundary. sOuthward six blocks and
| from the river front westward to Mag
noIia street. three blocks. From
| the shlngle mill to Goodman ware
house on the block bounded by
Front, Beauregard, Water and Lips
comb streets, the distance is about six
| hundred yards, and almost rs sOOn
| az smoke was seen issuing from
! the root, the cotton blazed up. In
! GOOdwin's there were stored about
nine hundred bales OF cotton, and the
sparks from this cotton, carried by
wind, next communicated the flames
| to Browns warehouse on LipsComb
and Water, and running back to Mag
nOlia street to the southwest to the
Mobile Oil Mills, which were next
south on the east side OF Front street
and to the wharf front of the Mobile &
Birmingham Railroad company,
which frOnted on the water from
Beauregard to Lipscomb street.
The inflammable character Of the
material which fed the flames and the
quarter gale OF wind that was blowing
caused the fire to spread with light
ming like rapidity and before 2 o clock
in the afternoon it looked as if the
fire would spread from end to end of
| the water front OF the city. Before
the Mobile oil mills, in that company s
water slip, were two steamers, the
Jewet and Mary Elizabeth and also
the steamer Helen $, the tug Margar-
ct Lienhard and the government snag
boat Warren. Half dozen men got
the boats out of the ship into the
stream saving all but the Jewets and
the Mary Elizabeth which burned rap
idly to the waters edge.
The flames swept ndown the wharf
front Of the city. At the next slip
fronting near the foot Of Adams street,
where the river steamer Ruth, two
naphtha launches, and four or five
cotton and timber tugs all OF which
were got into midstream with only
slight injury, except the steamer Ruth
ard the naphtha yacht, Gen. Fowler,
which were destroyed in few mo-
ments. The water front wharves
were entirely burned from Beauregard
street on the north to st. Louis street,
the flames leaping the wharf slips as
hurdle racers leap the stone wall. A
large amount OF cotton, which was
closely packed in the warehouses and
presses, amid the inhammable char.
aCter of the material which fed the
flames, made the fire an intensly hot
one, and the high wind caused it TO
spread so rapidly that it was impos.
sible for the fire department to do
more than stand idly by and see It
burn.
The fire burned rapidly among the
cotton warehouses and presses. When
Goodman's warehouse was in a blaze
smoke was seen issuing from Brown's
cotton warehouser roof, q square away
on the northeast corner of Water
street, and at the same moment the
Gulf City oil mill, on the east side o.
Commerce, between Adams and Lips
comb streets, with a warehouse which
was stored full of cotton OIL oil cake
and msal, blazed out, and the firemeT
and the large crowd OF spectators
which had gathered in the vicinity haC
to flee from the advancing flames
There was now no stop to the flames
except by a adispensation nofprOvidence
Almost Immediately the flames spreaC
from building to building until GATES
4 Lyons artificial ice factory on Com
merCe and St. Anthony streets anC
the Merchants Press were destroyed
At this writing Improperly destroy
ed is 30,630 bales of cotton, three
steamers, one naptha launch, clever
freight cars, grain laden, belonging
to the Mobile Il Ohio Railroad com
pany, five empty box cars OF the Mo
bile & Birmingham road, two wOOC
ana coal ydfuS, tllIee COCJoH COHI
pressers and eight cotton warehouses
the Gulf City oil mill and warehouse
the Mobile phosphate and chemica
works, Gage & Lyons ice factory anC
numerous business houses in the 10
cality which cannot be gathered yet
So Gar there has been no casualty re
ported. The wind died down about
; p. m, and the fire department seem
ed to set the fire under control
When the ammomiat tank in the ic
factory exploded it seemed to stay tn
: progress OF the flames to the south
ward.
More than twenty squares wer
burned, bounded by Beauregard, Mag
! nolia and st. Louis streets and tn
river. The loss is estimated at 800
! 600, with about 100000 insurance