The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-05-30
FURNITURE IN FLAMES.
NJ. BoLEY s. SONS BRoUGHTON
STREET STORES BURNED.


Loss by the Fire Close to 100000.
NJ. Boley & Sons wholesale and retail
furniture establishment, No. 1S6 and 100
Broughton Street, was burned last night.
The firms total loss is $50, 600, covered by
$4,000 insurance. The firm occupied
three stores at the northwest cor
ner of Broughton and Jefferson streets,
with the exception Of the
first floor of one store. which
was occupied by B. NJ. Garfunkel. The
third floor, where the fire started, was the
packing and shipping department. The
second floor was the warerooms, and the
first floor was occupied as offices and ware
rooms
The fire broke out few minutes after 9
o'clock in the packing department on the
third floor, on the Jefferson street side, and
burned fiercely and with great rapidity.
THE FIRES FIERCE WORK
The firemen fought the fire
at odds on account of the
high wind, which drove the flames and
smoke into their faces. In ten minutes
after the fire started ten streams were play
ing upon the building, but they were unable
to check the fire, which ate its way from
where it started across the entire building
to the heavy brick wall of the Smets build
ing, adjoining on the west, where it was
stopped.
The wind carried dense volumes of smoke
downward and westward into Congress
street lane and Broughton street as far
west as West Broad street, and men, women
and children had to run to get
out of the hot and sitting smoke,
in which an object ten feet
distant could not be seen. Many would
have removed their household effects, and
some had begun the work, but were COM
PEELED to close their doors and run for their
lives. For time ii was impossible to stand
anywhere between West Broad and Jeffer-
son, between Congress street lane and
Broughton street lane west of Jefferson
street.
The volume of smoke was not dispelled
until the roof Of the Boley building fell in,
when the heat was SO intense that il was
understanding, and the wind lifted the
cloud and carried it off.
THE STREETS THRoNGED.
The crowds who witnessed the fire were
principally on Broughton street east of
Jefferson, and on Jefferson south of Brough- |
ton. The Georgia Hussars were in their |
drill room when the fire broke out, and at
once reported for police duty, and aided in |
keeping the crowds back from the ropes.
The heat was so intense in jefferson street |
that the firemen were driven from their |
ladders. The walls began to bulge before |
the fire mad burned through the top floor,
and portion Of the east wall fell with a |
loud crash The aerial ladder, which had |
faaa he Tnero 49,
was in too dangerous place for the hose |
men to work, and in the intense heat they |
were unable TO face the fire. Just before the |
heavy cornice fell the ladder was removed
to Broughton street. and two streams were
played from 1t.
THE AERIAL's DANGER.
Several times the ladder was enveloped
IN the dense smoke, and once the wood work
caught fire and the men were driven down,
but they quickly had it in position again.
Chief Puder directed the men, and during |
the hight of the fire he had five streams |
playing from the roofs of the buildings |
north of Congress street lane upon the |
flames and four streams from Broughton |
street. One stream was kept continually |
on the jefferson street side.
The occupants of Congress street lane /
tenements removed their furniture, and |
Broughton street west of Montgomery, and |
was filled with household goods and the |
stock from McGillis q Rustin's store and |
the furniture of the houses on Broughton |
street west Of the burning buildings.
Although the fire burned with great |
fierceness, the mass of material it had to |
feed upon, and the fact that il was hemmed |
by the streams from the engines, kept it |
from spreading rapidly, and it was nearly |
Two hours before it ate its way through the |
top floor to the warerooms on the sec |
ond floor. Several times the |
hames shot down the elevator |
shaft at the northeast corner of the build |
ing TO the basement, but the firemen were |
on the watch and before the fire could get |
Roadway below it was extinguised.
THE LOWER FLOOR SAVED.
At midnight the second story had been
Quilted, but the firemeu were confident Of
keeping the first story intact. The flames
ate their way under the roof of the Smets |
building. but 'the CHEMICAL was located |
in the lane north of the building with lines |
of hose running TO the roof, and the flames |
were kept in check.
at o'clock this morning the fire was |
entirely under control, although the firemen |
had all the engines at work.
The origin of the fire is a mystery. When
the alarm sounded III. M. Boley and two |
employees were in the Office on the |
first floor. A young man ran to the |
door and told Mr.. Boley that the building
was on fire. Mr.. Boley started upstairs.
but the smoke forced him back. Tho fire
was breaking through the roof of the build
ing when he got on the street. M Boley.
the senior member Of the firm, is in Ohio.
and he was wired at Cincinnati. Mr.. II. Nj
Boley said that no fire was in any part of the
building yesterday, except on the third floor
where the workmen were repairing some
furniture. A glue kettle was heated, but it
was incased by an iron protector, rendering
1t almost impossible for spark to get out.
MAY HAVE BEEN SPONTANEOUS.
Mr.. Boley is inclined to believe that the
fire had its origin in spontaneous combus-
tion. There were plenty of rags and var
nish oil heaped up in that part of the build
ing where the fire started.
Superintendent Clarke of the packing
department went through the building
after 6 o'clock TO see that everything was
all right, and there was no smell of smoke.
so that the fire could not have been smould-
ering.
The adjoining buildings on the north side
OF Congress street lane and Turner hall, and
the buildings on the south side OF Brough-
ton street, were threatened by sparks and
by the intense heat but they were kent