The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1890-10-27
A SEA or FLAME IN THE GULF CITY.
Mobile Narrowly Escapes Entire An
nlhliatIon by a Great Fire.
AS 1t Is, the Losses Are Well Above
Half a million Dollars.
Bursting Fly Wheel Tears a Building
to Pieces In Lynn.

MOBILE, Ala, October 26--Mobile suffer-
ed severely by fire today, the buildings con-
sumed being a spindle mill, three cotton
congresses, five cotton warehouses, $3.50
bales of cotton, the Gulf City oil mill, the
Mobile ice factory, three steamboats,, IL
loaded and five empty freight cars, two coal
and wood yards, the freight depot and a
small amout of freight and six wharves.
The fire was aided by strong northwest
wind. Had it been a point or two nearer
north, pretty much all of the town would
have gone. The fire started in Stewart &
Butts spindle mill just beyond the city
limits on the north and destroyed that large
establishment. Sparks fell on many ware
houses within radius of half a mile to the
south, and many fires broke out simultane-
0uSly. All this northern part of the town
was taken up with property devoted to the
handling and storage of cotton, and whole
blocks were occupied by warehouses. The
fire spread with marvellous rapidity. The
dense smoke was blown steadily down the
street in the faces of the firemen who tried
to fight the fire in front. AT the foot of st.
Anthony street the southwark progress of
the fire was. stopped after sweeping away
five blocks along the river front, except one
building, the Mobile 81 Birmingham passen-
ger depot. The warehouses on the west
side OF Commerce street burned from Beau
regard to State streets, four blocks, except
the OkoIana warehouse. The warehouses
on Water street on both sides, between Lip
scomb ana Adams, we're partly burned, and
also warehouse on the northeast corner of
Magnolia and Congress streets. All the
along the river front, from Lipscomb to
State street, was burned, and a small Dor
tion of the wharf belonging to the city at the
foot OF st. Louis street Lying in the slip
were four steamers, three of which burned
Two were out OF commission and of
little value. The other was worth
$4,000. Several coal aud wood yards
on the wharves were destroyed and suDdry
freight. Eleven cars of corn belonging to
the Mobile q Ohio Railroad Company were
burned. The losses foot up $65o,oOo. The
principal losses are: Stewart & Butts spin
pie mill, $4,000; Colley's compress and
warehouse, owned by G: NJ. Townsend,
New York. $4,000; Taylor's compress and
warehouse, owned by John L. Taylor Co.,
New York, $4,000; the Merchants press
others, $50, 900; Browns warehouse, owned
by Bestor d Barker; Goodman's warehouse,
owned by Barker q Levy; the Selma ware.
house, owned by E. M. Townsend,
New York; the Truitt warehouse, owned
owned by the Emanuel estate, all valued at
about $4,000 These warehouses contained
altogether $500 bales of cotton, all of which
was DESTROYED; valued at S1S1, 800; insured.
The Mobile & birmingham TEN porary freight
depot contained about $4,000 in freight Next
on Commerce street was the Gulf City oil
mills. The value of the building and ma
chinery was $4,000, and the stock of seed
in the shed $4,000. Then came the Mobile
Phosphate and Chemical Company's ware
houses; loss about $4,000. The Mobile Ice
Company's factory, corner cf st. Anthony
and Commerce streets, was the last to burn;
its value was $4,000 The Yellow Pine
Lumber Company's loss is $1,000 in lumber.
John O'Donnell lost $4,000 in coal and wood.
John Gaillard's loss is S25OO in the same.
The loss by the Mobile & birmingham rail-
road on freight cars is $2500; the loss of the
Mobile & Ohio on freight cars and their con-
tents, $4,000. Outside of the cotton, there is
an insurance of almost $150,O0O on the other
p1n9er conigo nae oroSe Gns az 5s anu
reported, although many fremen were over
come with the heat and smoke.