Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-06-12
BIG BLAZE AT PoTTsBoRO.
Thirteen Business Houses Burned, the Work
Of the BurgIar-LOss $50, 000-In-
surancs $4,000.
Special to the Gazette.


PoTrsBoRo, Tex, June II, q. m.-There be-
ing no night telegraph Office in Denison, an
obliged to write the news of our great misfortune
and send it to you by first train.
Pottsboro has just had her baptism of fire, I"
and the business heart of our pretty little town
lies in ashes. gale was blowing
speed of the flames easy, and in less than
an hour they licked up everything on the east
noticed in A. A. Neff's brick building and occu-
pied by himself with heavy stock OF dry goods.
In the same building was The postohce. IN
very few minutes the town people were aroused
and focked to the scene Of the fire,
which had extended to the adjoining
brick occupied by Geo. w. Green as wagon
buildings were licked up in an instant by the
fiery demon and then the large stone building
adjoining, known as the Orme building, occu-
pied by Carey s. Parrish, as druggists, and
b. R. Harris, with groceries and drugs, was
seized by the voracious monster and went to the
earth and sky in ashes and fame.
The next building was also of stone, owned by
George B. Hull, but unoccupied at present, and
this though soldly built, made but q brief NOR
sci for the whitening flames.
w. G. Bennett frame store house, occupied
BY himself with groceries. blistered q little,
glared moment and disappeared. The last OF
the fiery feast was a small building owned by G..
E. Reeves which roasted down while you won Id
be saying, ''see it, and though few sparks
drifted across the square and ignited the roof OF
DR., Stevens dwelling house, this was quickly
put out, and by keeping the roofs OF adjoining
buildings wet no more damage was doue.
At this writing Q:30 a. m.) the IRE is smolder-
ing still, but all danger is past.
We fought the fire as best we could. Oid'and
young, sound and crippled, saint and sinners
carried water, climbed buildings and splashed
roofs. but water bucket makes mighty poor
fire engine. Below is summary OF Losses;
A. A. Neff loss, $1,000; insurance, 5000.
George w. Green, loss, $3.50; no insurance.
J.F. Keiter, loss, $1,000; insurance, unknown.
William Eubanks, loss, Sl5O0j insurance, un-
Carey & carrish, loss, $1,000; insurance, moths
B. R. Harris, loss, $500: insurance, u4-
]. 4. Dummies, loss. $1,000 insurance, nOths
". @. Bennett, loss, $500; insurance, moth
George R. Reens lodge, No. 1896, A. F. and A.
M, loss, everything they had IN the lodgroom;
no insurance.
George B. Hull, loss, $1,000; insurance, $500.
George E. Reeves, loss, S22O; no insurance.
DR.. N @. Parrish's personal loss Of a splen-
did library, Office furniture, ETC., Will run up to
over $1,000 and is terrible stroke to the nobls
fellow, this being the second scorchlng he ~
suffered. 81
brary and many of his surgical instrumspts,
thus giving him a severe blow, for, BESIDES,
these two gentlemen, Carey & Parrish had a
well-filled drug store, and all went os,ruin'
they not having a cent insurance on anything.
Resides all else, DR.. Parrish, who sleeps over
the drug store, barely got out with his lifess
George Green lost even his books, tsano,
though George has been badly hurt, heIiu
come again, for he has plenty of grit %.
D. R. Harris states his loss at about $1,000; no
James A. Potts estimates his loss at $500.
Professor Jesse Ryles library, worth about
5000 was also consumed. it being in the same
room with that of DR.. Parrish.
All told, out of all the stores burned only about
SIOO worth of stuff was saved. D. r. Harris had
about all his wealth invested and everything
went up in smoke.
DR.. Parrish saved enough clothes TO keep him
self from being conspicuous, and this morning
he is off for Denison for drugs to use IN MS
practice, and clothes to use on his person.
George Green is 8 ''Drick.' - He VIII be ham
mering iron in a day or two again. Nothing
daunts man like him:
Eyerybodys hand, heart and home are are
omen to the unfortunate losers.
The fire was the work of an incendiary. This
morning everything was made plain, as A: A.
Neff's cash drawer was found q few feet from
the rear door of his store, where it had been
thrown by the burglars, who had evidently set
fire to the building to conceal their tracks or by
accident while ri1ing the store. Three tramps
hung around here yesterday and were seen try
ing to Jump freight last night, which they
failed in doing, though they are missing this
morning and kilograms have been sent to city
marshals in all contiguous towns to search every
suspicious traveller from this direction.
The loss aggregates SIS, 600, aed falls on shoul-
ders illy able to bear such a disaster.
Mr.. W. B. Chiles came in this morning, and
with his usual genius and presence of mind
quickly demolished the standing walls OF stone
and brick which endangered lockers on, by lar
iating them and pulling them down in true cow
boy style.