Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1890-11-01
SWEPT BY FLAMES.
Nearly 100000 Worth of Prop
erty Reduced to Ashes.
Mobile, Ala. Visited by Disastrous Con:
nagration-Over 5000 Bales of Cot
ton, Three Steamers, Nine Ware
houses and Many Fac ~
tories Burned.

MOBILE, Ala, Oct. GA fire began
about 12:40 o'clock Sunday afternoon
and resulted in the most disastrous con-
fagration that Mobile has had since the
war. The fire began in a shingle mill
and factory near the river front, just
outside he northern bound ary of the city
limits. A strong wind from the north
east was blowing and the flames soon
communicated to the cotton warehouses
which line the river front from Beaure-
gard street. the northern boundary,
southwark six blocks and from the river
front westward to Magnolia street, three
blocks. From the shingle mill to Good
mans warehouse on the block bounded
by Front, Beauregard, Water and Lips
comb streets, the distance Is about 600
yards, and almost as soon as smoke
was seen issuing from the roof the cot
ton blazed up. In Goodmans warehouse
there were stored about900 bales of cot
ton, and the sparks from this cotton
communicated the flames to Browns
warehouse on Lispcomb and Water, and
running back on Magnolia street to the
Mobile oil mills, which are next south
on the east side OF Front street, and to
the wharf front OF the Mobile &c Bir-
mingham Railroad Con pany, which
fronted on the water from Beauregard
to Lipscomb street.
The infammable character Of the ma
terial which fed tho flames and the gale
of wind that was blowing caused the
fire to spread with lightning-like rapid
ity and before two o'clock it looked as IL
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
Jewel and Mary Elizabeth-also the
steamer Helen s., the tug Margaret
Leinhard and the Governmentsnag boat
Warren. Half dozen men got the
boats out of the slip into the stream,
saving all but the Jewel and the Mary
Elizabeth, which burned rapidly to the
waters edge. The flames swept on
down the wharf front of the city. At,
the next slip fronting near the foot of
Adams street, were the 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
and naphtha launch General Fowler,
which were destroyed in a few moments.
The water front wharves were entirely
burned from Beauregard street, on the
north, to st. Louis street, the flames
leaping the VIII arf slips as hurdle racers
leap stone wall A large amount of
cotton which was closely packed in the
warehouses and presses made the fire an
intensely hot one, and the high wind
caused it to spread so rapidly that it
was impossible for the fire department
to do more than stand idly by and see ii
burn.
The fire burned rapidly among the
cotton warehouses and presses. When
Goodman's warehouse was in blaze
smoke was seen issuing from Browns
cotton warehouse roof, a square away on
the northeast corner of Water street,
and at the same moment the Gulf City
oil mill, with a warehouse which was
stored full of cotton oil, oil cake and
meal blazed out and the firemen and the
large crowd of spectators which had
gathered in the vicinity had to flee from
the advancing flames. Almost immedi-
ately the flames spread from building to
building until Gage &c Lyon s artificial
ice factory and the Merchants press
were destroyed.
The property destroyed is $500 bales
of cotton; three steamers; one naphtha
launch; eleven freight cars, grain laden,
belonging to the Mobile & Ohio Rail-
road Company; five empty box cars of
the Mobile &c Birmingham road; two
wood and coal yards; three cotton com
pressers; eight cotton warehouses; the
Gulf City oil mill and warehouses; the
Mobile Phosphate and Chemical Works;
the Gage e Lyon ice factory and numer-,
ous small business houses in the locality.
So far there has been no casualty re-
ported. The wind died away about five
p m. and the fire department got the
fire under control. 1t is estimated the
total loss will exceed $3.50, 900.