The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1891-05-20
THE JACKSONVILLE FIRE.

Later Reports from the Florsdian's
Extra of Yesterday.
Special to the Floridian.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla, May 19.-As a
representative of the FLoRID1AN was wend-
ing his way homeward at 11:30 o'clock
last night, an alarm of fire was turned in
from box 16, corner of Newman and Bay.
streets, and our fire department., with its
usual promptness, was soon on the ground.
The fire was in the magnificent three-story
Mohawk block, on the first floor of which
was the postof1ce, James Douglas, art and
stationery, Church, Anderson q Co., pro-
duce, and George F. Drew Hardware Co.
The second floor was occupied by the
United States court and officers. The third
floor was occupied as Masonic temple and
the hall of the Grand Army of the Republic.
When the firemen arrived, the flame and
smoke were pouring out of the third
story windows directly over Church, An
dersOn & Co.'s store, and it was seen at
once that Jacksonville was doomed to a
very disastrous confagration. The room
in which the fire was started was stored
with sash and blinds and other dry and
inf1ammable material of the Drew Hard
ware Company, and the heavy streams oil
water made but little impression on the
seething mass. At 10 o'clock heavy
wind rolled the high flames towards the
west. and it looked as if Jacksonville
would be swept by the terrible scourge. In
the postofice the employees were work
/ ing rapidly, getting the contents of the
office ready to move. The occupants of
| the stores were moving their goods and
confusion reigne6 supreme. The sight
was impressive as we'll as magni6cently
grand. The darkness was lighted ever and
anon by large pillars of flame, leaping
skyward from their pent up quarters with
in the building, bursting into immense py-
rotechnic display, scattering their million
sparks on adjoining houses.
The firemen exhibited more than ord;-
nary bravery and daring, rushing in with
their hose to the very heart of the fire, up
two flights of stairs to the topmOst part
of the great building. The flames were
already beyond control and further fight
ing seemed useless. All efforts were now
turned to the heartrending calls for help
that came from the windows in the rear
of the building. In the third story slept
Mr.. G. II. Bohn. and when he awoke the
whole story was in flames, and before as
sistance reached him he was very badly
burned. His skin was burnt to a crisp,
and so smoked was his whole person that
his features were scarcely distinguisha-
BILE. Fearing death from both flame and
smoke he commenced a perilous descent
by the gutter, but was met about halt
way by ladder and safely
reached the ground. He was car
ried Immediately to the office of
Dr. G. Troup Maxwell, WHO dressed his
burns. United States Marshal Weeks was
asleep in his office in the second story and
came very near being suifocated. After a
desperate effort he found the window and
was brought safely down on ladder. The
r fire, which commenced IN the northwest
corner Of the building, rapidly made lis
way over the entire second and third
floors, dropping the floors into the sto' es be
meath, thus continually adding fuel TO the
fire. The walls began To tnpple and tal
into the seething mass and into the streets.
The pOstCffice at last caught and was soon
DESTROYED. The Drew hardware store was
now a solid bed Of fire, and the explosives
kept up continuous discharge, oil ant
powder adding much to the already dea
euing sounds and the lurid
:, flames. In quick succession
the stores OF James Douglas and Church
/. Anderson s. Co. were destroyed. tt {
q Carleton hotel and other buildings across
n the street were now smoking, and the
q heavy plate glass front of the aI!et0r
pharmacy was being cracked and shivereC
by the heat. The Carleton was in gres
!. danger, and it was feared it the fire crossed
= the street the loss would run into the
. millions. Chef Singer turned severa
streams on this building and kept lh,
rsl1<
- Before the Mohawk block had finisnet
q burning, the two-story building on TIT
;, west owned by Chas. j. Britz, caught an(
) in few minutes WAS in ruins Now
3 rang out on the midnight air the clanl
10 of the old merchandise bell calling the vol
unteer department TO the assistance OF Il
- fremen. They soon gathered at thti
i, house and with the horses from the hnOl
u and ladder quickly had their engine at III
foot of Newman street, and in II few sec
- onds another stream was playing upol
the burnipg buildings. From the Brit;
building the three-story block of join
u Clark became so heated that the flame.
!, burst through the front windows and i
was soon seen that this grand structur,
:. was also doomed In the building wa
y stored groceries and liquors, and tn,
"a burning liquors lighted the sky with
Blush cast. This was the last building
Il to burn, as the fire was got under contro
v before destroying the store Of Johr
CLARK, Son s. Co, at the corner of New
y nan and Bay streets. The Mohawl
/ block is the property of the Schuma
cher estate of Cincinnati, Ohio, and wa
}. built of brick, stone and iron. Its es
Of timated value is one hundred Thousand
d dollars. 1t was insured for thirty fiv,
q. Thousand dollars as follows: Hartford q
% Connecticut, % 5O0 Imperial, $500; Liv
( erponl. London and Globe, 5000; Etna
rs 5000 and Western Association, 5000
a, Queen, 5000.
Church Anderson estimates his less a
$4,000, insurance. $L2O0 Nick, the fru
= dealer, lost everytbing-abe ut $500.
He estimates his lass at $50 900 insuranc
O.: %, 900. The Drew Hardware Co.'S loss /
O. sixty thousand dollors, insured for sam
ne The companies represented by Crosb
at Dawkins held Insurance. as follows:
81. Drew Hardware Co. $4,000. -.s
FOL Church AadencM $1,000. T. Il Il