The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1891-07-01
A TOWN IN ASHES.
Seabright, N. j., Visited by o
Disastrous Fire.
Over 400 Houses Burned, Caus-
ing a Loss Of S3OO,00O.

Seabright, N. j., a summer resort neal
Long Branch, was almost entirely burned
down.
The FIRE originated in the livery stables o
j. A. Buckalew, on River street, at 4:4s
o'clock in the afternoon, and an hour Later
every building in the business portion of the
place was on fire.
The flames spread with such rapidity that
the one fire company at Seabright was al
most helpless, and before fire companies
could be summoned from Red Bank, Long
Branch, West End, Elberon and other ad-
jacent towns the entire business portion OF
the city was ablaZe
Hundreds Of families were driven into ths
streets and are homeless. The only build
ings that escaped the disastrous flames were
the Octagou, Peninsula and Pannacia hotels
and the Seabright Inn. Everything else is
in ruins.
The Octagon cottages were totally de-
stroyed and 1t was only by the shifting Of
the wind that the Octagon Hotel was saved.
Among the business houses destroyed were
Knapp & West, Rud's drug store, Postofhce
Seabright n. E. Church and parsonage, Sea-
bright Sentinel building Cousers feed estab-
1ishment, S. Levy's clothing store, the Gar
field Hotel Cloughley & Sons lumber yard,
Seabright Public School, R. Minugh's
tenement row, Peter Poppllga's Riverside
Hotel, NJ. Garting's residence Cook & Jac-
guess fruit store, Frank Martins butcher
store, Frank Heidels bakery, the
water works, R. Biber's jewelry
store, New York and New Jersey Telephone
Exchange, DR.. j. J. Reeds brick building,
Charles Reeses Hotel Irwin, Nesbit's plumb
shor, the Seabright fisheries, George Elliott's
mammoth feed establishment, and hum
dred or more small dwelling houses on the
Shrewsbury River.
The loss will be fully 100000 From Sea-
bright to Low Moor Ocean avenue presents
q disheartening scene. The wealthy have
generously given shelter to about fifty desti-
tute families, and as many more are bemoau-
ipG their loss on the lawns.
he scene was a most affecting one. The
streets were filled with heart-broken moth.
ers and fathers, who had been burned out of
house and home.
The conhagration was seen hundreds of
miles from Seabright. A relief corps has
been organized by Colonel c. N. V. Wilson,
and men are working earnestly TO alleviate
the sufferers. Fire engines were placed on all
sides of the devastated city. Several head
Of cattle were burned.
The season at Seabright opened Saturday,
and the damaging confagration means @
loss of million of dollars worth of business.
When the fire was discovered the wind was
blowing O gale from the west. Had it not
been for this the city might have been saved.
Proprietor Buckalew believes that the fire
originated from the carelessness Of a tramp
who took shelter in his haymow and posi-
bly, set fire to the hay from the sparks of his
pipe.
Pastor Owens, Of the Asbury N. E.
Church, lost everything after he thought he
had escaped His furniture was moved into
the street, but before 1t could be carted
away it was set on fire by spark and
burned.
One Of the saddest features OF the fire lies
in the fact that but few Of the dwellings
were insured, the inmates being unable to
carry any insurance. Upon the total loss OF
;SSOO.OOO not more than half is covered by in
Surance.
; There was q rumor ahoat that the fire had
been started by a drunken stableman, who
threw lighted match in the hay in revenge
for his fellow .workmen drenchlng him "ltn
q pail of water while he was asleep.
Owing to repairs being made to the water
mains the water supply was utterly made
auate to the needs. The Seabright hremen
lost most OF their hose in the flames.
Many Of the families burned out were
those Of poor fisherman, who have lost al
they owned in the world. A mass-meetlng
was called to raise funds for their relief.
The burned section extends from the
Shrewsbury River to the ocean, and to where
the New Jersey Southern Railroad crosses
Ocean avenue. AS far as could be estimated
over 400 buildings were destroyed.