Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1891-07-03
A TOWN IN ASHES.
Seabright. n. j., Visited by
Disastrous Fire.
Over 400 Houses Burned, Caus-
ing a Loss Of 100000.

Seabright, y. J., a summer resort near
Long Branch, was almost entirely burned
down.
The fire originated in the livery stables of
J. A. Buckalew, on River street, at 4:45
O'Clock in the afternoon. and an hour later
every building in the business portion of the
place was fire.
The flames spread with such rapidity that
the 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-
iacenJ towns the entire business portion of
the city ablaZe
Hundreds OF families were driven into the
streets and are homeless. The only build
ings that escaped the disastrous flames were
the Octagon. Peninsula and PaEnacia hotels
and the Seabright Inn. Everything else is
in ruins.
The Oct&gOn cottages were totally de-
stroved 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, Postoffice,
Seabright NJ. f. Church and parsonage. Sea
bright Sentinel building, Couser's feed estab-
Iishmenr, S. Levy's clothing store, the Gar
field Hotel Cloughley & Sons lumber yard,
Seabright Public School, j. r. Minugh,s
tenement row, Peter POppinga's Riverside
Hotel, NJ. earnings residence, Cook 6 JAG
guess fruit store, Frank Martins butcher
store Frank HeideIs bakery, the
water works, K. Bibers jewelry
Exchange, DR.. J. j. Reeds brick building,
Charles Reese's Hotel irwin, Nesbits plumb
ing establishment Charles Deschs barber
shop, the Seabright fisheries, George Elliott's
mammoth feed establishment, and a hun
bred or more small dwelling houses on the
Shrewsbury River.
The loss will be fully 5000 COO From Sea-
bright to Low Moor Ocean avenue presents
a disheartening scene The wealthy have
hnlt to lNCIlf
tUUe families, and as many more are bemOan-
ing their loss on the lawns.
The scene was a most affecting one. The
streets were filed with heart-brOken moth
ers and fathers, VINO had been burned Out OF
house and home.
The confagration seen hundreds Of
miles from Seabright A relief corps has
been organized by Colonel c. n. '. Wilson,
and men working earn astly to alleviate
the sufferers. Fire engines were place on all
sides of the devastated city. Several head
of cattle were burned.
The season at Sea bright opened Saturday.,
and the damaging confiagratlon means
loss of million Of dollars worth OF business.
When the fire was discovered the wind was
blowing a gale from the west Had 1t 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 poss-
blv set fire to the hay from the sparks OF his
pipe.
Pastor Owens, of the ASbury NJ. f.
Church, lost everything after he thought he
na escaped. His furniture was moved into
the Street. but before it 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
100000 not more than half is covered by in
Surance.
There was q rumor afioat that the fire had
been started by drunken stableman, VINO
threw lighted match in the hay in revenge
for his fellow -wOrkmen drenchlng him Wlth
a nail of water while he was asleep.
Owing to repairs being made to the ;9a
mains the water supply was utterly made
ouate to the needs The Seabright frcnen
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-meetlne
was called to raise funds for their relief.
The burned section extends from The
Shrewsbury River to the ocean, and to wher
the New Jersey Southern Railroad crosse
Ocean avenue AS far as could be estimated
over 400 buildings were destroyed.