The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-10-31
MACON'S DEPOT BURNED.
ESTIMATED LOSS ONE aUNDRED
THOUSAND DOLLARS.

.ha,,nion messenger depot at macon Ihurs-
,vss ilad a minute or two after the Sa-
ro1rah office was closed Friday morning,
and hence was shut out.
The fire broke out at $50 O'Clock Thurs
dav morning and originated in I. c. Park
sr,s news stand in the interior OF the car
shed.
Henry Sloan, a young white man in
charge Of the stand, was attempting 70
light a fire in a coal stove in the front apart
ment of Mr.. Parker's establishments and
used kerosene oil for the purpose. When
he applied a match an explosion took place
and in moment the room was flied with
smoke and flames.
Young Sloan dashed out OF the place and
ran through the shed enveloped IN hre. AT
the rear end he was caught by the night
Waterman and by almost superhuman
efforts stripped of the burning clothing.
In the meantime the flames had burst
from the news stand and into the ticket
office Then in another moment TO the roof
of the shed and throughout the entire
building like a fash. IL was a frlghtful
SIGHT and those who witnessed it claim
never to have seen flames spread so rapidly.
IT BURNED QUICKLY.
When the department arrived the entire
car-shed was a mass OF flames, and showers
of sparks were falling for hundreds OF yards
around.
The iremen worked as they never worked
before, but water seemed to have little effect
on that half acre of roaring, seething flames.
In short time the roof of the shed had
fallen in and the flames shot up 100 feet IN
the air. Nothing could possibly be saved in
that quarter and the firemen turned their
attention to the offices in the front end OF the
building. A massive brick wall separated
these from the shed proper. and by reason
of this it was possible to keep the flames In
check But soon the roof caught, and after
burning very slowly for two hours, despite
the efforts OF the firemen it collapsed, audit
seemed improbable that single vestige OF
the immense structure would remain stand~
ing.
Two hours of hard work, however. had a
telling effect, and by s O'Clock the flames
had been subdued.
ALL THAT REMAINED.
There remained of the old car shed the
rear and side walls, all Of which were
plainly badly damaged, and the front offices,
with their timbers charred, portion of the
roof fallen in, and each room completely
Quilted. The news stand, ticket Office, bag
gage rooms and watchman's quarters were
entirely destroyed. The waiting rooms had
suffered but little by the fire, though badly
damaged by water, but the superintend-.
ent's. traiDmaster's and dispatchers offices
were in dilapidated condition.
The large cupola on the top of the build
ing had fallen In and its base rested on the
hoor Of the train dispatchers Office. The
wooden partitions had been knocked down,
and charred timbers were jammed in every
apartment.
Throughout the morning the firemen
kept playing on the ruins, and it was late
in the afternoon before the smoke had died
away.
Emmett Bonner assistant ticket agent at
the car shed, was in the Office at the time
selling tickets for train No. 9 for Atlanta,
which had just arrived from Savannah. and
which narrowly escaped destruction.
A NARROW ESCAPE.
1t was only by the quickest work that the
train was pulled from under the shed before
it had been enveloped in flames, and then
not until the sleeping coach had commenced
to burn. The coach was filed with passen-
gers at the time, and it was with difficulty
that they were kept pacltied while the
flames were being put out
The entire train was finally pulled safe
from the shed, but the sleeping coach was
almost destroyed.
MIR. Bonner. in telling his story Of the
fire. said:
81 had been down stairs only a few min
utes and was selling tickets for the Atlanta
train, which had arrived from Savannah
ten minutes late. Suddenly 1 heard an OK
plosion and ran to the door TO discover the
cause. In an instant flames burst from the
door of Parker's news stand and from out
them ran a man on fire. In G moment the
outside track was afire and the flames were
running down 1t at a rapid rate.
II jumped back into the office to secure
the loose money, but In another instant tins
glass IN the Office windows broke and the
flames rushed into the place. l barely es-
capped with my life and was unable TO save
but small amount OF the money on hand
never saw flames spread so rapidly, nor {
building burn so fast. 1t was my opinion
at first that lamp had exploded"
7. G. Parker owner Of the new stand
was completely stricken by the terrible &C
cident and had been able to learn but li.tl'
of the cause of the fire.
The young man who was burned was 1
cousin of Mr.. Parker, and be was carried h
Mr.. Parker's house on Hugusniu Heights.
He was then In a semi-conscious state, anC
in feeble voice said to Mr.. Parker:
Cousin Thad, didn't mean TO do it.
was only cold and trying TO light fire fl
the stove when it exploded"
These were probably the lest words tn
young man ever spoke. Physicians foun'
it impossible TO give him any relief, and b
died at 1910 O'Clock in the afternoon.
PARKER's LOSS.
Mr.. Parker says that the character Of hi
stock, consisting largely Of books and pa
pers, made it easy for the fire 20 secur
rapid Roadway. Mr.. Parker estimates hi
loss at between e., 900 and 5000, with "a,
800 insurance carried.
Train Dispatcher Minis was on duty an
In one of the front Offices upstairs. Tw
other employees were on duty and the tire
barely had time to leave the building be
fore the flames and smoke entered theI
apartments.
The dispatcher's Office was probabl,
worse damaged than any of the offices, an,
nearly all of the papers there were eithe
ruined or destroyed
The Waterman at the shed first heart
screams and then beheld young Sloan dash
ing down the shed covered with fire. HI
says he first turned his attention to the boz
and succeeded in Kidding him of his burning
clothes and securing assistance. lie say
Sloan's entire body was frightful bliste.
while his hair was singed and his fac
blackened and burned, Sloan was onl
grooming with pain and could scarcely te
how the explosion occurred. 1t was fror
the stove, as first stated.
THE LOSSES.
II is difficult to give a satisfactory esti
mate Of the aggregate loss, but it wi
hardly fall short OF $4,000.
The depot building was worth at iea'
$40 900. The Richmond and Danville syi
tenn carried $4,000 insurance on thh
placed with Rail- Bros, the New York il