The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-04-04
TWO GREAT FIRES AT ONCE.
ELEvEN BLOCKS AND $4,000 IN
PROPERTY Lost IN NEW ORLEANS

PROPERTY Lost IN NEW ORLEANS
There Were ro.r Cotton Presses. 60 900
Bales o. Cotton, Eishty.avs Dwellings,
and Numerous Stores BurAed In Ai,-Onc
Blaze Was Started by n Cigarette Thrown
1ato Some Cotton ON the sidswa ak, ana
the Other Was Begun BY the Use or Cosi
OIL In = Stove-Ths Valuable Cotton
Presses Had Beea sold 10 an Ene,ish syn.
dicate the Day Before, bat Possession
Had Not Been snrrenderea-Ma q dica pped
~ New Fire Department..
NEW ORLEANS, April 3.-Ths two largest fires
ever known in New Orleans began almost
simultaneously this morning. destroying
eleven squares Of property and $4,000 bales
u cotton. and causing a loss OF more than
$a5OO.OO0. Each nre was tho result
Of carelessness. and the great destruction
is due to long drought. causing dry condi.
ton OF houses and cotton. There was strong
breeze blowing and the Fire Department,
which was reorganized In January from tho
volunteer to the paid system. has boon cut
down to about one.tenth OF its former
members. The new mon had not got accus-
toned thoroughly to their duties and were
unable to cope with the fires.
The FIRST fire began at five minutes to 10
o'clock In some cotton stored on tho pavement
in front OF the freproof cotton press on tho
corner OF Robin and Front streets. 1t is
not usual to allow cotton to be SO
stored. but the stock on hand hero
is SO lnrge- more than 5OO.OOO bales that tho
law about storing cotton on the pavement was
allowed to become dead letter. Some one In
passing throw Lighted cigarette among the
cotton. Itsmouldered and finally burst into a
blaze.
Tho fire was so small that Mt first little at
tention was paid to II. and It easily might
have been stopped. The cotton was 30 dry
thnt It sprend rapidly. and tho flames soon at.
tackled the press ITSELF
There were 12.5OO bales Of cotton inside, and
these soon isnited and made such blaze and
heat that It would have been folly for the fire.
men to have attempted to grapple It.
They tried to prevent Its spread to the neigh
boring presses. but the wind was blowing
stiff breeze and carried the flames over to tho
Shippers press. in which there were 10000
bales.
Some OF this had been removed before the
fro got there. but nearly three.fourths Of the
cotton was burned. and tho press itself was
destroyed within q half hour.
Tho Orleans press. the largest Of the up
town ones and containing 25.OO0 bales OF
cotton. and the Independent press. with 5000
bnlcs. were the next to 60.
The flames had spread SO rapidly by this
time that there was no possibility OF saving
any OF the cotton or the pressea The fire.
men made desperate attempt to check the
fire at tho New Orleans press.
They were working at It when the walls fell
in. buryinc three fremen In the ruins. Capt
Dupre. Lieut.. Shaw. and Pipemsn Bordeaux
v,oro oar{ou lv 10 NJ n, orf - hne
BY this time the Ore extended for i've
squares and licked up several dwellings. bar
rooms. and stores. It produced quito panic.
and persons four aRd five squares away began
to move their furniture
The air was fhed with wisps OF blazing cot
ton which threatened roofs everywhere and
among others the Baldwin Agricultural Works.
three squares away: also the Louisiana Rice
Mills. four squares away, wore set on Are. but
the flames were extinGuished In each case.
Fortunately the section In which tho cotton
presses are situnted contains few largo resi-
denoes and many open spaces, so that after
the presses and the cotton wore burned the
fire died out for want OF fuel The presses
destroyed wore as follows:
Fireproof. Penrose Brothers, inansgers South Front
street. corner Of Robin street.
shippers. Boyd Herr,ck. proprietor South Peters
street. between Henderson and Robin.
Orleans cotton press Adam Torch. manager South
Peter. street. between Thaa and Ierp'ohore
In these 63.5OO bales Of cotton were burned.
The loss on the cotton at $35 bale. is 81. 222.-
500 The presses were worth S75O.O00. Other
property destroyed. including eighteen horses.
vas y 20, ye gna $4,000, making the total loss
'?TH he fireproot press was the property o, tho
Seventh Street Orphan Asylum, qnd the Ship
pers' press Of tho Charity Hospital The
companies Jared badly and Two Of the sn smaier
ones nre SAID 70 have lay ~ the crash
chased YESTERDAY By an English SYNDICATE,
whose purpose It was to take charge Of them
at once. but tho delivery had not yet been been
MADE . The oss falls on the presses and not
Nesriy The entire Fire Department had been
Summoned to work at this Are, and when it
reached its height it look ed as though &c would
and rAiIway denots. O0'
TeieRrums were sent to Mobile, Biloxi and
othar towns askinR Tor assistance Their re-
Quest, however. was finally Withdrawn, 40 the
enaiIies could not hope to reach New Orlaens
~ TINE Tho entire Fire Deparfmen ant az AL