The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-02-05
A BIG BLAZE ON THE BAY.
JACKsoN's COTTON PICKERY AND
THE OVERHEAD OFFICES GUTTED.

Their Lives-The Damage Estimated
at about $4,000, Partly Covered
by Insurance-The Fire Supposed to
Have Been Started by a Spark From
a Pilsdriver 80 1t Set q Woman's
Dress and a Shed Afre a Few Min
utes Before.
Bay street had a fierce fire for about an
hour and half yesterday, which cleaned
out Albert Jsckson's cotton pickery and
Quilted the offices Of Greig. Jones q Wood
and the Atlantic Contracting Company.
The FIRE started in lou Of loose cotton on
the second floor of the pickery, near one OF
the River street windows, about 1880
O'Clock. A crowd OF colored women were
engaged in picking cotton on the Bay street
side Of the room when they saw blaze
running through the loose staple on the
other side, and realizing that delay was
dangerous they dropped everything aud
rushed into Factors lane yelling fire"
Proprietor jackson wss In his Office on
the west side of the building when he heard
the cry. he opened the door leading into
the pickery to find out the trouble and was
met full In the face with q mass Of flame,
which burnt away part OF his mustaohe and
eyebrows and scorched his skin. He barely
had time TO pick up few books and get
into the street before the entire floor was
ablsze.
A QUICK BLAZE.
The fire burned with remarkable rapidity
on account Of the great amount OF loose
cotton in the place, and within three minutes
the blaze had communicated with the lower
floor where the baled cotton was stored,
aud was rushing out through all the win
dows toward the Office floor above. The
clerks in Greig, Jones & Woods office and
that of the Atlantic Dredging Company
only had time to close the safes, grab up
their clothes and few books and get into
the street.
The fire made tremendous amount of
smoke, and soon attracted hundreds of peo-
pie. There was delay about getting in an
alarm, no policeman being in the neighbor-
hood at the time and everybody else SEEM
ingly not being able 10 find their box keys
Finally Mr.. J. NJ. Ennis Of James T. Stew
arts insurance agencies turned in an alarm
from box No. z, at Bay and Drayton streets.
The department. responded quickly, and
when IL arrived everything looked promis-
ing for a hrst-olass conhagration and the
wiping out Of the entire block. The
blaze was half way across Abercorn
street and reaching out in the rear to the
wharves and In front for the adjoining
offices.
GOOD WORK OF THE FIRRMEN.
The machines were got to work in double
quick order, however, and in less time than
a minute after the arrival OF the fremen
half dozen streams were playing into the
building from all sides. The blaze was a
stubborn one, famed by a strong wind, and
it took half an hour Of the hardest kind of
work on the part of the fremen to get IL
Yfpdar COntrOl and apOthar hOuria Iabor M
extinRuish it entirely. At one time the
west wall bulged and looked as if it was
going to topple over. IL is badly cracked,
and will have to be removed for at least
two stories.
Jackson's loss Is about s., 200, everything
in his pickery having been practically de-
stroyed. He only carried an insurance of
81, 200, with Wheaton g. Freeman and
Charles F. Prendergast.
Greig, Jones a. Wood carried no insur-
anoe. Their loss is mostly in furniture and
papers 1t will foot up about $3.50.
The Atlantic Dredging Company's loss,
which ia entirely in office furniture,
amounts to about 800. The company had
no insurance.
The building belongs to the Smith-Barn-
well estate, represented by John Sullivan
& Co. 1t is damaged TO the extent of about
$4,000, and is insured for $4,000 In the
Southern Mutual Of Athens, represented by
bearing q Hull.
STARTED FROM A SPARK.
The fire is supposed to have started from
q spark blown into the loose cotton
through one of the River street
windows from the pile driver at work
constructing the new wharf at the foot
of Abercorn street. For several days
It has been throwing a shower of sparks In
every dir ection around River street in that
hNrk 40, h.
high wind started yesterday.
About five minutes before the fire broke
out In Jackson's pickery a spark from the
piledriver was blown against the dress of a
colored woman who was passing along
River street, and set the garment afire
She would probably have been burned to
death If several parties had not gone to her
assistance and extinguished the blaze by
throwing their coats around her. A few
moments afuerward another spark set fire
TO the shed on the wharf, and it had hardly
been extinguished when the blaze burst out
in the cotton pickery.
This chain OF circumstantial evidence
seems to ponit to the piledriver as the
agency responsible for the fire, which at
one time threatened to assume the propor-
tions Of a conflagration and probably would
have done 80 had 1t not been for the splen-
did work of the firemen. several of whom
had their faces badly scorched by too close
proximity to the flames.
As soon as Chief Puder heard about the
sparks being thrown from the piledriver he
compelled the captain to place a spark ar
roster on the smokestack. If the matter
had been reported to the authorities before
by those cognizant OF it, yesterdays fire
would very likely have been averted.
An Afternoon Blaze in Robertsville.
The flremen were called out yesterday
afternoon at $3.50 O'Clock by an alarm from
box No. 81 10 blaze in the roof Of a 2-story
house on Jones street. between Purse and
Wilson streets. 1t was extinguished in a
few minutes.
The damage to the house by the fire and
water will foot up about $3.50, which is
fully covered by insurance. 1t was occu-
pied by negroes, and is the property Of
Daniel Corners.
A Fire on Bismarck Street.
A couple Of burning logs fell out Of the
fireplace in Emanuel Dennis house on Bis
msrck street yesterday morning and set fire
60 the floor. Engine No. and reel responded
60 a telephone alarm and extinguIshed the
Il H. 60