Asheville daily citizen., 1894-10-27
LARGEST on ASHEVILLI fires
FREIGHT DEPOT AND EIGHT CARS
DESTROYED.

Narrow Escape of IN Employe sleep
Ing In the Building-The Loss VII
Reach SSO,UOO, Insurcd-A Rain o
Candy Following an Explosion.
Night Watchman Charles Davis OF thu
Southern railway discovered fire about
a aluarter to + O'Clock this morning in a
room at the west end of the Southern's
freight warehouse. This room was a
commissary, or "rati)n ROOM" in which
was stored bacon, flour, meal, and other
supplies from which the stocks of tn,
worktrains on the road were rep!enishe' l.
Watchman Davis set out on run Ia
give the alarm, and at six minutes to 4
a call for the FIRE department was sent
in from box 425. The two shifting en-.
giues at work on the yards set up 4
blowing that alarmed the neighborhood
The fire companies were prompt to turr
out, but by the time they reached the
spot it was seen that little could be done
to save the building or contents.
The Flames spread.
From the commissary the fire spread
rapidly. itcding ereedily upon The TIM
bcrs Of tie freight shed, made all the
more inilammablc because of their hav-
inS for years past been soaked with oils.
grease. etc, stored there. 1t was hut n
little while until the blaze had reached
the main body OF the brick depot, and
as the offices of Freight Agent Olive
and his clerks were in the western end OF
tic building they were soon surrounded
by the fumes, which rapidly ate their
way into the interior of the big ware
Iousc, and cutting off the willing hands
that would have worked to save some
OF the property had there been the slight
est CHARGE.
saving Cars.
Several trains OF freight cars were
standing on the tracks adjacent to the
burning building, and the shifting crews
devoted every energy to moving them
out OF harms way. A large number of
them were moved, but eight were burned
in spite of all Efforts to save them. Four
OF these were on the track in front of the
warehouse, and were loaded with mer-
chanlise. -Four were on a track on the
Depot street side of building. These were
''shantv" cars used on material trains
EVERYTHING except the trucks and other
IRON work OF these cars was burned.
ATcrriIlc Explosion.
While the work OF moving the cars
was going on, tank of oi! in ore Of the
burning cars exploded with terrific force,
hurling fragments of the woodwork and
boxes Of merchandise in every direction.
So great was the conclusion that the
very earth trembled, and persons living
n mile away were awakened and
felt the shock. Almost every pane
of glass in the front of the furniture
factory, a short distance away, was
shattered, and great hole was smashed
in a car load of lumber standing on a
nearby track. There was quantity of
candy in this car, and it literally raired
caram,ls, gum DROPS and the like for n
halt minute after the explosion. Luckily
no one was struck by the tlving timbers.
One piece of plank with big silver
driven through it is in THE CITIZEN mu-
scum as a relic of the occurrence. 1t was
brought in by X. I. Owen.
Nothing to be Done.
A strong wind was blowing from thr
point where the fire originated and so
ic,cclv famed the b'aze;s to make it
n,xt to impossible to work about the
main part of the warehouse. As it was,
however, the frcmen would have
made tie attempt to enter the
building but for n warning from
Freight Clerk Charles d. Clarke
who believed that powder was
among the goods stored in the place aud
it was thought unsafe to enter. All
there was to do was to prevent the
flames from spreading. Ere long the fire
had done its work, and where the ware.
house and its valuable contents had
stood there was nothing but the bare
brick walls and smouldering heap.
\ Narrow Escape.
Road Foreman James Moore had a
close call during the fire, aud his story of
it is as follows: II had been up for two
nights with the circus trains and was
dead tired. had room on the second
floor of the tower of the freight office. |
was awakened by something, ! don't
know what, and ran to the window to
find everything about me on fire.
could not escape by the stairway, so
jumped from the window, which was a
frame of flames, to the ground. Every
stitch of clothing ! had, except what
have on, was destroyed. haven't even
an extra pair of socks left"
Mr.. Moore vas stunned bv his jump
and was picked up and taken away from
the hre by Freight Clerks Ray and Tay'
lor. There is an ugly cut under MIR
Moorc's chin, and his left hand is badly
burned. This latter injury was received
when he placed his hand on the ledge oi
the window to jump out.
4 Heavy Loss.
The burned warehouse had therein al
unusually large amount of freight. Thi:
included four car loads ofhour and bran
three or four pianos consigned to variou.
Ashevillc people, and much merchandise
of every description. Fifty-three cases
OF shoes went with the rest. These wert
consigutd to M. Levy, who was JUS
opening up business in Ashcville, Til,
only things saved we're seven axes. q
bundle OF stovcpipe elbows. four or five
yards of jeans and AZ sacks OF wet
coffee. which were dragged from the
ruins by MIR. Clarke this morning. lti.
estimated that the freight in the ware
house and burned cars, when added tc
the building and eight cars. will make
the loss $50, ,000-the most costly fire
Asbeville has ever known. The build
;,,, ,,,,o VALUED nt al OC)O and thu IN rs