The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1894-03-01
4 DESTRUCTIVE FIRE
Three Stores on Spring Street
Burned to the Ground.
Taylor Bros. Grocery Store, Phila.
delphia Bakery and Webb Bros,
Meat Market Destroyed,

Inc tre alarm and the great cloud
of BLACK smoke ascending from the
heart of the city drew large crowd
OF anxious people around a block of
one story corrugated iron buildings or
Spring street Monday about 9 o'clock.
A tiny spark is supposed to have es-
capped from defective hue, and a
monster of destruction was crawling
around among the wooden frames.
but never once during the hours of
his morning meal did this monster
lick his red tongue beyond the iron
exterior of his victim.
The smoke was so dense and suffo-
eating that it was impossible to tell
Just where the fire had originated or
to locate it during its destructive pro-
gress, but it is supposed to have started
in the middle building, which was oc.
cupied by bakery.
The lire company was early upon
the scene and 5000 had four or five
good streams pouring upon the build
lngs where the fire was supposed to
lurk. The hook and ladder men tore
holes in the iron as best they could
and water was freely injected into
these apertures, but little control was
gained. The smoke was so terrible
that to enter any one of the three
buildings meant suffocation, and the
heavy iron covering was so stubborn
to the tireman's axe and hook that the
entire block was we'll Quilted before
the faithful workers subdued the ene-
my.
A good deal OF the effort was direct
ed to the adjoining postoffice which
would undoubtedly have been serious
ly damaged, if not entirely destroyed,
if the work of protection had not been
heroicly carried on all the while.
The three buildings were all occu-
pied at the time the fire broke out.
and when it was seen that they could
not be rescued from the flames the
work of carrying out the goods began
and was held at fever heat until
stopped by the awful smoke. A part
of each stock was, therefore, consumed.
The room next to the postoffice con.
tanned the grocery store of Taylor
Bros. They had 5000 insurance on
their stock and $500 on the building.
which also belonged to them. A COM
small portion of their goods
were saved. Their total loss will not
be less than 81 1900. The fire was not
half over when Taylor Bros. bought
out Geo, r. Browns restaurant, lust
across the street and began moving
everything that had and could be
saved into their new quarters. This
was the most enterprising feature of
the smoke.
The second room from the postofice
was occupied by Brown & Stinson's
Philadelphia Bakery. These unfortu-
nate gentlemen had no insurance and
lost all they had. They did not know
exactly the amount of stock on hand,
but they probably sustained setback
which will take $400 to palliate. This
was the property of Adam Bowman,
and his allowing his policy to lapse
month or so ago will cost him some
where in the neighborhood of $500.
The last room in the i'll fated block
was occupied by Webb Bros. meat
market. They had no insurance and
came out with $500 smell of fire on
their garments. They opened up
next morning in the old Ball stand on
Public Square. There was no insur-
ance on this building and although it
was the property Of ]. E. Harr, the
loss sustained will be charged up to
the Watauga Bank.
The fire was luckily extinguished
before it reached the adjoining Trick
wall of the postofice, which was we'll
drenched with the powerful hose, but
it withstood the assaults of the water
works and stands as solemn sentinel
over the charred ruins at its feet.
NOTES.
AS is common on such occasions a
great many foolish things were done
and said. Martin Gump got hit square
between the eyes with a playing hose
whose obtrusive familiarity would
lead one to believe that it never saw
a stranger in its life. This introduo-
ton. or "knock down" as it ia some