The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1895-01-17
bERKLEYS BIG BLAZE |!
An lncendiary the Cause of the
Recent ConRagratIon.
OIL AND BURNT PAPER FOUND
No Clue Yet Found as to the Per-
petrator. Almost no Response
From the Fire Department.
The Bucket Brigade.
List of Losses.

DC ire yesleEtay mOIuiuR on
Maple avenue, proved to he the
work of some heiuous william who,
II caught. should receive coat of
tar ana feathers. The wretch was
not satisfied with setting fire to o
vacant house. but set fire also to two
houses on Clifton street, one owned
by Mrs. Worlhington (widow OF tho
late DIR. Worthlneton) and occupied
by Mr.. Fletcher Cowan as resi-
dence and cigar factory, and the
other owned by MIR. W. G. Ferre.
bee. and occupied by Mr.. Charley
Thompson. In the front porch Of
Mrs. Worthington $ house. q lot of
paper had been placed Mt tho front
door and Kerosene OIL poured on the
door and paper, the paper had
burned up aud the door and facing
WAS burned black.
Mr.. Ferrebee's house was set on
fire III tho buck porch in the same
manner, but the fire did not burn
up nll OF the paper. Several ViR.
GINIANs dated March, '9I, were found
on tho porch saturated with oil. a
| careful examination was made of the
papers by Sergeant Lindsay and
Mr.. Thompson, but no clue could
DO found to the perpetrator.
The fire was first discovered about
20 O'Clock III the rear porch OF
Mrs. Mary O. Lindsav's double ten,
ement on Maple avenue. An alarm
| was turned in at the station. house
and Officer HUMPHREYS, who was on
| duty Mt the station, had to go down
10 the engine house of tho Hope
Fire Company and wait there for
some fireman to be aroused by tho
Ye Is of "iire' that were being made
on the streets. After waiting SOW
ernl minutes some one came with a
| key and he gave the alarm.
The reporter was informed on
| good authority that there were
about twelve or fifteen mem bers and
only six responded. The chief, Mr..
Charles Parks, could not well leave
the bedside of his wife, she being
quite sick. L first and second
assistant chiefs were not present,
and of the SIX members who were
| present not one Of them could do
any thing with the englue, which
hey had taken to we'll on Maple
avenue.
A reporter of THE VIRGINIAN ar.
rived at 1880 O'clock, and finding
that no stream had been turned on,
not knowing the trouble, began to
ime them. Ono hour and fifteen
minutes elapsed before stream was
turned on. During this time the
tine residence of Mrs. NJ. NJ. keeter
and MIR. Mot Spence Owned Joint
~ took fire and gradually burned
to tue ground.
Mrs. Eliza Lowery owned the next
building ut distance of about
thirty feet. Several men volunteered
| to go on 1t and use buckets; this
Kept the fire from spreading further.
If the bncket brigade had not gone
on Mrs. Lowery'a house so soon il
Wonld have cnnght also, aud IL block
of SIX or eight buildings would prob
ably have been burned to the
ground iii the presence OF several
hundred citizens and the Hope Fire
Company.
The loss sums up AS follows. as
near as could be learned: Mrs. Lind
avs house cost l,G00 to hnild IT
aud she had an insurance of ST., 300
on 1t, but AS 1t had been vacant
thirty days she had just had the
vacancy clause attached to her
| policy The day before the fire. She
VIII loose one.third of the amount II
was Insured for on account Of IT,
nelng vacant. Mrs. Keeter ann Mr..
| spence paid So, 800 TO have their
| house built and had an Insurance of
81, 900. They saved all their furni
ture and the most OF their windows,
blinds and mantelS. Mrs, Lowerv's
house was scorched badly.
! be above shows the necessity NJ
immediate actor being taken to
prevent IA repetition OF such uegh
gence or Incompetence on the part
OF the tire company. Tho Indepen
dent Hose Company responded with
800 feet OF hose, but as there were
no fire plugs within 300 feet they
were powerless.
MIR. Bnvens went to some of the
Hope Company and offered them
the 300 feet OF hose to enable
them to reach "fre plug" that was
about 300 feet distance. Mr.. Bhv
ems was told to go to h with his
hose. MIR. J.. +. West, ofthe hose
company, asked to be nllo9cd to
bring ont the hand pump OF the
Hope Company, and was told they
should not have q d--n thing, and
the ire burnt itself out of fuel IN
their midst. 1t would be we'll 10
say here that the sooner Berklev is
annexed to Norfolk and connected
by free fridge the better of our
citizens will he.
Mr.. ". II. Spence and Miss Nina
q. Randolph were married Inst
night at the residence of the brid.