The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-03-26
FIRE ON A COTTON WHARF.
SEVERAL HUNDRED BALES DE-
STROTED BY THE FLAMES.


The Origin OF the Fire Unknown,
But IL l. Supposed TO Have Been
Caused By a spark From IA Steam
bOat-MOre Than 600 Bales Badly
DamaGed-Much Property saved
BY the Timely work of the De-
partment-The Loss Between $1,000
and ss.OOO-Chfef Fuder Has "a Mar
row Escape From BeinE Injured.
An alarm from box IS called the fire
department lIurriedly TO the Savannah.
Florida and Western railway wharves
yesterday shortly before O'Clock.
The fire was located in a lot OF export
cotton on the western end OF the wharf
just in front OF the building Of the sa-
vannah Guano Company As soon as The
fire was discovered and the alarm turned
in, Mr.. Stephen r. Harris. agent Of the
road at the wharf. summoned a number Of
his men and proceeded at once TO hght
the flames with buckets Of water. and in
this way they prevented 1t TO some extent
from spreading.
There were about 100 bales in the lot
where the fire was located and all but
about 100 Of these were more or less
burned. The cotton was compressed. and
had been brought in by the Savannah,
Florida and Western from the country for
export on some Of the tramp steamers.
II was to have been llghtered from the
wharves 10 the point where it was to be
taken on board. When the department
arrived the fire was getting in its best
work The tugs Regis and Forest City
mad come alongside the wharf and had
streams playing on the flames. There were
very soon ten or twelve streams upon
the cotton and within less than an hour
after the alarm was turned in the fire
was pretty well eXtinguished
The building Of the Savannah Guano
Company was dangerously near the fire,
hut Chief Puder had a stream kept on it
until all danger was averted. The rosin
ana spirits sheds, too. were In some dan
ger. Thousands Of barrels of these in
hammable substances were stored there,
and the situat iOn for a time was a dan
gerous one. The roofs Of these sheds once
or twice caught from the sparks and heat,
but a number Of the employees Of the
wharf were on hand with buckets Of
water TO put a stop to any insipient blaze.
II is not known just how the fire started,
but the supposition is that Il was spark
from some passing tug or some such
source as that. The cotton was right on
the river front ready to 90 on the light
ers, and 1t is hard to see just how fire
could have gotten into it in any other way
under the circumstances and al that time
OF the day The loss on the coo bales burn
ed Is considered to have as much as 50 per
cent or somewhere between $1,000 and S.
COO Some of the bales were burned almost
all the way through and 50 badly that it
was an easy matter to knock them to
pieces, while other bales were burned !
only on the surface The cotton was in
sured by marine underwriters in the inte-
rior from where it was shipped for direct
export.
The damage outside Of the burned cotton
was slight. The stagings belonging to the
Savannah GuanO Company and extend
ing from their building out to the edge of
the wharf were pretty badly burned, but
there was no damage to the wharf beyond
Its being charred in few small spots.
There was a good deal of cotton and other
intlammable stuff along the wharf, but
good work on the part of the fire depart
ment and others effectually prevented II
from spreading.
Chief Puder was on Bav street when tho
alarm was rung in, and not being able
TO make out the number exactly he drove
rapidly down Drayton street from Bay to
meet the apparatus, which was coming
IN the opposite direction. AS he reached
Congress street he drew in his horse
suddenly to avoid striking a pedestrian
who was in the act of crossing, when the
belly-band broke and the shafts of his
buggy flew into the air. This caused
his horse to run rapidly, and II was a
hard matter to control him. Chief Pu-
der ran him into a post at Broughton
street, which effectually stopped his run
ming, but threw his driver right over the
dashboard onto the sidewalk The fan
was heavy one and several people ran
up to see il the chief was hurt Mr..
Puder picked himself up, however, and.
leaving his horse in charge of some of
those near at hand, he hailed Mr.. Dan
HEIDI, who was passing, and wentsto the
fire in his buggy. Fortunately the fall did
not hurt him, and he was soon busily at
work without "a scar or a bruise.