The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1896-04-19

Nu Hi Tile GDICLIs III Ills
tory, past or to come none will be re-
membered with more diStinctiveness |
than the terrible visitation Of fire one !
year ago this morning. That was an
awful catastrophe, one unequaled in
its entire obstruction, by any similar
event in the history Of southern cities
and almost a parallel to the great
Chicago fire in October 1871, when the
results are estimated with reference
to comparative size of the cities and
the property destroyed as to the
whole.
With Ardmore the only thing more
remarkable than its complete wiping
out within -four hours, is the entire
obliteration of all physical evidences
of the destruction wrought by a
pheonecian rebuilding on the ruins
of a grander and more magnificent
city. 1t has not required from April
10, 1895, to April 10, 1896, to accom-
plish this showing, hardly half that
time elapsing before the berned dis
trict was rebuilt and the business
limits of the city heightened on Main
a couple of blocks and a general
spreading on Caddo and Springer
streets.
A short resume of the great fire will
not be out of order. 1t started in
Harpers livery stable on North Caddo
street the ruins of which is shown in
cut published elsewhere in this
issue.
The alarm was raised about two
O'Clock in the morning and it was but
a short time until the thousands Of
excited people were in the glare Of the
greatest conflagration ever visited
upon town of the size of our city.
The work of the fire tiend is best
told in an article published in the
ARDMoREITE Sunday morning July
% of last year, and which is repro
uuced this morning as graphic dcs-
cription of that event as follows:
"When at o'clock on the morning
of the 10Th several pistol shots rang
out in the stiffness CT the night, the
nervous ones thought of some in
cipient fire or midnight reveller, and
falling to sleep again dreamed of Ard
more with 40,O0O population,
municipal government and paid de-
partments to fight the fire and police
to silence the carouSer. A few min
utes, another and still another loud
report pierced the night. and looking
toward the business center a dull red
glow like a Somber monster of de-
struction hung over the very heart Of
the city. Then through the gloom
and smoke came the flashing Of fOrked
flames curling, twisting and tapping
in its Unsuitable maw every yeStige Of
combustible material i'm reach and
soon the streets were lined with
thousands of willing souls, battling
for their all against the grim des-
trOyer. For two long hours the fight
continued, the hoarse shouts of men
and the roar of the flames making
noises fit for the Internal regions.
This giving way to a stubborn, silent.
dogged warfare with odds in favor of
the fiery demon continued through
the night until human endurance
could stand it no longer. The fight
became retreat, the streets filled
with broken furniture, huge piles Of
merchandise were literally sea Of
flame, and iii many instances hun
dreds of dollars worth of stuff saved
from the buildings was burned to an
ash heap in the street. On and on
sped the flames, brick blocks falling
a victim to its march, until from
sheer want Of substance the battle
was at an end. The gray dawn
showed scene of desolation which
from comparative circumstances is
without a parallel in the history OF
this country. Almost half a million
dollars worth of property had been
swept away in four short hours. In
many instances the saving sof a life
time had gone out in a single moment,
and dazed by the dreadful sight.
stunned by the magnitude of the
disaster, it seemed to even the most
hopeful that Ardmore's prosperity
was at an end. 1t was then that
(even while the very ground was hot
and smoke so dense as to be almost
unbearabiel the true spirit Of Ard
more's enterprise was manifested.
Before the sun had set upon the
first days ruins contracts had been