The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-04-08


made 10 pry open a window. A crack was
opened sufficiently TO show that the fire
I was there. but that was all. Although
I Murphy labored with all his might he
could not succeed in forcing open the win
dow and others were equally unsuccessful
| Attention was then turned to the iron
doors on the ground floor on River street.
| Il took ten minutes hard work TO get open
/ one set Of doors. There was no fire on the
T ground moor and the ncOr above but the e.
forts Of the hremen 10 reach the higher
floors from ;he interior were frustrated BY
the heat and smoke. Finding that Moth
ing could be accomplished here attention
was again turned to the windows over
River street. but without success. l. was
then noticed that there were flames on the
top floors on the river side and an effort
was made TO fight the fire from the sheds
on the north side.
The failure 10 get open the windows of
the River street extension was fatal,
though it was some time before this was
realized. When the fire was extinguished
in the two floors north Of River street the
effect was visiblv noticeable ia the de-
creased volume of smoke from the front.
and as it was evident that the fire was in
the rear. order was given to shut off the
water in front
When the fremen failed to make further
Roadway in the rear, il was at once evil
dent from the increasing volumes of smoke
I'm front. The water was again turned on
and efforts made to fight the advancing
flames from the front This proved utter
ly futile.
At 2:l5 o'clock it was realized that there
was little hope Of preventing a complete
loss. The flames gained rapidly after that
time. Fifteen minutes later flames burst
out in the rear. After that it was only
question of time as 10 how long it would
take the fire to do its work. AT o'clock
the firemen were utterly helpless, and the
flames were reaching heavenward, illumi-
mating the whole city. The firemen could
only pour in water from a distance, and
with the hope Of combining the fire to the
grocery building
Mayor Myers who was on the scene
early said that he could not account for
the fire. Policeman Neidlinger had re-
ported that half a large pane of glass
was broken out of the eastern door of
the building. making place large enough
for man to enter easily. This was not
broken when the store was closed at
night 1t was discovered in this condition
at the time the alarm was turned in,
giving it a very bad appearance, to say
the least.
Policeman Neidlinger said that when he
passed the building a half hour before
and tried the doors, according to custom,
the window glass of the eastern door was
not broken. When he saw the smoke
coming out of the grating at this point
ne also noticed that this window glass was
broken. This might have been caused by
the smoke, but it gave the impression to
those who first arrived on the scene that
there had been foul play.
Mayor Myers said, though, he did not
know he had an enemy in the world who
would have committed so heinous a
crime to satisfy a Spite he could come to
no other conclusion than that some enc
my, however, had set fire to the building
In no other way, he said, could the fire
be accounted for, and there were other
evidences which pointed to that conclu-
sion, as the fire started on the floor where
the lard was stored, and there were no
easily combustible material about. Mr..
Myers said he would make thorough in
vestigtion of the matter, and would get
do so.
At o'clock the fire appeared to be par
TALLY under control, with the indications
that it would be confined TO the Grocery
Company's building. 1t looked then as If
NJ. Ferst's Sons & Co.'S building would
be saved The fire had not caught there
yet, and every effort was being directed
to prevent it from doing so. Messrs
Fersts came down shortly after the alarm
was turned in, and seeing that the fire
night prove serious, made all prepara-
tions to remove their books and valuable
papers, which was done later Mr.. A. b.
Hull, who is one door removed to the
east of the Grocery building, also moved
out his books and papers.
The burned building was the property Of
the Wilcox & Gibbs Guano Company. 1t
was erected in 1894 on the site of the
building which was burned in the fire of
Feb 5, 1894 which swept the entire block
west of the Waldburg building on the
east of the Grocery Company to Whita-
ker street. carrying with it NJ. Fersts'
Sons & Co.'S wholesale grocery. and de-
stroying over $S5O,0OO worth of property.
The Grocery Company building was built
at a cost of about $4,000 1t had a frontage
Of 66 feet, with depth of 1856 feet, and was
| six stories in hight from River street, be-
/ ing three stories above Bay street The
| building was continued across River street
! by an arch supported by iron Orders. 1t
is fully covered by Insurance, as is the
/ building on the west occupied by Fersts'
! Sons and Co., and also owned by the VIII
cox & Gibbs Company.
The building on the east is owned by
the Waldburg estate. The adjoining store
is unoccupied. Next to that is the hwole-
sale grocery Of A. B. Hull & Co.
On the north side Of River street, back
of the building occupied by Fersts Sons,
and adjoining the Grocery Company's ex-
tension is the Wilcox & Gibbes Com
| panys mill. in which are stored about
300 tons of guano This building is iron
and brick and escaped. The guano COM
pany's loss is entirely on buildings
Its offices are on the north side of Bay
street.
Fireman John Cooper of No l. while
up on the ladder, engaged in knocking in