The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-09-24
A VICTIM Of THE FLAMES.
Hull & Co.'s Wholesale
Grocery Again Burned.
FIREMAN MSTAY KILLED.
Fell Forty Feet Through a Graf
ing.
JAMES MCyALLY UNDER ARREST.
CHARGED With Arson.


Waldburg block on Bay street yesterday
morning, resulting in the death of brave
fireman, a property loss of about $4,000.
and the arrest of James H. McNally on
charge of arson.
For the third time in the last ten
months A. B. Hull & Co.'S wholesale gro
cery No. Us Bay street, was burned. Like
the other two fires this fire occurred in
the early morning, and without any one
being able to explain its origin. The po-
lice reached the conclusion at the last fire
in February which was followed by sew
eral others, among them being the Sa-
vannah Grocery Company's fire, that the
fires were due to incendiarism. Cir
cumstances, as they thought, pointed 10
McNally, a former employe of Hull & Co,
as the incendiary, and he was closely
watched for some time. but as
there was no proof against him of a posi-
tive character. he was not arrested. He
probably would have been arrested had it
not been that he was taken seriously Ill
about that time and It was thought for
awhile that he would die.
The first thing Chief McDermott did
when he learned Of the fire was to look for
McNally He was one Of the first men the
chief saw on arriving al the burning
building, and the detectives were in
structed to arrest him.
About 4:3O o'clock the night operator at
the telephone exchange in the top of the
Sorrel building at Bay and Bull streets,
saw smoke coming in the windows. She
had smelled the smoke for some time, but
as the operators have been troubled con-
siderably recently by the smoke from the
burning rice fields, she had attributed it
TO that cause. The smoke was so strong,
however, that she concluded 1t might be
something else, and looking out of the
window, she saw a heavy smudge coming
up from River street. Thinking it might
be from locomotive, she woke up her re-
lief and called her attention to it. AS soon
as the latter saw the smoke she decided
that it was a fire and at once called up
No. 500, the fire headquarters and
notified the fireman on watch there, that
there was a heavy smoke coming from
the back of A. b. Hull's store
and that he had better send TO
investigate 1t. The fireman asked If
she thought it was fire. and she replied
that she did. He replied that he would
attend to it. Several minutes after the
alarm sounded from box No. s, at Bay
and Whitaker streets. The alarm was
turned in by Policeman Haar, who was
on duty on Bay street. The message
from the telephone exchange was re-
ceived at headquarters by Driver Glass, of
engine No. 3. He went upstairs to the
sleeping quarters and notified Assistant
Foreman Flynn. The two were
coming down stairs again, when
the alarm sounded and the department
turned out. An alarm from box No. s
always brings down a large crowd. II
seems to be in just that neighborhood
A.. II A. IL.
for The early morning hour perhaps
was responsible for the fact that there
was smaller number of people around,
but nearly all the business men who have
interests along that part of the Bay were
on hand, and the slumbers of the insur-
ance agents, too, were somewhat dis
turbed.
When the firemen arrived at the city
exchange smoke was pouring from the
front of the Waldburg building, as well
as the rear. 1t was found that the fire
was on the second floor from River street
1t had evidently been burning for some
time The rear windows were first open,
and Foreman Jerry Murphy of chemical
engine No. / went in.
The firemen had no trouble in getting
to the fire; that was done quickly enough,
but there seemed TO be some difficulty
in handling it. 1t was at first though
that the fire could be handled very cas-
lily, and in some places the chemicals We're
turned loose on it. At one time it was
believed the fire was out or very nearly
so, but a fire in hay and similar combussi-
BILE material is very deceptive. and il soon
got away from the men again.
Then it was that he flames began to
spread from floor to floor, going upward
through the building, and the fight upon
IL was made by floor at a time instead
of flooding 1t from the top. The wind
was blowing from the north and carried
~.fr - III
city, filling residences as far south as the
park and farther. On the Bay street side
the fire was below the sidewalk at the
start, but the smoke found it's way up
ward through the building and poured
out in heavy black clouds
Most of the streams were used in the
front of the building. AT first only two
were taken to the River street side, and
finally when the fire had been burning
about an hour and a half the heavy
stream was put on from the top of
the aerial ladder. The two streams
were poured in the third story,
the flames all the time steadily making
their way into the story above. on one
ladder were three fremen MANIPULATING
one Of the streams. 1t seemed as II the
smoke would suffocate them. and they
descended for "a moment down a few
rungs Of the ladder Fireman Henderson
was between the two others
GO back to that window" Chief Ma
guire shouted TO him from below
II can't get there, there's a man in NV
way" was Henderson reply.
second time the chief gave the same
order and a second time Henderson call
ed attention to the fact that the man
above him was in his way. while the
three of them were slowly making their
way back to the window.
Well, then, come down and knock off q,
the chief said, and with an "All right
I'll do it," Henderson came down fror,
the ladder and took a holiday.
BY this time the fire was spreading ran.
idly In the fourth story. The iron shnt.
ters were open and the window glass
men on the ladders had to come dow
and those IN charge Of the two streams
carried them to the roof Of the building