The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1897-04-15
THE VERY HEART OF THE CITY
WAS RUINED BY A
FIERCE FIRE.
LOSS FOOTS UP OVER A MILLION
Four Guests Perished-A Woman
and Infant Saved From m
Upper story Window.

such a loss by fire as it did today. The
very heart of the city, including some OF
the largest wholesale and retail business
houses in the south, were destroyed. The
loss is variously estimated at from
81 100000 to $1,500,000, with about TO
per cent of insurance.
The loss of life is very uncertain, as
the register of the Hotel Knox, in which
seventy-six people were stopping, has
been burned. The proprietor said he had
five or six guests who have not put in an
appearance.
A. w. Weeks of Cincinnati, drummer
for a stamping concern of Rochester, is
known to have persisted.
w. II. Kepart, ex-secretary OF the
Chamber of Commerce, saved the life. OF
James Boyle, an old farmer by dragging
him to window and letting him out onto
another building. Kepart jumped one
story and was injured.
When the fremen thought all the in
mates of the hotel had escaped, a woman
with an infant in her arms rushed to q
rear window and screamed for help. A
net was quickly stretched and the woman
asked to drop the child out, but as the
smoke choked her, she told them that if
one had to die, both must. The woman
was finally rescued by one of the fire
men.
From the hotel building, which is five
stories high, the fire spread east and
west. In the wholesale warehouse of W..
H. Woodward & Co. large dynamite ex-
plosion occurred and scores of people
were injured by flying bricks and glass.
1t was determined to blow down build
ing with cannon to stop the mad progress
of the flames A mountain hOwitzer be-
longing to the Knoxville Volunteers was
put to work, and at the same time some
residences were torn down in different
parts of the city.
The fire department. seeing they were
unable to conquer the flames, telegraphed
to Chattanooga for service. An engine
was placed on fiat car and the lis
miles was made by Engineer Robinson in
100 minutes. When the engine arrived
here the fire was about under control,
but the Chattanooga boys did some good
work.
A man named P. c. Dyer fell dead
from fright.
A man named Robinson, from some
place in Tennessee, is supposed to be an
other victim. He was registered at the
hotel and is not accounted for.
A large number of men are at work
in the ruins tonight searching for bodies.
The street car service is completely sus-
pended and all the electric companies
have suffered. Knoxville architects re-
ceived orders for plans today for eleven
buildings to take the places of those
burned. All those destroyed will be re-
placed at once.
Losses and assurances, as far as OBJ
tninable are as follows:
McNulty company, grocery; loss, $780,
600: insurance, 100000.
McNulty, building; loss, $4,000; insur-
ance $4,000.
Hotel Knox, furniture and fixtures;
loss, $4,000; insurance, $4,000.
Daniel, Briscoe Bros. 4 Co., dry goods;
stock loss, 100000; insurance, S15O.0OO.
Daniel, Briscee Bros. y Co., building;
loss. $4,000: insurance, $4,000.
Il. p. King & Co., insurance agents;
loss, $500; insurance. S41OO.
McNulty & McGbee, building; loss,
$4,000; Insurance. none.
s. b. Newman & Co., printers; loss,
$4,000; insurance, $4,000.
w. ID. Woodruff, hardware; building
loss, $4,000: insurance, $4,000.
Cullen & Co., queensware; loss, $40,
900; insurance, $4,000.
]. s. Cullen, building; loss, $4,000;
insurance, not known.
Hengar Boyle & Co., clothing; loss,
$4,000; insurance, $4,000.
NJ. D. Arnold, building; loss, $4,000;
insurance. $4,000. eoo
NJ. L. Rose & Co., grocery; loss, S6o,-
600: insurance, $4,000. .
NJ. l.. Rose, building; loss, $4,000; in
surance, $4,000.
W. l.. Woodruff & Co., hardware; loss,
S10p 900. insurance StM GOO.
w. l.. Woodruff, building; loss, $1,000
insurance, $4,000. .
Murphy & Robinson, hats; loss, SO
coo; insurance, $4,000.
A. p. Laher dry goods; loss, $4,000
insurance, $4,000. 100000
II. S. Payne. building loss, $4,000; in
surance, $4,000. oo
Sterichi Bros. furniture; loss, S35,OOO
insurance, $4,000. aoooo
G. l.. Magee, building; loss, $1,000; IN
surance, none.
Sanford, Chamberlain & Albers, drugs
loss $4,000; insurance, S20,0OO
Sanford. Chamberlain & Alhers. build
ing: loss, $4,000; insurance, $4,000. 80.
Mcmillan & Week, building; loss, $50,
000 insurance, none. oo
Cusck Stables, building; loss, $4,000
insurance, none; warehouse, SlO,OOO; IN
surance $1,000. $4,000
City Stables. contents; loss S1O,0OO; IN
surance, $1,000; building, loss, $1,000; in
Surancc, none.
f. Il. McMllin, building, vacant; loss
$4,000; insurance, $4,000.
Immense damages were done TO tn
plate glass windows and otherwise to
number of buildings, though they wer'
not destroyed, aggregating S50,OOo t
100000; insurance. about half.
The last man to leave the Knox hote
says he is positive that five or six per
sons were burned. He ran over three o
four men in the hallway who were sutfo
Gated.
b. NJ. Dean of Kansas City, who jump
ed from the burning building, tells
| thrilling story of his escape. He starte'
out with only his night shirt on. and ha,
that torn off before he reached the street
His roommate, w. A. Tabor. was NOR
fortunate, having saved two shirts. Tn
| T. Z. A. members of the local post too
care of the drummers, buying some suit
out and out.
w. A. Mitchell of Abingdon. Va
jumped from the burning building to tn
bank building.
II. |. Johnson. railroad baggagemas
| ter, came down from the fifth story, han
over hand over the water pipe before tn
! fire engines arrived.
| The list of dead and injured so far a
reported is rs follows
The Dead.
A. +. Weeks. Locke. n. y.
w. A. Hopkins, St. Louis.
- Robinson, Pulaski. Tenn.
IL II Williams Snrinrfipld Mass