The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-10-18
BEREFT OF HOMES BY FIRE.
FOUR HUNDRED HOUSES IN WIND
SoR GO UP IN SMOKE.

Only a Half Dozen scOrched Struc-
turcs Escaped DestructiOn-Home-
less Forced to Spend the Night in
Tents or to Flee to NeIGhbOring
TONns-A Heavy Gale Rages Dur
ing the Fire and Firemen Were OF
No AvaiI-Relief Measures Quickly
Instituted at HnIifax-The Loss Is
Roughly Estimated at $4,000, 900.
Halifax, n. S., Oct. 17.-Historic Wind
sor, one of the most beautiful towns in
the province, was devastated by fire this
morning. For six hours, beginning shortly
before 3 a. m. the fire, famed by a vio-
lent northwest gale, ragged so fiercely that
the local fire department was absolutely
helpless to cope with it. and within half
an hour after its discovery the mayor
began to call for outside assistance.
Long before noon the town had been al
most completely eaten UP, the area COW
cred by the flames being almost a mile
square. and of the 400 or more buildings
occupying that section, barely a half
dozen scorched structures remain.
Among the buildings that escaped are
the Windsor cotton factory, Kings coll
lege, the Anglican church, the Edgehill
school for girls and the Buffrin hotel The
latter is the only hotel left standing.
No Nova Scotia town has ever been vlsi-
ted by a conflagraton Of such dimensions.
OF the $500 people that inhabited the place
few have homes of their own tonight
Over 5000 have been taken In by the resi-
dents of the surrounding country and
neighboring towns, while the remainder
of the sufferers have gone to Halifax or
are sheltered in army tents erected in the
vacant plots by a detachment of British
troops from the garrison city.
The fire started in barn behind the
Marine block in the rear of the business
district. The high gale prevailing carried
the flames to other buildings before the
firmen had time to get to work. The oc-
cupants of dwellings had time to hurry
on some clothing and to drag some house
hold goods into the street, but there was
no place of safety to which anything could
be removed quickly enough to save it from
being destroyed or damaged.
During the past few years many hand
some brick structures have been erected,
but these were generally contiguous TO old
wooden buildings and all went down to-
gether before the furious flames.
The origin Of the fire is somewhat mys-
terious. A severe lightning storm passed
over the town before the flames burst
forth and some think the barn in which
the fire started may have been struck by
lightning. but many strongly suspect that
the coufiagration originated through the
carelessness of some drunken man.
Fortunately no lives were lost
In the hurry and excitement horses and
cattle in the stables were forgotten. and
many persisted in the flames, or were euf-
focated from smoke. Relief measures
were started in Halifax at an early hour,
and this afternoon a train load of provis-
ions, tents, blankets, etc, arrived from
the provincial capital. Aboard the train
were Gen. Montgomery Moore Gov. DAILY,
Mayor Stephen and 100 men of the Royal
Berkshire Regiment and Royal Engineers,
who were brought to attend to the erec-
ton of tents and aid in the relief work
The total loss is estimated roughly a 49,
100000, while a number of the heaviest
losers are partially insured, and some of
them pretty well covered, the total insur-
ance is calculated to be not more than
$4,000.