The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-08-02
TYBEE'S BEACH FIRE LIT.
NAYLOR HOUSE AND XEHOE'S COT
TAGE BURNED.

RuMe's Cottage DNmaSeu-A ne fio-
tel md One Cottage Entirely
wiped Out-The Hotel Uninsured
nnd Total Loss-Mr. and Mrs.
NayIor Lost Everything-The Fire
started in the Laundry.
The Naylor house at Tybee and the ke-
hoe cottage adjoining were burned to the
ground early yesterday morning. The de-
struction was complete, hardly a vestise
remaining to mark the spot where the
buildings had stood.
There were no fatalities, but the ocou-
pants of the Naylor house made their es-
cape on short notice. many of them being
forced to leave the building in their night
clothes. Very little was saved, and Mr..
and Mrs. Naylor suffer almost total loss,
representing their savings of years. They
had no insurance
The fire started in the laundry in the
rear of the eli running out from the main
building. communicated from the laundry
to the ell. and thence to the main building.
There being no fire department ana no
public water supply at Tybee there was
no possibility Of saving the building after
the fire had once reached it.
The fire was discovered about o'clock
by Mr. Mayor, who was sleeping in one
OF the rooms in the long row in the rear
of the main building and opposite the
laundry. The laundry was small one
story house about eight feet in the rear
of the ell. 1t was divided into three rooms
and the colored cook and her child occu-
pied one of them. Mr.. Naylor reused up
without knowing why, and glancing across
to the laundry, saw it was in flames. He
called to his son-in-law, Mr.. Porter Nc
Farland, foreman of hook and ladder COM
pany No /, who had just come down for
his vacation, and the two ran to the pace
at once.
Efforts were made to use a garden hose
connecting with the artesian well, but the
pressure was not sufficient and the small
stream would go only few feet Mr. Nc
FaTland secured an ak and endeaVored to
tear down the building, but this was too
much of task for one man. The use of
gunpowder to blow up the laundry was
thought Of but there was none to be
had. Messrs. Naylor and Mcfarland got
preventing the spread of the flames there,
but their efforts were useless and, with
the aid of the breeze which carried the
flames toward the ell, the fire soon took
hold there
Seeing that there was no hope of saving
the building Mr.. Naylor burst through
door into the top floor and went through
the Railways arousing the guests. The lat
ter lost no time in making their escape.
There were between 40 and 30 in the house,
including many ladies' and children
Although the fire burned rapidly the
guests managed to save their baggage, but
without stopping to take time 70 dress.
Women who would not have thought Of
such a thing few hours be-
fore, carried and dragged heavy
trunks out upon the sands. The
main hallway of the hotel opening
both towards the railroad and the ocean,
the escape of the occupants was easy, with
out any occasion for a panic
When the fire was discovered in the laun-
dry Mrs. Naylor thought of the cook and
pulled open a window in the rear of the
building. The woman tumbled out with
her child nearly dead with heat and smoke.
She had been trying to escape through the
door and had her head wrapped up in bed
clothing. A few moments more and she
would have suffocated Two young men,
Frank Naylor and Duke Thompson, who
were sleeping in the ell over the kitchen,
had a close call. but got out without dam
age.
The fire burned with great rapidity and
soon spread from the main building to the
new pavilion and bath houses towards
the ocean, and the one-story row with the
old pavilion in the rear. The flames
spread so rapidly that very little was saw
ed from the main building. Not only all
the bedding and furniture but all the din
ing-room equipment, together with the
supplies ia the store-room, were lost With
the assistance of the cottagers, who had
gathered by this time, some furniture,
bedding and household utensils were saved
from the one-story row in the rear.
From the Mayor house the flames
spread TO the cottage Of Mr. William Ke-
hoe on the south. This had been foreseen,
and with the help of the cOttagers and the
young men who had gathered from the
Atlantic Club and elsewhere the greater
part of the furniture was removed from
the cottage before the flames became too
hot TO permit of further work. BY heroic
work the Timer cottage, which was next
that Of MT Kehoe's, was saved. This cot
tage Is occupied for the summer by Mr..
Edward Mcintyre and Mr.. r. L. Coldng.
Expecting that the building would be
burned. they had, with the assistance Of
friends, removed everything. bucket
brigade. which was promptly organized,
kept the sides and roof OF the building wet
and saved IL from burning. This cottage
seems 90 bear a charmed existence. Il
has stood an the storms and fires which
have swept the building since ISL When
the Lane house was burned a few years
ago the conhagration extended to the Ul-
MGR cottage and stopped there.
The cottages 70 the north OF the Naylor
house owned by Mr.. j. II. Ruwe and oc-
cupied by Mr. Benjamin ID southcott and
Mr.. r. i. Walthour. caught I'm the roof,
but the flames were extingushcd with
slight damage. Two cottages, owned by
Mr. Kchoe, on the same line with Mr.
Ruwe's cottages. were In imminent dan
ger for a time, but were only slightly in
jurcd.
Mr. Kehoe had 81 200 insurance on his
cottage and Sz09 insurance on the furni-
ture Tho furniture saved from the cot
tage was removed 20 one Of the Lowell
cottages nearby. Mr.. Kchoe stated that
he would rebuild.
The MAYORS had not a cent OF insurance.
and suffer a total loss OF between $1,000
ana $1,000 The Georgia State Building
and Loan Association had q loan OF about
1880 on the building. which was protect
ed by Insurance. but this was AN the in-