The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-02-05
THREE FIRES IN A NIGHT.
TWO STABLES BURNED AND
DOYLE'S GROCERY DAMAGED.

All Three Fires Believed to Have
Been Started by Incendiaries-The
Firemen Kept Busy Answering
AIarms-The Congress street Sta
BILE Fire Caused the Heaviest Loss.
Three fires in succession between 9:15
and 1920 o'clock last night kept the fire.
men comfortably busy. The fact that the
fires occurred in succession and their To-
cation give rise to the belief that some
thing more than spontaneous combustion
or accident was responsible for their oc-
currence.
There is said TO be evidence that one of
the fires was incendiary and the probabili-
ties are that the other two were also.
Three more favorable places for destruc-
ton than those in which the fires occur
red would be hard to fight, and the fact
which gives color to the theory of incen-
diarism is that each fire, after the first,
seems to have been set after it was
seen that the previous fire was under con-
troll.
The first alarm calling the depart
ment in the direction of Broughton and
Drayton streets brought out a considerable
portion of the population. The alarm was
at 9:15 o'clock. The blaze and reflection
attracted the attention of everyone on the
stretes and all FASTENED in its direction.
There were 1900 or 5000 people gathered
at one time, but when they saw the fire
was of little consequence, they soon dis
persed.
, The fire broke out in the old stables on
Congress street, east of the new telephone
xchange, formerly occupied by William
T. Birch. The stables are now in charge
of Mr.. Luke Carson, who was using them
to store his carriages and buggies. 1t was
a common frame building, and being dry
material, burned rapidly and made quite
blaze.
The fire had good headway when the
department arrived. The large crowd
which had gathered packed the entrances
to Congress street and the lane from
Drayton street SO that the fremen could
with difficulty get through, and the small
fore Of policemen on hand seemed unable
to handle the crowd. Another difficulty
with which the firemen had to contend
was the lack of water pressure from the
hydrants When the water was first
turned on it simply ran out the end of the
nozzle. Had il been the Morrison House
or some other high building on fire this
would have proved quite a serious mat
ter. Sufficient pressure was gotten up in
a few minutes, however, to reach the
fire. In the lane, where Assistant Chief
Mouro took charge, the fire was burning
on both Sides the stables on the north
side and some negro shanties on the south
side. both being in a blaze. The lane was
pretty hot for time but Mr.. Mouro and
his men stood to their work, though sew
eral of them had their hands and faces
b.isfered.
The stables, however, were too far gone
TO be saved and the firemen had 70 devote
their attention principally to surrounding
buildings The stables ran all the way
through from Congress street to the lane,
and several small frame shanties in the
lane belonging to w. Fl. Patterson caught
fire. The occupants of them moved out in
hurry.
The people in Winters garden were some
what panic stricken and moved out in a
hurry. The actors and actresses packed up
their trunks and got them in shape for
moving out but by that time the fire was
pretty we'll under control and there was no
necessity for it. A small frame shop be-
longing to p. Killorin next door to the sta
bles was damaged badly, but did not burn
down.
The buildings damaged and destroyed are
old frame structures and have no business
in that section of the city. The only des-
truction of any moment wrought by the
fire was that Of the five or six carriages.
and several buggies in the old stable, be-
longing to Mr.. Luke Carson. This proper
| ty was in pretty good condition, being In
daily use, and stored there, only when not
wanted. Mr.. Carson's loss will probably
amount to 81 200 or more, but the balance
of the property amounted to little or moth
/ ing.
The fremen were just picking up their
hose at the Congress street fire when the
| whistle at the Georgia Brewery sent out
| an appeal for help and minute or two la
! ter an alarm came in from box at Bay
| and Habersham streets. The firemen rush
ed in that direction and found the stable
| of James Crotty in Bay street lane just in
the rear of the brewery, burning. The sta
| Bile was a low one-storV structure, and if
given fifteen minutes more would have
| been reduced to ashes
The fire had just caught when the fire.
men arrived. A lot of hay in the rear por-
ton on the lane side was burning and the
! fire was spreading to all parts of the
building. Five head of stock were gotten
out of the building just after the fire was
| discovered. The firemen got stream of
water on and ext.nguished the blaze with
| out difficulty.
! People living in the neighborhood were
! OF the opinion that the place had been set
| fire to by dropping a match through a hole
in the brick wall upon the pile of hay in
the rear of the stable. 1t was said that a
member of the family had inspected the
| stable only five minutes before the fire
broke out and found nothing wrong.
An incipient fire also started in NJ. j.
! Doyle's grocery store. No ia St. Julian
street, west. 1t is supposed to have been
the work Of incendiaries
| Scattered hay and other combustibe
material gathered under the iron gratings
1 which cover the cellar entrances, and II
was in one of these that a policeman dis
covered a blaze burning brlskly. He man
/ aged to get pail of water and dashed ii
on the fire, putting it out easily.
About this time Chief Mcguire came
| along and the matter was reported to him.
| Some one also sent a telephone call to No.
engine house and the combination hose
! and chemical was soon on hand.
! The store door was priced open and a
| thorough investigation was made by the
! iiremen They found no further evil
dences of fire, however and the place was
! turned over TO an officer to await some
| one who could again lock the place.
| Chief Mcguire firmly believes the fire
incendiary. Much trouble has been re-