The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1898-06-16
GpGGDViQe'S Fire Sunday.
LOSS $4,000.

LOSS $4,000.
The Greenville Reflector gives &C:
count Of very serious fire Sunday.
We give most OF the account as follows :
Greenville had anything but a quiet
day on Sunday. As the church bells
were ringing just before Ii o'clock call
ing people to the morning worship a
fire alarm was sounded. Volumes of
dense smoke were seen rising from the
tobacco section of the town and every
heart was filled with fear as to what
would be the result. Those who had
already reached the churches hastily
left, and those on the way there as
quickly changed their course to the
scense OF the fire.
The fire was found to be burning
fercely in the feed room to the row OF
stables just in the rear of the German
factory occupied by the American To-
bacco Company, and on the other side
almost adjoining, the prizery belonging
to 0. Hooker and occupied by NJ. P.
Jordan & Co. Everyone quickly real
lied that fire in such a thick quarter
meant disaster, and that it would re-
quire almost superhuman efforts to pre-
vent the greater part of the tobacco
buildings from being swept away.
In the stables where the fire origi-
mated was stored great quantity of
hay and nothing could have stopped a
fire in there. The distance was so great
and the firemen being unable to pull
their engine by hand through the sandy
streets, much time was lost before they
could get horses to help carry the en-
CINE to the cistern at Roberts & Flick
lens factory. Before this could be done
and a stream could be turned on one
end and almost the entire roof OF the
Jordan factory was mass OF flames.
Almost before it could be realized
the fire had leaped to another prizery
belonging to Mr.. Hooker and occupied
by Strause Bros. and in a few moments
that also was a mass of flames. The
day was oppressively warm, and the
heat from these two tall buildings was
so intense that it could not be endured.
The firemen would advance on the
flames only to be driven back, and sew
eral of them, as we'll as number of
citizens who were aiding them, we're
overcome by the terrific heat and fell
in their tracks.
X X
Tn fo4 tn nj a1% 80 HN
body of the fire and was only saved by
the hardest of work after being on fire
several times. The Eastern and Green
vile warehouses also had remarkably
narrow escapes.
The fire soon spread to w. O. Barn
hills machine shop and destroyed that
and then the dwelling house occupied
by Robert Nichols and owned by w. T.
Goodwin. The stables on the w. S. Leg
gett property were destroyed and the
large dwelling occupied by III. L. Cow
ard was damaged and narrowly escap-
ed.
While the fire was at its height in
the prize houses brisk wind set in
from the southwest that sent great
burning embers over the heart OF town.
This almost caused a panic and num-
bers of people had to hurry away to
protect their homes. The dwelling of
I. E. Hooker, the w. H. White house
occupied by w. F. Morrill,, buildings
on the premises of G. D. Rountree and
Wiley Brown and some others caught
but were quickly put out.
The total loss by the fire Is estimat-
ed at from $4,000 to $4,000. O..
Hooker was the heaviest loser, his
being $4,000 with $1,000 insurance.
All the others, we understand, had
some insurance. While everybody in
the vicinity OF the fire suffered some
loss it will require the adjustment to
determine the amount. Fortunately
for the tobacco men the fire occurred
when they had but little stock on hand
so that they did not lose much beyond
their fixture and office equipments.
How the fire originated is not posi-
tiyely known, but it is rumored that
boys had previously been caught in
the stables playing cards, and the
is that some must have
been in there smoking when the fire
occurred.