The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-06-08
BIG BUSINESS BLOCK BURNED.
AtGUsTA's FIRE LOSSES AMOUNT TO
ABOUT $25O,OOO.

stocks Observation-Disclosures Tel
eEraphed for But Not Needed-Ex-
pIosiOn of Cartridges.
Augusta, June THE largest fire in Au-
eusta's history in many years burned over
the same district that was swept seven
years ago, when the Augusta Chronicle
was burned.
Several buildings that escaped at that
time are now smoking ruins.
The fire started in the drug store of
Davenport & Phnizy. A negro was mix
Ing a pot of venus turpentine, which is
hard rosin melted, and mixed with tur-
pentine. Fire got in the pot, and the
flames spread so rapidly that employees in
the front part of the store barely had time
to escape
Smoke issued in dense volumes from
back and front of the store Owing to the
oil. paint and chemicals. in the stock, it
was seen from the beginning that it would
be fortunate if the fire was confined to
this building
Losses and Insurance.
The flames made quick headway, and in
. short while the following stocks were
burned out: Kress & Co., and 1O-cent
store, loss $4,000, insurance $1,000; Lam
kin < Co, grocers, loss $1,000, insurance
5000; Thomas & Barton, musical instru-
ments, bicycles and furniture, loss $4,000,
Insurance $4,000; Alexander Drug Compa-
ny loss $4,000, insurance $170O0 Daven-
port & Phinizy, loss $4,000, insurance $22,-
gtuln e
5000, insurance about $1,000; Smythe Chi
ma store, loss about $1,000, insurance $1,000;
William schweigert, jeweler. loss very
Slight fully covered by insurance.
August DORIS Sons, tailors and furnish
ers, loss on stock, $4,000, fully covered
by Insurance.
The buildings burned were valued in the |
aggregate at about s15OoOO, and the insur-
aRce IS about $4,000 i
Beside these there were a number of |
smaller losses as the upper storieg of The |
buildings were used as offices, making the
total losses in the neighborhood of $780,
Ol0
Outside Aid Was Not Needed.
Savannah and Macon were telegraphed |
~ t@- "77ioletAlCN dAiQ Alic O6HtTdf GdllrOd1 |
had special trains in readiness to bring
engines and hose when word was sent that
tie fire had exhausted itself.
During the hight of the excitement ten
thousand rounds of cartridges in the ar
mory which was also burned, began TO ex-
r.ode and for about an hour there was an
incessant fusinade of shots that sounded
Ike real battle.
Great flakes of burning embers were car
ned by high wind a block away and two
Or three frame buildings were burned.
adding about 5000 more 10 the losses.
Three cotton warehouses were on fire at
various times, but were fortunately saved
before the flames got headway.
The entire department was fighting the
original fire, and had it not been for the
vigilance Of citizens in watching and pro-
ectns their property, the loss would have
gone into the millions.
Bucket brigades were on top of every
building for several blocks around the
neishborhood of the fire
The City Was Threatened.
For time it looked like a general con-
Migration threatened the whole city. A
lFIsk wind filed the air with burning
brands that fell in showers upon roofs
across Broad street, and even on REYNOLDS
street a square away towards the river,
ana The cotton warehouse district.
Inc fact that Broad street is 200 feet
Wide, and the buildings have slate and
IN roofs enabled the bucket brigade on
eaeh building to put out the brands as
fast as they fell.
oA Reynolds street two frame dwellings
"itn shinsle roofs were burned, and at
''e same time it looked like the flames
would cross McIntosh street to the old
christopher Gray dry goods corner. and
'""s make headway in another Broad
street block. If this had occurred the fire
would probably have swept a large por-
uoh of the city Fortunately the fire de-
f7' 'Ileht was enabled 10 hold it in half
''.E' extending from DORIS three-story
'-nuIHg to the corner below.
i"v Montgomery building, which was
''7c'ed on the ruins of the old Chronicle
''l'lng six years ago, was one of the
soonest building on Broad street The
V"'eis of the real estate in the burned
r''-N are the Montgomery estate, Henry
Ming and Leonard Phinizy, all able
@ 'so1iId better than before, and the
1 VIII doubtless result in handsome i'm
''V'ements for the city.
There Were No Fatalities.
'''pn'y there was no casualty connect ]
"I'a the fire. Some of the firemen had
'5"' burns and bruises. and it was nee
sS@Fy to turn streams on those near l
'-e tire and keep their clothes soak l
"et to prevent their igniting. {
p ,,e narrowest escape was that of MIR.
~ smythe, a crockery merchant. who
0s Il prominent candidate for postmaster
f year lie was cut off from egress I
-e IN the second story Of his store and
e''lzens stretched hammock and
''' to him to jump, but he was afraid