The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1901-05-05

at time when the excitement was at
| its height:
Fifteen million dollars worth of prop
erty gone up in smoke, ten thousand peo-
pie made homeless as the result of the
fire in Jacksonville. The end is not yet,
as the fire is still burning furiously, de-
| flying the assaults of water dynamite and
the supreme efforts of the entire popula-
tion aided by the Fire Department from
sister cities.
Such is the sad story of destruction
caused by the displacement of bit of
innocent looking wire which accidentally
got into the shredding machine of the
American Fibre Company at the corner
of David and Union streets The fire
started between the hours of twelve and
one O'Clock p. m, and owing to this fact
the loss of life will be comparatively
small The fibre factory was wooden
shell full of infiammable material and in
a few moments was mass of flames. The
wind which was already blowing strong
from the southwest seemed to be possess
ed with sudden fury and soon was car
rying destructive embers all through the
doomed city the fairest portion of which
lay right in the wake of the wind.
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BY this time the flames had swept to the
Boston store, huge furniture establish
ment belonging to W. W. Cleveland and
Son, who were also proprietors of the
fibre factory. 1t leaped across Davis
street and took course right through a
section where block after block of frame
buildings were mostly occupied by negroes.
Here is where the fire department lost
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dozen places, some of them six blocks from
the main fire, roofs were seen TO burst
out in flames. The. flames rising high
and higher moved down whole rows of
these buildings, and attracted first
crowd of curious sightseers, who seemed
fascinated by the sight, until they learned
that their residences too were in danger
of total destruction. It took just four
hours for that resistless sea of flames
to consume every building in it's wake
for distance of six to eight blocks wide
from Davis street to near where il started
to the Hogan's creek viaduct, a distance
of over one and half miles and then
not satisfied with eating the heart of the
residence portion of the city, it doubled
on itself and came roaring up the princi
pal thoroughfare of trade, destroying
everything in what was the original in
corporation of Jacksonville The Govern
ment building which caught fire at one
time, but was saved, is the only preten-
tious building left standing and it may
go before morning.
From the humble homes of the poor
to the elegant residences of the well l-to-do
was but a short journey for the flames.
After passing Bridge street, the first
bo,1 uybioh SYrputphe5 10 tha dauaas
the elegant brick mansion of former Coun-
Gilman Stansell. Then it seemed that
wherever there happened to be a shngle
roof the flying embers found lodgment.
Blocks away from the main fire, other
fires would break out
TWO HOTELS CONSUMED.
Right into the heart of the town the
flames swept. The Windsor Hotel, the st.
James both of which are among the
finest winter hotels in the South, were
consumed in an incredibly short time.
The opera house followed and then row
upon row of elegant residences were Of
fered up to the Unsuitable fire iend.
At the viaduct leading over the marshes
of Hogans Creek to East Jacksonville.
the limit of the progress of the flames
westward had been reached The hone
of the people grew strong that the worst
was over But as far as the money value
Of the damage was concerned, the worst
was vet to come. Just as the material
for the flames was apparently consumed.
a shift in the wind sent a roaring sea of
flames southward toward the river.
Then ii began to dawn on the
minds of the unfortunates who had
fled to the river that they We're in dan
ger Then came the most thrilling scene
of the entire day. The flames caught the
freight warehouses of the Atlantic Val
dosta and Western Railroad, and began
from there IT'S backward march in the
eye of the wind. Slowly but surely it
ate its way against the wind taking
either side of the Bay street, until it
reached Jones boat yard The whole
sale grocery store of F. and H. DoWling
4 Company. Muller & Company and doz-
ers CT smaller concerns, were slowly
wiped up.
While the flames failed TO cross the
open space. known as Jones boat yard.
danger threatened. The flames swept
down in the rear Of the United States
Hotel. and this with the Law Exchange,
was totally destroyed
THE COURT HOUSE GOES.
Meantime the county court house caught
ON fire and another splendid edifce was
soon a total wreck.
Here the flames jumped across the
street and the line of march was taken
up again, only to be checked when the
last building between Mccoy and Hogan S
Creek had been destroyed.
Among the houses that had succumbed
10 the flames on Bay street were the
Mohawk Building, the Gardiner block,
Rendict and Pollocks wholesale dry
goods; Christie Drug Company, McAllis-
ter, Wholesale liquors; Cohen Brothers
dry goods R. l.. Harrison, dry goocs;
| Iseman and skinner, wholesale grocers;
| l. c. Baird, paints; w. A. Bourse, Nj. r.
Dowler; Claussen, wholesale grocers;
United States Hotel e. r. Clark's furni-
/ ture establishment; lettings and Reich
! ard furniture; Harkisheipr. grocer;
estate of McNeery, half d dozen drug
| stores
The hotels destroyed include the Wind
| sor, the St. James. Placide and Girard
/ Plant and Oxford.
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