The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1901-03-20
The Flvrcest Of Fires.
NINRpEEN BUILDINGS AND
THOUsAN OF DOLLARS
WORTH OF PROPERTY
SW EPT Away.

The 6ercest ard mos, costly 6e that hss
occurred in Sumter sluce be old town bail
and the s,eres on Main street were hurned
eiobt y=ars ago destroyed Eopsrson's stabies
aod warehouses, the old j.ll, he new j.,',
three warehouses OF the Craig Flrnit re 20
4cd seveu negro tenant hou es-nl'eteen
eu ldings in all-Moods7 right Wirh,n the
space ee an hour. While it lasted It Was
terrific fe- ce besond Imagination, hen mes
go -spiuq from building to building, which
ernsuh,ed to saheo beneath their touch WITH
10 Few mone6'-.
Ths al.rm was gwen at 4s, sbd aifhobp D
the Peel equsos responde, lm ed'sfels a.d
re cbed the scene within tbres minutes from
the 6rs. alarm, the Ore had air ed passed
nevond control, nd the neg, mounting a
hundred feet skvwaed d roaring like
hundred frey furnaces, we're des'royibg Ep-
lerenu's s,anies g., RAPIDLY that abso ely
nothing could "e done TO sta7 their progres-.
Tn. Ere started IN the long mule shed 10
be rear part of Eppe sons stable lot The
loft wae 6l'ed with bsv anj fodder, and
witblp 6ve minutes sf.er the Ere vas first
seen fhe mule sned bad fallen 10 and all If
,he o:her bulldogs on the lo' we're bur 'nQ
or the 90 hors-s in the sssn'es oily IL we're
rescued, the others being huroed TO d ab
A ioiaing ;be CRADLES we're seve al ne0'o
souses f-ciae on Sumter street d
these followed the st eies, a.d then
the a.mes le.ped across the street
'bree negro bouses, cwned by Mr.
& Hsrov Two of these, one 6ve-room
house, aid one two room house were to'a'lt
de ernyed d he ID rd sart'a'V cess Dyed
A, be gam TIM tbs flames jumped arross
Canal Stree on wh,cn The stabes and nDggv
w w-rebousA faced and ized uron the " 6 u
shed rhe ia, and the wa hou-es of be
Graf. 2 Irniture Company At tic 'io,e the
&c va at ,ts worse and Dslpas r ei % 80
had to ban<o 0 feet of ho-e Wi I'D
been a,aehed 10 y hsd .ot IN Cot rect
aud run for 'hair lives, thee De ng nelt er
s'rue nor opportunity TO ssse th. bose or DO
off the water at the htdrans- Sv.p' upws d
and owu.rd nv high ~ind sparks sn
b z,ng brs"ds wee carried north 9s d
scr ss the ,ov1 a'd toee ZINE or another n
d gen res,de"cea on Gath. un Street n
b VOID we on Ere Bnr vig,Ino' ~a'cn
was Kept and uan st-ti ned on the house p
of bose most in danger Ell euished the f es
befo 8 un damage was done Tne on
ling that ssved ths, ocrtlou Of be town 8
he ope 6.id 10 fbe resr of the Ills, Whlco
served TO check the sUe D OF the & mes
the 6qht Of 'he night was made BY he
G-emo a, the workshop of the Craig Furni
ture Company AID here 'be FIRE vas check q,
q thonyh the two story warehouses. 81 d
With furniture, which burned With t'e MT
in epse beat imaginable, vers onlv 'eo 2
6f cen feet defiant No one believed 'he
c,uld be checked at this point. it os'nQ
bought tha, evers house 90 the square wnu d
burned, and the occupants began moving
out
The total loss is estimated TO be betwea
$50 600 and $40 600 with about Sl3 600 in.
sureuce, distributed as follows:
Ge F Eopsrson, loss SIS, 600 to $50 600.
inaurauce SO. 500
J q Craig Farniture Co., loss $4,000 to
Sc 0oe. insurance $4,000
3 Hardy loes $3.50, insurance $500.
Sumter County, loss Sll .o0o, Insurance
81 5o0-S4, 900 90 new jail, which cost be.
tween SO, 90 aad $40, ooo. and S 90 90 the
oil jsi.
Mr Epperson's loss is the most complete
that bas occurred 10 Sumter in many years.
OF % horses 10 were saved. Of more tran
hundred buggies and carriages. q were
aveo, Of more than 8 hundred wagons, 4
were saved, aud of large stock of mowers,
rakes, harnees and agricultural implements,
no, thing was saved.
The Craig Furniture Co, lost their entire
stock of caskets, eofh?s and furniture of ell
kiods, except what wss 10 the brick store,
which was used 80 show aud sale room for
furoi,ure aod con.aiaed only one OF each ar
eicie carried in stock. the bulk Of which was
stored o the three warehouses which were
burned
The County vas the next heaviest looser.
he old jail upon which it would have been
difficult to place vsluatioo, is complete
loss The new Jail costing more than So 100
when erected few years ago s badly wreck.
ed, everything burnable in it having been
burned out, but the vaIls are apparently iu.
tact and it may be repaired
The Ere was dificult one TO handle, aud
the biggest and best equipped Gre department
10 the country could not have saved Epper-
sons property and the negro houses ada
ceot, nor the wagon sheds 90 the opposite
side of Caoal Street from Epperson's stable,
sod, under the circumstances, the 6remen
did good work and ahould be commended
and thanked for what they did rather than
coudemned for some of the things that thev
did not do, which spectators thought could
and should have been done
D-.So.-@