The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1901-05-09
ACRES OF BUILDINGS GONE
One Hundred and Thirty City
Blocks Wiped Out and Many
Thousands are Homeless.

Blocks Wiped Out and Many
Thousands are Homeless.
The most disastrous fire in the his
tory of Jacksonville, Fla, began Fri
day last shortly after noon in a small
fiber factory, and burned for nearly
ten hours. In that time property
damage estimated from SO, 900, 900 to
S15. 900, 900 was effected.
According to the city map $50 blocks
were burned, many of them in the
heart of the business and residence
section. The estimates of houses to
the block is ten, hence 1900 of them
went up in smoke. Many of the finest
public and private buildings were de-
stroyed, including hotels, theaters,
churches and residences.
The burned district reaches from
Burbridge street on the north to the
st. Johns river on the south, dis
tance of quite two miles. The width
Of the desolated area is thirteen
blocks. Within this space practically
everything is blackened ruins. On
Bay street, the principal mart of trade,
the Western Union Telegraph COM
pany's building is the first going west.
Everything east Of Laura, on Bay, is
gone.
At 1915 p. m. the fire was under
control, having practically burned it.
self out. The suburban settlements,
with the exception of La Villa, are in
tact. La Villa was badly hurt. Thou
sands of persons were on the streets
homeless. with practically all Of their
worldly possessions upon their backs.
The depots of the railroads, situated
in the southeastern section, were
turned into temporary lodging houses
and hospitals. Luckily the weather
was fine, so that there will be no suf-
fering on that score.
The fire started between the hours
of 12 and p. m., and was caused by
the displacement of q bit of innocent
looking wire which accidentally got
into the shredding machine of the
American Fiber company at the corner
of Davis and Union streets.
The fiber factory was a wooden shell,
full of infammable material, and in a
few moments was mass of flames.
The wind, which was already blow
ing strong from the southwest, seemed
to be possessed with sudden fury and
soon was carrying destructive embers
all through the doomed city, the fair
est portion of which lay right before
the wind.
Some delay was experienced in get
ting the alarm, and to add to the trag-
edy OF fatefsl accidents, the engine at
the watervorks suffered mishap and
nothing more than ordinary pressure
could be obtained. By this time the
flames had swept to the Boston store,
huge furniture establishment belong
ing to W. w. Cleveland & son, who
were also proprietors of the fiber fac
tory. It leaped across Davis street
and took course right through Sec
ton where block after block of frame
buildings, mostly occupied by negroes.
had been erected.
Here is where the fire department
lost its grip, as simultaneously in half
q dozen places, some of them six
blocks, were seen to burst out in
flames. The wind rising higher and
higher moved down whole rows of
buildings and attracted at first
crowd of curious sightseers, who seem
ed to be fascinated by the sight until
they learned that their residences, too,
were in danger of total destruction.
It took just four hours for that re-
sistless sea of flames to consume every
bnilding for a space of six or eight
blocks wide, from Davis street, near
where it started, to the Hogan creek
yiaduct, distance of over one and one
half miles, and then not satisfied with
eating the heart of the residential por-
ton of the city out, it doubled on it.
self and went roaring up the princi-
pal thoroughfare of trade, destroying
everything in what was the original
incorporation of Jacksonville. The
government building, which caught
fire at one time, but was saved, is the
only pretentious building left stand
ing.
Grom the humble homes of the poor
to the elegant residences of the we'll
to-do was but short journey for the
flames. After passing Bridge street,
the first house to succumb to the flames
was the elegant mansion of former
Councilman Stansell. Then it seemed
that wherever there happened to be a
shingle roof on building erected be-
fore the fire limits were extended, the
flying embers found lodgment. Blocks
away from the main fire other fires
would break out.
Right into the heart of the town the
flames swept. The Windsor hotel and