The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-05-20
THE JACKSON WILLIE FIRE.
FORM FER CONNECTICUT MAN ON
 THE CONFLA

FORMER CONNECTICUT MAN O.
 THE CONFEDERATION.
 His Letter to Relatives in Waterbury
 His Own Miraculous Escape rom |
 Loss or Injury -O.her Former Water.
 town People Lose All-A Thrilling
 Story.
 e Dr. E. c. French, formerly of Water town, but for several years past resi-
 dent of Jacksonville, writes as follows
 to relatives in Waterbury, under date of May g.:
 You have, of course, ere this, heard that Jacksonville is nearly wiped from
 the face of the earth. It seems like a
 terrible dream until you look out on a scene of desolation nearly two miles long and from one-half to three-fourths of a mile wide right through the whole of the business and also best residence sections of the city proper.
 Starting one block west and north of my store, on the corner of Ashley and Davis streets, it swept around on two sides, then down street, past my house on Church street, and on. It started in the northwest portion with west wind behind it. Everything was as dry as finder, and the fire swept everything before it; not a building or a tree left Swhere it went. Whole blocks melted from sight while you glanced at them; brick churches, stone armory, solid brick and stone blocks went in few moments. The terrible wave of flame, two hundred feet high, simply dropped on them and they were gone. Every church, schoolhouse, large new convent, county house, court house, jails, mar ket buildings, gas works, banks-in fact, all of the city proper, is gone ex- cept about one-third of the west end of Bay and Forsyth streets, which is the only business part left (about eight blocks). People moved their goods into the street only to have to run for their lives and let the goods burn number of lives were lost, but do not know as yet how many. People were driven to the river edge, and had a choice of fire or water.
 Y "No one that saw the sight will ever forget it. The terrible heat, the deep booming of buildings being blown up to check the fire, people screaming, ne- groes praying and wailing, firemen shouting, horses shrieking or screaming | in agony, dogs, cats and chickens on fire, it was something to appall the stoutest heart.
 < Help. arrived from St. Augustine, Fernandina and Tampa. The Tampa | train made seventyfive miles in seven- 4ty-three minutes. They did good work | when they got here, but most of the | city was gone even then. The fire | burned to the river on the south and to Hogan's creek on the east; in fact, l burned as long as there was anything | in it's path
 I've suffered no loss except goods slightly damaged in removing them from the house when we expected eve rything must go. We are only too thankful to put them back in good Shape and have home left for our selves and others that lost their all
 Troops arrived that evening, and with our militia and police strict mar tial law has been maintained so far. All saloons are closed and guarded. The tough" negro element has great 7eal more respect for the business end If rifle with the United States back ,f it than for a policeman's club. All ,ases are tried by court-martial, and hey fear it. MT. and Mrs. Emery (Mrs. Emery was formerly Miss Helen A. Hard of Watertown) lost all except few trunks. We do not know what we shall 10 yet Everyone is sending the wo , nen and children out of the city as fast f Is possible. We think we shall change loon, but when or where we have not f let decided. My loss was comparative $ v nothing, but the terrible anxiety, lghting f1re etc., and looking for friends z when we did not know whether they S were alive or not, brought reaction f hat we all feel severely. ' Many business houses hotels, etc., c will rebuild immediately, but the resi- r ence portion will not be restored for e Ome years yet. Every green thing is q one; large trees burned to stumps St. + ames' park, the pride of the city, a a ,hole block in size in front of the ho- Q els, was swept, clean, and is now des- n Tt. Piles of trunks and furniture left . nere for safety went up in smoke. I s an stand on the corner next to my h tore and look two miles, seeing nothing O ut chimneys, blackened trees and a ,w telephone and trolley poles. The f, utskirts of the city are covered with If ,nts by the thousands. Conlmissaries N re established and patrols are all over le city. Money and help are coming in 'eely, and there is work enough for all cleaning the streets and rebuilding G hey may put back many of the blocks Ut 1t will be a long time before the city ats back to it's former state, One may ut back buildings, but half the beauty O. as in the trees and shrubbery. We n .e thankful to be among the few for n mate ones, and trust we shall be able IT tell more cheerful news soon." e
 A MASTER OF HIS ART. le