Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1901-05-09

10
Jacksonville, Fla, May 3.-It is
estimated that $4,000, 000 worth of
property has gone up In smoke and
! that 10, 600 persons have been made
!. homeless MS the result of fire which
broke out in Jacksonville OF -. 40 p.
d. today. Six lives are reported lost.
The buildings oE the entire length
of Beaver street, from Davis street to
tina creek on Liberty street. have heen
destroyed. This is IA solid blocks Of
residences. For the same distance
Ashley and Church streets have been
blotted out.
When the fire reached Bridge street
10 it's eastward course it enveloped ia
flames three blocks-the Duval, Monroe
and the north side OF the Adams, burn
ing up that entire section Of the city
and running IA blocks to the Duyal
street bridge.
How much farther in that direction
the city IS burned it is impossible to
learn, the street being impossible. 1t
is feared that st. Luke's Hospital was
burned. A report reaches the city that
the Presbyterian Church in East Jack.
Bonville is also ablaze. III this is cor
rect, the fire must have extended five
blocks farther east.
The CONFEDERATION was burned over as
far as is definitely known, distance
of two and half miles long by half
mile wide
When the fire reached Julia street IL
was roaring furnace, without any
prospect Of being gut under control.
The local military companies were
called out to keep back the crowds.
The Fire Department began to use
dynamite to blow up houses block
from the fire and thus prevent the fire
from spreading, So fierce was the
blaze, however, and so strong had be-
+ come the wind that millions of sparks
and burning shingles spread over five
or six blocks, setting the roofs of
houses on fire in advance Of the de-
partinent.
Soon Senator Taliaferro's residence
and the adjoining houses on that block
were ablaze. Desperate efforts were
made to save the Windsor and the st.
James Hotels, but both were quickly
enveloped in flames. For about an
hout the guests In the Windsor had
,beep busily packing their trunks. and
they went away loaded with their
goods.
Leaping madly across the street from
the Windsor the flames set fire to the
Methodist parsonage. A few moments
later Trinity Methodist Episcopal
Church was a mass OF flames. The
Opera House Block followed and the
Richards and Livingstone boarding
houses.
4 A desperate effort was made to save
Sthe Baldwin mansion which was
lrecently purchased by the Elks for
lSlS,00 No earthly power could save
tthe building. but that entire block and
4 fthe one west of it were quickly mass
{of flames.
When the fire got started on Main
kstreet the closely adjoining buildings
went one after the other. Paint chops
with barrels of oil in stock were
plentiful in this district. As they
loaught fire one after the other the
tblaze ross hundreds OF feet high and
fquickly set the other buildings across
= the street ON fire.
Then this Hubbard hardware store
caught and the people scattered when
they saw what had happened. Hun
dreds OF pounds OF powder and great
deal Of dynamite was stored in this
building. Ten minutes PASSED, when
suddenly there was roar and tine
building collapsed like an egg shell.
The dynamite and the POWDER had ex-
iploded.
The firemen at this time we're work,
n ing in great danger. Cartridges began
to explode and bullets began to fly
around, so the effort to tight the fire
A at that point for time had to bt
abandoned. This was only the start Of
n the most intense part of the fire. The
K new Furchgott building was sour
ablaze and the Gardiner building was
also mass OF flames. Down the street
h the fire spread with rapioiity and in 9
1 short time the entire section of Bay
\ street from Market to Main strest anc
N extending for five blocks back wa,
% burning all at once.
IA The City Hall went, the Fire Depart
ment Building, the Armory, the COUNTY
Court House, the clerks Office, with
the county rsoords, the Criminal Cour
House. the City Jail, the schools, til,
tCatholic Church and orphanage, st
8 ohn's Episcopal Church and tn,
Convent. Almost all the fine building
in the city were burned in less thai
ffour hours.
ef At $40 p. m. the fire was checked a
M the intersection of Laurel and Bs,
W streets, where the Commercial Bank i
located. The hank went up in hames
but the Western Union building jus
~ ACROSS the street was not damaged.
III Among the prominent hotels burneC
Y besides the ST. James aud Windso
were the United States and the Placide
The mayor has called meeting 0
1.-THE City Council for tomorrow to con
lsider means for relieving the sufferers