Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1901-05-04
bIc CONFEDERATION
| IN JACKSONVILLE
:, Dart Of Famous Florida Town in
= ,shes-Six People Cremated- Loss
About $l5,OOO,OOO

doned. This was only the start OF
the most intense part of the fire.
The new Furchgotl building was soon
abaze, and then quickly the Gardiner
building was also "A mass or names
Down the street the fire spread with
great rapidlty, and the entire section OF
Bay street from Market to Main, and
extending for five blocks, was burning
all at once.
At $3.50 the fire was checked at the
intersection Of Laura and Bay streets
where Is located the Commercial bank,
which also went up in fames. Tne
Western Union telegraph office, Just
across the street, 10 not damaged,
Among the prominent hotels burned
were the ST, Jamas. ne US-sed states,
the Plscdc and the Windsor.
1t Is impossible at this hour TO ascer-
tain the losses. but II Is estimated by
insurance agents that II Will be between
IS, 1000 600 and S1O,0O000O.
The situation is one approaching
desolation In large section OF the city,
The burned district reaches from Bur-
bldge street on the north to the st.
Johns river on the south, q distance OF
not quite two miles. The width Of the
desolated area is thirteen blocks With
in this space practically everything Is
blackened ruins. On Bay street, the
principal mart Of trade, going west.
the Western Union Telegraph COM
panys building Is the first building
standing Everything east OF Laura
and Bay Is gone.
At 1915 O'Clock the fire was under
control, having practically burned itself
out. The suburban settlements, with
the exception Of La villa, are intact.
La Villa was badly hurt. The extent
Of the damage cannot be told until to-
morrow Thousands Of persons are on
the streets tonight. homeless, with
practically all their worldly possessions
upon their backs. The depots Of the
railroads, situated IN the southeastern
section, have been turned into temper
airy lodging houses and hospitals.
Luckily the weather Ia fine, so that
there Will he no suffering on that score.
\ SCENE OF DEsOLATIoN.
Yulee. Fla, May S,--The following
story Is from a special correspondent
who left Jacksonville early in the
evening at a time when the excite
ment was at its height.
Jacksonville Fla, May 3.--Vla Yule
property gone up In smoke and 10 900
people made homeless Is the result OF
a bit Of wire accidentally getting into
the shredding machine of the Ameri-
can Fiber company today at the cor
ner OF D0vis and Union streets. The
first started between the hours of ~
and ! O'Clock IN the afternoon, and ow-
Ing to this fact the loss OF life win be
comparatively small.
The fiber factory was a wooden she'll
full OF inflammable material, and in a
few moments II was mass OF flames
The wind. which was already blowing
strong from the southwest, seemed TO
be possessed with a sudden fury. and
soon was carrying destructive embers
all through the city, the fairest portion
Of which lay right in the course of the
wind.
Some delay was experienced in
sounding an alarm and the engine at
the waterworks suffered mishap and
nothing more than ordinary pressure
could be obtained BY this time the
flames had swept TO the Boston. huge
furniture establishment, belonging TO
w. w. Cleveland & Son, who were also
proprietors of the fiber factory.
They leaped across Davis street and
took q course right through section on
which block after block OF frame build
ings, mostly occupied by negroes, had
been erected. Here Is where the fire
department lost control, as simultan-
eously In half dozen places, some Of
them elk blocks from the main fire,
roofs were seen TO burst out in flames.
The wind, rising higher and higher,
set on fire whole rows of buildings and
attracted at first n crowd OF curious
slghtseers. who seemed 10 be fascinated
by the sight until they learned that
their residences too were In danger OF
total destruction.
1t took Just four hours for that re-
sistless mass OF flames 10 consume
every building In its wake for a space
Of six to eight blocks wide, from Davis
street, near where It started, TO the
Hogan street vladuct, a distance Of
over one and half miles, and then,
not satisfied with eating out the heart