The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-05-04
SAVANNAH AND THE FIRE,
TWO ENGINES AND FOURTEEN
FIREMEsN SENT TO THE BURNING
CITY.

Some Are LOsers-Mr. W. \. BIS
bees Handsome Residence Burned
and a Total Loss-Telegraph and
Telephone wires Loaded With
Messages-Firemen's Relief Train
Made the Run TO jacksonville in
40 Minutes-Stories of Passengers
on jacksonville Trains.
All Savannah is Interested in the Jack
sonvile disaster. With the posting of
the first bulletin of the fire, inquiries be-
gan coming from every section of the
city, and the Morning News telephones
were kept busy almost every moment I'M
til after midnight, by inqurers for news
from the fire-stricken city.
Many Savannahians have property in
terests in Jacksonville, and some are
heavy losers. Mr.. w. A. Bisbee's. hand
some residence, which ad1oined that of
Senator Taliaferro, was burned, and is a
total loss Mr. Bisbee carried no insur-
ance and estimates his loss at $4,000. Mr..
E. B. Fitzgerald had a residence in
Jacksonville, but it is believed to have
been outside the burned terri
tory A number of naval stores
firms had interests there. The
Peacock Hunt G. West Company have "A
distributing warehouse in the Plant Sys-
tenn yards, where most of the naval stores
were stored. The fire does not seem to
have reached that far, and it is not like
ly that any Savannah firms are losers.
The fire is to Jacksonville what the
great fire of April 1889, was to Savannah,
though the losses are much greater The
fire of 1889, which started in Hogan's
store, at Barnard and Broughton streets,
swept the territory south to Hull street,
in a southeasterly direction, ending with
the Independent Presbyterian Church.
Eager Inquiries for News.
Many Savannahians have relatives and
friends among those who are sufferers
| by the fire, but to what extent will not
be fully known until to-day. The telegraph
and telephone wires were loaded with
messages from the time the fire started.
The last message by the Bell Long Dis
lance phone was sent via Brunswick at
O'Clock Nothing was received over the
telephone lines after that, The Western
Union kept it's lines open. though with
considerable difficulty The railroad lines
were kept working and were rendered to
the Morning News and Associated Press.
The Morning News special correspondent
had special wire from Yulee, 10 miles
this side of Jacksonville on the Seaboard
Air Line
savannah Firemen to the Rescue.
AS soon as the message for assistance
was received by the Mayor and Fire SUI
perintendent Mcguire and the arrange
ments for transportation had been made
the reserve engines and detail of men
were held in readiness. 1t took but a
short time and at 5:1s o'clock a special
train consisting of two fiat cars a pas
senger car and caboose. with the new
engine No. 2 and reserve engine No. /
both from headquarters, and 1000 feet oil
house. and the following men in charge
of Superintendent Mcguire: From head
quarters, Foreman Campos John p
Duffy, and Christensen; from No. 2, Fire
men Dukes. Futch, Bordnave and Lovett
from No. 3. Kilroy. G.. B. Morgan, anC
T. d. Brunson; from No. s. Clarke; from
l. H. Larkin; and Supernumerary Oar
Connors
The Plant System dispatcher notified
Foreman Arthur Toschach that the mel
and engines had arrived at Jacksonvill,
at $50 o'clock. having mad,
hours and u minutes. The actual run
ming time. according to the Plant System
officials was 40 minutes.
Passengers ON Jacksonville Trains
The passengers and train crews of Sea
board Air Line train No. sc arriving. az
1880 o'clock this morning had but littl,
nforma ton of the fire. the majority
knowing of the fearful destruction o
property more by hearsay than from hav
ing seen any of the burned districts From
one of the passengers, Mr. II. j. How
ard. IL was learned that al tbs o'clock tn,
larger part OF the river front, the chic
business part of the city and the MAR
residence section had been completed,
burned; that really the only part Of thu
city that at that time appeared TO be no
on fire was that part OF the residenc,
portion known as West Jacksonville.
There we're all sorts of rumors of per
sons having persisted in the flames. h,
said. Had the fire started at night, HI
added, the loss of life would have beer
great. During the afternoon, said Mr.
Howard. an effort was made 40 check th'
march of the flames by blowing up build
ines that would be sure, otherwise. L
catch. This proved OF no avail however
and was abandoned.
picture a tract as large as that in
cluded from Bay street to CASTOR an(
from Bull street to Price. and you viii
have an idea of Just what that awfu
confederation at Jacksonville means"
That is what MIR. Il. a. Booth. manager
at Savannah for the n. X. Fairbank.
Company OF Chicago. said this morning al
i 1880 o'clock. He had just returned iron
4 Jacksonville. where he had gone yester
day on business He had wired the rep
4 resentative OF his company at jackson
\ vile about an urgent matter Receivinl
i no response. but never thinking that Their,
4 was a FIRE raging there, he set out 70
Jacksonville.
4 Mr. Booth did not find the company
a representative at ali He went to tn
\ warehouse. but IL was closed lie wen
10 the gentleman's residence. but ne wa
B ,u.av and many Of his housshoil offs,v