The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1901-05-09
Fires Deadly Work
JACKSONVILLE. FLA, ALMOST TOTALLY
DESTROYED.
Area Two and a Half Miles Long by
Half a Mile Wide a rlass of Black
ened Ruins-Property Loss of Ten
toTweIve r1iIiions of Dollars-Sev-
eral Persons Burned or Drowned in
Effort to Escape the Flames.
(Press Dispatch, May 3rd }

(IreSS DISPATCH, May 1Iu.l
jacksonville, Fla, suffered griev
ously by fire Friday and Friday night,
the principal part of the city being
destroyed. Several lives were lost,
a number of persons drowning by
being driven into the river by the
flames. The fire extended over dis
lance Of two and half miles long by
half a mile wide, burning everything
in its course. Nearly $50 blocks and
upwards of 400 buildings, including
most of the public buildings, every
prominent hotel in the city, the St.
James, the Windsor, the United
States, the Placide, the Girard, the
Grenada and Oxford, and many
churches were burned. The city hall
went, the fire department building,
the armory, the county court house,
the clerks office, with the county
records, the criminal court house, the
city jail, the schools, the Catholic
church and orphanage, st. Johns
| Episcopal church and the convent.
1t took just four hours for the re-
sistless flames to consume every
building in their wake for a space of
six to eight blocks wide, from Davis
street, near where they started, to
the Hogan's creek viaduct, distance
OF over two miles. Then, not salts
fled with eating out the heart OF the
residential portion Of the city, the
lire doubled on itself and came roar
ing up the principal thoroughfare of
trade, destroying everything in what
was the original incorporation of
jacksonville.
The wind, which was already blow
ing strong from the Southwest when
the fire first broke out. seemed to be
possessed with a sudden fury, and
was soon carrying destructive embers
all through the doomed city, the fair
est portion of which lay right in the
wake of the wind.
The fire leaped across Davis street
and took course right through a
section where block after block of
frame buildings, mostly occupied by
negroes, had been erected. Here is
where the fire department lost all
control, as simultaneously in half a
dozen places, some of them six blocks
from the main fire, roofs were seen to
burst ont in flames. The wind rising
higher and higher moved down whole
rows of these buildings. 1t seemed
that wherever there happened to be a
shingle roof on building erected
before the fire law limits were OK
tended the flying embers found lOdg-
ment. Blocks away from the main
fire other fires would break out.
Right into the heart of the city the
flames swept. The Windsor hotel
and the St. James. both Of which are
among the finest winter hotels in the
South, were consumed in an incredi-
IDLY short time. The opera house
followed, and then row upon row Of
elegant residences were offered up to
| Unsuitable blazes
As the viaduct leading over the
marshes of Hogan's creek to East
| jacksonville was reached it seemed
| plain that the limit of progress of the
| flames Westward had been found.
| The hope of the people grew strong
| that the worst was over.
But as far as the damage from the
| fire was concerned the worst was vet
| to come. Just as the material for
the contlagration was apparently con-
summed shift in the wind sent the
flames Southwark toward the river
| Then it was beginning to dawn on the
| minds Of the unfortunates who had
| fled TO the riverside that they were in
| danger of being cut off and suffOcated.
A Oh
sonville ferry and hundreds sought
| refuge on the other shore.
Then came the most thrilling scene
| OF the entire day. The fire caught
| the freight warehouse of the Atlantic,
NaldOsta and Western railroad and
began a backward march. Slowly but
surely it ate its way against the
wind, taking both sides of Bay street
| until it reached Jones boat yard.
The wholesale grocery store of the
+. Il II. bowling Company and Muller
| 4 Co. and dozens of smaller concerns
| were wiped out.
While the flames failed to cross the
open space known as Jones boat
yard. new danger threatened. They
swept down in the rear of the United
States hotel. and that, with the law
exchange, was doomed. Meantime
the county court house caught fire
and another editce was soon a wreck.
From the United States hotel the
flames again jumped across the street
and the line of march was taken up
again only to be checked when the
last building between McCov's and
Hogan creek had been DESTROYED