The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-05-05
HIS CLOTHING AFLAME
NhriIi1ng Experience of James
MunOs at Jacksonville.

NuuOs at Jacksonville.
Mr. James 1. Munos, a prominent young
business man of Jacksonville. reached Sa-
Vannah yesterday. bringing his two lit
tie boys and their nurse from the city of
desolation to a place of comfort and safe
". Mr. Munos had some thrilling expe-
riences in the great confagration.
The scenes that the fire produced, &"
said Mr.. Munos yesterday, surpassed in
horror anything 1 have ever witnessed,
and l. have seen many lconhagrations in
many places. The fire burned with a
rapldity and intensity 1 had not believed
possible, rendering it practically impos-
sible for the citizens of the doomed city
to remove their belongings to a place of
safety.
AS started from my office on the
Vladuct to my home on Laura street for
iohch' saw dense clouds of smoke; some
one told me that the Cleveland Fiber Fac
tory was in flames. The flames were then
leaping towards the principal residence
section of the city and as 1 proceeded on
my way l found a small house, the roof
OF which was ablaze 1t had caught from
some OF the blazing embers, which were
borne by the strong wind then blowing to-
wards the residence section.
Il stopped to help put out this fire and
went to my own residence 1 saw then
tnat 1t was in the path of the flames and
would probably be d. stroyed, but the fire
was still several blocks away and 1t
seemed to me there would be plenty OF
time. In this I was mistaken.
Il had been fortunate enough to secure
a cab and in this 1 placed my children
with their nurse. 1 had already removed
my furniture. AS l jumped from the
door of my house towards the cab there
came suddenly great burst of fame The
air was filed with sparks, and more than
sparks-very torches OF fire 1 tried to
pick up my wheel, which had been left
standing by the doorway; il was so hot
l had to drop it.
His Clothing Caught Fire.
"As we drove away in the cab found
my hat was on fire; then the back of my
coat and the back of the nurses dress
were almost in flames. The small ar
ticles We had attempted to bring away
from my burning home, for our imme-
date use, caught fire as the cab was
driven away, and we had to threw them
in the streets.
Il took my children to the house of
an acquaintance, over a mile away, dag
onally across the city, at the extreme
end of Bay street. Here l thought .they
would be safe. In little more than an
hour the flames had burned across the
entire town and this house was in flames.
Then, with other citizens, 1 sent my chill
dren to the country.
During the afternoon I was in the fight
to stop the onward sweep of the flames.
1t was, from the very first, a perfectly
hopeless effort.
distressing, even heart-rending sights
were of frequent occurrence. 1 saw the
best people of the city wandering about
homeless. Mothers separated from their
children husbands from their wives; all
absolutely without information of the
whereabouts or fate of their loved ones
the dreadful scene of desolation they saw
about them inspiring and lending appar-
ent confirmation to fears for the very
worst.
81 saw the most cultured and delicately
nurtured women of Jacksonville, stand
ing about in doorways, with some few ar
ticles they treasured clutched tight in
their arms, and absolutely without any
idea of how long they could stand where
they were, or where they could go when
the flames should drive them from their
places of comparative safety. The men
of their families were away fighting the
demon of destruction
ITO the everlasting credit of the wo-
men, be it said, they bore it all with
heroic fortitude. Save from those tor
rnented by dreadful fears for the safety
of their loved and helpless ones, there
were no complaints. They set an example
to the men.
Made a Maniac.
cat the Roseland Hotel, five miles out
side Jacksonville, saw one man who had
-;t b1yf no losses he had
sustained, and by the dreaful scenes he
had witnessed. He had become, in a
few short hours, a raving maniac"
The people of Jacksonville, Mr.. Munos
said, have taken prompt hold lof the sit
uation. The military is under arms and
a line of guards had already been thrown
around the city When he attempted to
pass these guards yesterday morning, aft
er spending the night in the country, the
effort required some hours, so effective
was the system already established.
Stern repressive measures will be follow
ed he said. and every incipient outbreak
of looting or other disorder nipped
promptly in the bud.
'0Phere is no talk among our citizens
of giving way under the disaster that has
befallen us. Fortunately the National
Rank of Jacksonville was saved and
through it every bank in the city was
doing business when l left. The National
Bank of Jacksonville was acting as agent
for the others and cashing the checks of
their depostors.
FORTUNATELY. too. the wholesale gro
Gerry district escaped the Names ana
there is as vet no scarcity of food. The
water supply is abundant, there being
a number Of artesian wells, and there
can be no danger of water famine.
beiieve that our citizens were fairly well
protected by insurance.
ION the whole we are not permitting
ourselves to become respondent, but are
looking our misfortunes squarely in the
face. 1 have every confidence In the re-
operative powers of Jacksonville, and
the enterprise and public spirit Of her
citizens, and / believe that larger and
fairer city will rise from the ashes Of
the old"
SCENE NEVER TO BE FORGOTTEN.
A snvannnhinn Who watched the