Mower County transcript., 1901-05-08

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soNVIlLE, FLAy rs sWEP7
BY A Most plsAsTRoUss :.
seonfL COVE AHslhAT!o \ l'1l 1 !! y
One Hundred and Thirty City Blocks
In Ashes Burned Area Z Nearly
TWO Miles Lone-Thirteen Hundred
Buildings Dest stroyed-Thousht II
| May BE Necessary to Appeal for
| Assistance. '@.,.s,,,; :, ~ ii: ,s.ss s@..
Jacksonville, Fla, May 6.-The
most disastrous fire in the history OF
this city began in small FACTORY
from a defective wire, according to
the best belief; and burned for nearly
10 hours. In that time property
damage estimated from 5$10,000,00o to
$15,OOO,000 was caused. According to
the city map 130 blocks were burned,
many Of them in the heart of the busi-
ness and residence section. The estl-
mate Of houses to the block Is 10,
hence 1900 of them went up in smoke.
Many of the finest public and private
buildings were dest1 Dyed, including
hotels, churches, theatres and. resi-
dences.
The casualties cannot be accurately
bstimated, but that there were several
Ieems to be we'll authenticated: Among
| them was that Of the fire chief, who
sustained a bad fall. The mayor or
dered all of the saloons closed and has
impressed help to clear the wreckage.
The situation is4 one approaching
desolation in a large section of the
city.
The burned district reaches from
Burbridge street on the north to St.
Johns river on the south, distance
of not quite two miles. The width of
the desolated area is 13 blocks. With
in this space practically -
Everything Is RIackened Ruins.
The fire is now under control, hav-
Ing practically burned itself out. The
|
ception Of La Villa, are intact. La
Villa was badly hurt. The extent of
the damage cannot be told now. Thou
sands Of persons are on the streets
homeless, with practically all Of their
worldly possessions on their backs.
The depots of the railways, situateS
in the southeastern section, have been
turned into temporary: lodging houses
and hospitals. Luckily the weather is
fine, so that there will be no suffering
on that score.
Meetings of the city council, the
commercial bodies and the charitable
institutions will be called; at once to
devise ways and means for meeting
the situation. 1t is not known yet if
an appeal for: help will be issued,
though it is thought likely that the
exigencies Of the occasion will demand
such action. It is hoped that an ap-
peal can. be avoided.
Mayor -Rowden says the property
loss will exceed $15,O00,OO0. Ten to-
fifteen thousand people are homeless.
The fire stalt9d at the corner of
Davis and Union streets in the fac
tory of the American Fiber company,
a wooden shell, full of infammable
material, which in few moments
Was a Mass Of Flames.
The wind which was blowing strong
from the southwest 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 getting in
an alarm, and to add to the tragedy
of the fateful accidents the engine at
the waterworks suffered a mishap and
nothing more than ordinary pressure
could be obtained. The flames soon
leaped across Davis street and took a
course right through section where
block after block Of frame buildings,
mostly occupied by negroes, had been
erected. Here is where the fire de-
partment lost control, as simultane-
ously in half dozen places, some of
them six blocks from the main fire,
roofs were seen to burst out in flames.
1t took just four hours for the flames
to consume every building in it's wake
for space Of six to eight blocks wide
from Davis street to the Hogan creek
viaduct, distance of over one and a
half miles, and then it doubled on it.
self and came roaring up the principal
thoroughfare of trade, destroying
everything in what was the original
incorporation of Jacksonville.
z RELIEF COMING IN.
Trains and Boats Bringing Supplies to
the People Of Jacksonville.
Jacksonville, Fla, May 6.-The hun