Daily camera., 1901-05-04
Blessed Rom
Pu| Ou| 1le Fire
ALL Is DESOLATION.
Fire at Jacksonville q 9 of the WORT IN

FIRE at Jacksonville q of the WORT iu
History.
Jacksonville. Fla, May 4-The
mayor at 3 O'Clock this afternoon
estimated the loss at $4,000. 600
The police are dragging the river
in the belief that twenty persons
were drowned while running from
the fire. Ten thousand persons
are left homeless. none of whom
saved anything but the clothes on
their backs. Special relief trains
are arriving with food and other
supplies.
Fire broke out in the ruins all
over the city this morning but at
noon a heavy rain began and all
further danger has passed.
Jacksonville, Fla, May 4-The mos,
disastrous fire in the history ol this city
b,gan yesterday shortly after noon in a
small factory, started by elective wire
according TO the bes, belief. and burned
for nearly ten hours. In that tim. a
property loss estimated at from SIC, ,ooo,-
ooo to $4,000. 900 was caused.
According to the city map IS, blocks
were burned. many OF them in the hear,
OF The business aud residence section,
The estimate Of ho-ses to tn. block Is
ten, hence 1870 OF them went up in
smoke. Mary OF the finest public and
pr va,e buildings were ds,,ro. ed. inclui
/ ing hotels, thrlters, churches and resi-
! dences.
The mayor a, 4 late hour stated ,ha,
he estimated the loss at $4,000. 900 and
that 10, 600 to 900 people were home.
( less.
Two citizens leil dead from the ex
ci,emen, and six persons are thought TO
have per shed in the flames. The fires
origin was in the shredding machine of
the American Fibre COMPANY. thread
catching fire and the huge wooden fac
tory being ablaze IN moment. Be
cause Of the hour. between noon and
/ o'clock, there wsre few people in bed
and the loss Of life was. therefore. not
great.
From III. humble hemes OF III. poor
to the eIegln, residences Of the welI.,o.
do was bu, shor. journey Tor flames
Right into the heart OF town the A mes
swept. The Windsor and the ST, James
both fine winter hotels, were con. um ID
IN an incredibly shor; time. The opera
house suffered. and then row upon ro~
OF elegant residences went up
As the viaduct leading over the marsh
es of Hogans creek 10 Eas, icksonville
was reached II was plain ,ha, the limit oi
the progress OF the flames westward had
come. lust as the material for the lime,
was apparently consumed. a shift IN the
wind sent rolring sea Of fl .mes south
ward toward the river.
Then came the mos, thrilling scene OF
the day. The flames caugt, the ireigh,
warehouse OF the Atlantic, Valdos.a &
Western railroad. and began from there
on their march backward in the teeth oi
the wind. Slowly bu. surely the FIRE ate
its way against the wind. taking eithrr
side of Bay street until i, reached Jones
boatyard. The Dow!ing wholesale groc
cry, the sore OF Muller & Co, and dc,.
ems OF smaller concerns were wiped u.
While the fumes failed to cross the
open space known as jones boa. yard,
a new danger threatened. The hlmes
swept down in the rear Of the United
States hotel, and that. with the Law ex
change, was doomed. Meantime the
county court house caught fire, and
another splendid edihce was soen a
total wreck.
The hotels destroyed include the
Wiudsor, ST. James, Placide. United
States Girard. GIendida and Oxford.
The plats of the city show that I3o
blocks were burned and part OF another
block. The estimates of residences 10
the block in the residential districts is Ic
and in the business sections the block:
were solid.
w. w. Cleveland, in whose premises
the fire originated, and who was one oil
the heaviest losers dropped dead from
excitement. A stalwlrt negro. bringing
trunk on his head from a burning
building, went crazy from the horror oI
the situation. He ran around circle
with the trunk on his head until he sanl