The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-05-04
story of the ConnaEration.

story OF the COn0aRrattOns
Yulee, Fla, May 3.-Fifteen million dol
lars worth of property gone up in smoke,
10000 people made homeless, the entire
business section of the most up-to-date
city in the South is in ashes, numerous
lives lost and the end is not yet. The fire
is still burning furiously, defying the as
saults of water, dynamite and the su-
perb efforts of the entire populace, aided
by the fire departments of numerous sis
ter cities.
Such is the sad story of a destruction
caused by the displacement of a bit of
innocent looking wire which accidentally
got into the shredding machine of the
American Fiber Company at the corner
of Davis and Union streets, at Jackson
Vile to-day. The fire started between the
hours of u and 1 o'clock, and owing to
this fact the loss of life will be compar-
stively small. The fiber factory was a
wooden shell, full of inf1ammable mate
rial. and in few moments was mass
of flames. The wind, which was already
blowing strong from the southwest,
seemed to be possessed with a sudden
fury and soon was carrying destructive
embers all through the doomed town, the
dearest and fairest portion Of which lay
right in the wake of the wind. Some de-
lay was experienced in getting an alarm,
and to add to the tragedy of fateful ac-
cidents the engine at the water works
suffered a mishap, and nothing more than
the ordinary pressure could be obtained.
BY this time the flames had swept to
the Boston store, a huge furniture estab-
lisbment belonging to w. W. Cleaveland &
Son, who were also proprietors of the
fibre factory. 1t leaped across Davis
street. and took a course right through a
section, where block after block of frame
building, mostly occupied by negroes, had
been erected. Here is where the fire de-
partment lost it's grip, as simultaneously
in half a dozen places, some of them six
blocks from the main fire, roofs were
seen TO burst out in flames. The wind
rising higher and higher moved down
whole rows of these buildings and at
tracted at first crowd of curious sight
seers, who seemed to be fascinated by
the sight until they learned that their
residences, too, were in danger OF total
destruction.
It took Just four hours for that resist
less sea of flames to consume every build.
ing in it's wake, for space OF six to
eight blocks wide, from Davis street, near
where it started, to the Hogan's Creek
viaduct, distance Of over one and
half miles, and then not satisfied with
eating the heart of the residential por-
ton of the city out, it doubled on itself
and came roaring up the principal thor
oughfare of trade, destroying everything
in what was the original Incorporation OF
Jacksonville. The government building,
which caught fire at one time, but was
saved. is the only pretensious building
left standing, and it may go before morn
ing. From the humble homes OF the
moor TO the elegant residences OF the we'll
,o-do. was but a short journey for the
flames.
After passing Bridge street the first
house which succumbed to flames was the
elegant brick mansion of former Council
man stsnsell.
Then 1t seemed that wherever there
happened to be a shingle roof on a build
ing erected before the fire limits were ex-
tended the flying embers found lodsment.
BLOCKS away from the. main FIRE other
ares would break out Right into the
heart Of the town the flames swept. The
windsor Hotel. the St. James, both Of
which are among the finest winter hotels
IN the South. were consumed IN an in
eredibly short time. The opera House
followed next, and then row upon row Of