The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1901-05-07

zens at a meeting this afternoon
amounts to $4,000. This was aug
mented today by q telegram from the
Armour company Of Chicago instruct
ing Mayor BOwden to draw on them
for $1,000. Other subscriptions are
Deing received from many places.
Jacksonville has not yet made an Of
fetal application for aid. There seems
to be some objection to this, but it Is
mainly based on the assertion by
many leading citizens that Jackson
vile and Florida can meet the emer-
gency and care for It's own.
The following telegram was received
from the governor:
Tallahassee, May 4.-MacWilliams,
adjutant general: Your call for Gaines
vile and Starke companies approved.
Have appointed L.. Engle, Broward
and Rogers a special relief committee,
placing $4,000 at their disposal.
w. S. JENNINGS, Governor.
At z O'Clock this morning, Governor
Jennings declared the city under mar
tial law. Colonel lowell of the First
regiment is in command Of the troops.
The following troops, in addition to
the local companies, arrived during
the day and are on duty: Governors
guards, Tallahassee; Columbia rifles,
Lake City; Suwanee rifles, and City
guards, Palatka.
Major Bradshaw, under Colonel
Lowell, is in immediate command of
the troops. The city is patrolled and
the entrances 10 the burned districts
guarded by sentinels. Passes are
necessary 10 enter the lines.
The suburbs of Jacksonville stand
out like an oasis in the desert of desc
latior. From Bridge street to Laura
a thin fringe Of three blocks deep
stands %uninjured along the river front,
but to the eastward. northward and
westward of Hemming park an un-
broken bed of ashes meet the eye in
which gaunt chimreys ear themselves
like monuments in a forgotten city.
On every vacant lot in the territory
surrounding the burned street fami.
lies are camped. Some had piled fur
niture about them spreading over this
a blanket which made a tent. In
many cases this covering was only
enough for the baby. Some had
brought a frying pan, some a coffee
pot. some had money to get bread-all
were shared in turn. Over the gath
ering occasionally shrilled the mourn
ing of a negress whose child was miss
ing, to be followed by sobs in every
direction that told of the nabit Of re-
preston in the Caucasion and the
savage Arankness of the African.
During the progress c. the fire hun
dreds of people moved their goods
into the streets, but it was impossible
to get drays to carry the gods away,
and furniture, books and bric-a-brac
were burned up Dr.. Stout saved his
l.Jrary by digging a hole in his yard
in which ne buried his books, wrapped
in a blanket This plan was followed
by several people, some who buried
their trunks in the same manner
Trays loaded with furniture and
{ trunks filled the STREETS all day
Homeless people slept on improvisec
beds near their furniture in quarters
away from the burned district. In the
! early hours o. the fire many people
moved their property a distance o.
: half a mile or a mile, only to find i
necessary to move it again as the
! flames increased.
t A sailboat that was at the boat yart
l was made use of by Alfred Ball,
member of the Jacksonville rifles, VIII
lives in Springfield, a suburb, a
: Third and Main streets. Mr.. Bal
lnere certainty were HAL.
= lives lost at that point. The shriek'
! ! and cries for help that came to m.
. ears during the first moments of thu
! : four hours that l was in the rive
. were heartrending and awful. l wa
: utterly helpless to aid. l am posi-
tivetlive at least five persons wer'
: drowned at that place.
y Il got into a sail boat at Gardiner
Z yard at 5 o'clock. There were abou
= Is persons aboard, two negroe
among the number. When we go
: into the boat every e n of es
y cape was cut off. We got a line t.
, the steamer Edith and she pulled Vi
at the dock.
+" A moment later the line parted
Two b%atteaux were drifting alongsid
Il and eight persons tried to get int
them. In the panic the. life boats cal
sized. l saw several go down an
drown. Several of those who got on
r of the sailboat were swept under tn
l. wharf at the foot of Market stree
e and | think all must have persisted
e | got to the wharf and for four hour
a held to a pier. When l was rescue
IT I was badly burned about the heat
Telt a body float against my leg
# and tried to lift it to the surface bu
II failed.
4 Undoubtedly there were man
le lives lost at the foot of Market street.
n ANOTHER BIG BLAZE.