The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1901-05-10
CITY LIES IN ASHES.
Terrific Conf1agration Ragged
In Jacksonville, Fla.
THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE HOMELESS


sfx Lives Reported Lsst-ProHert,
Loss Roughly Estimated 1T p1S,-
,00O,Ooo - TIE Flames, Famed
BY . Gale, Were Irresistibie.
JACKSONVILLE. Fla, May A.
Jacksonville has experienced the most
disastrous FIRE OF her existence. Ths
buildings on theentire length of Beaver
street from Davis street to the creek or
Liberty street have been totally de
stroyed. This Is IA solid blocks of resi-
dences. For the same distance Ashley
and Church streets have both been com
pletely, blotted ont. When the FIRE reach
ed Bridge street in its eastward course
it .enveloped in flames three blocks, Du,
val, Monroe and the north side of Ad
ans, burning mp that entire section OF
the city and running IA blocks to the
Dnval street bridge.
When the fire reached Julia street, II
was a roaring furnace without any pros
pect Of being put under control.
The local military companies were call
ed.out to keep back the crowds, and the
FIRE department: began to use dynamite
to blow up the houses a block from the
FIRE and thus prevent the FIRE from
spreading. So fierce was the blaze, how
ever, and SO strong had become the wind
that millions of sparks and flying burn
ing shingles spread over FIVE or six
blocks, setting the roofs Of the houses on
fire in advance of the FIRE department.
Soon Senator Taliaferro's residence and
then the adjoining houses on that block
were ablaze. Desperate efforts were
made to save the Windsor and the St.
James hotels, but both houses were quick
ly enveloped In flames. For about an
hour the guests in the Windsor had been
busily packing their trunks and went
away loaded with trunks and grips, some
unfortunately to the United States hotel,
but most of them to Riverside.
Leaping madiy across the street from
the Windsor, the flames set fire to the
Sells House and then the Methodist
parsonage. A few moments later the
Trinity NJ. e. church was a mass OF
flames. The Opera House block followed,
and then the Richards and Livingstone
boarding houses. A desperate effort was
made to save the Baldwin mansion,
which was recently purchased by the
Eiks for $4,000. No earthly power
could save this building, and that entire
block and the one west Of it were quickly
mass of flames. Once the FIRE got
started on Main street the closely ad-
joining buildings went one after the 9TH
er. Paint shops, with barrels of oil In
stock, were plentiful in this district, and
as they caught on fire one after the 9TH
er the blaze rose hundreds of feet high
and quickly set the other buildings across
the street on fire.
Then the Hubbard hardware store
caught, and the people scattered when
they saw what had happened. Hun
dreds OF pounds of powder and a great
deal of dynamite were stored in this
building. Ten minutes passed, when
suddenly there was q roar, and the build
ing collapsed like an eggsheil. The dy-
Mantle and powder had exploded. The
firemen at this time were working in
great danger. Cartridges began to ex-
plode, and bullets began to fy around,
so the effort to fight the FIRE at this point
for a time had to be abandoned. This
was only the start of the most intense
part of the IRE. The new Furchgott
Gardiner building was also a mass OF
flames. Down the street the fire spread
with rapidity, aud in a short time the
entire section of Bay street from Mar
ket to Main street and extending for
1--WE blocks back was burning all at once.
The city building went, the FIRE de-
partment building, the armory, the coun-
ty courthouse. the clerks Office with the
county records, the criminal courthouse,
the city jail and the graded schools and
the Catholic church and orphanage, st.
Johns Episcopal church and the convent.
Almost the entire city Of magnificent
buildings was burned up in less than
four hours. The scene was one that
beggars description.
At $50 p. m. the FIRE was checked at
the intersection Of Laurel and Bay
streets. where the Commercial bank Is
located, which went up in flames, the
Western Union building being just across
the street and not being damaged.
Among the prominent hotels burned
the Placide and the Windsor.
Six lives are reported lost In the con-
fagration.
The mayor has called a meeting Of the
city council to consider ways and means
for relieving the sufferers.
The plans Of the city as prepared By
the city surveyors show that 100 blocks
were burned and a part Of another block.
The estimate Of residences to the block
In the residential district is ten, and In
the business section the blocks were
solid.
Mayor Bowden says the property loss
will exceed $15,OO0,OOO. Ten thousand
to fifteen thousand people are homeless.
Jacksonville's Loss Not ExaGserateA.