The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1901-05-10
AN AWFUL FIRE.


less than $4,000 inhabitants it is en-
titled to only two members"
AN AWFUL FIRE.
An appalling fire swept over Jack
sonville, Florida, last Friday de-
stroying over $s,OOO,OOO worth of
property. Six lives were also lost.
All this destruction was caused by
the displacement of a piece of wire
which accidently got into the shred
ding machine of the American Fibre
Company. The factory was a
wooden shell full of inhammable
material and in a few momentsit was
a mass of flames. The wind which
blowing from the southwest, seemed
to be possessed with a sudden fury,
and soon was carrying destructive
embers all through the doomed city,
the fairest portion of which lay right
in the wake of its direction. The fire
took course through a section
where block after block of frame
buildings mostly occupied by negroes,
stood. 1t was here that the fire de-
partment lost control as almost
simultaneously the flames burst
out in sections six blocks away.
The wind rose higher and moved
down rows of building, which
at first attracted crowd of sight
seers, who soon, however, realized
that their own homes were in danger.
IL onl y took four hours for the re-
sistless flames to NOW a space six or
eight blocks wide, for a distance of
over one and one-halfmiles. Then the
fire doubled up and commenced eat
ing into the thoroughfare of trade.
The Government building caught fire
at one time, but it was saved. From
the humble homes of the poor to the
handsome residences of the rich was
but short journey for the flames.
Right into the heart of the city the
flames swept. The Windsor and St.
James hotels, two ofthe finest winter
resorts in the south were consumed.
The opera house followed and then
row after row Of elegent residences
were destroyed.
Strange to say, that after the fire
had burned with the wind, for some
time it commenced slowly to work
its way backwards again. The
United States Hotel was burned as
was the Law Exchange. Meanwhile,
the County Court House and another
splendid edifce were soon wrecks.
This is one of the worst calamities
that any city in the United States
has ever suffered. 1t almost equals
in history the celebrate Chicago fire.
Thousands ofpeople have been render
ed homeless and destitute. Many of
the cities have organized bureaus of
relief and supplies are being rapidly
sent to alleviate the suffering. The
loss falls on all classes of people, as
many who were counted among the
more wealthy are now practically
penniless.
DIR. PARTHURST ON THE NEGRO.
Rev. DR.. Charles Parthurst in a
sermon preached recently, gave his
views on the South and the negro
situation in this portion of the coun-
try.
Referring to the estimation in which
the people of the South and those of
the North held the negro, DR.. Park
hurst said: 1.-THE Southerner does
not like the negro any better than
the average Northerner does, and the
two carry themselves toward the
negro with just about the same
amount of Christian consideration,
only of the two the Southern white
man has perhaps this advantage
that he does not make quite so fam
boyant pretense ofloving the negro
as his Northern confere does. The
Southern white man dislikes the
negro, and owns up toit. The white
man in the North dislikes the negro,
and lies about it."
The preacher said further: "The
discriminating act by which the
negroes had conferred upon them the
right to vote was one of those
blunders that it is not easy to escape
from after once it is committed, but
which it would seem we ought to
have had Northern craftsmanship
sufficiently intelligent to prevent.
"The counsel that both the North
ern and the Southern friends of the
negro are now giving him is to keep
quiet upon the..whole suffrage matter,
to keep out of politics, not to talk
about the constitution, not to insist
upon his rights, but to attend indus
triously to the work of getting him.
self we'll ready-which he is not now
for what God and the country and
the future may have in store for
him."
The e,Ia,