The Weekly Tallahasseean., 1901-05-09
'ACKSONVILLE'S FIRE
llmOst the Whole City is in
| Ruins Of the Flames
INTENSE SUFFERING THERE
y + pe,ief is Sent by Governor
jennings.

o.oatost IRE in the history OF
ID IN >, not in the whole South, oc-
Flol au' IN Jacksonville last Friday, Dy
mich almost the entire city was ooln
pIotolv % destroyed. One hundred anu
pl?ut putT blocks comprising by ldr
Inn tnn largest and best portion OF the res
tle 10" and business sections OF the
iuen'-T .t-L warp completely wiped out, anu
cl'y, S,v are a mass or ruins. Ihe prop
-, iocc is estimated by the leauins
cry Csc men to reach into the mill
Duo, q conservative estimate Delns
OnD poon twelve and fifteen mllllonS.
,.'Lo DG." 1occ of life, which would nave
- - onnalling had the fire occurred
De nigbt instead OF at mid-day, was
not very large, but 1t Is no" hnomn
+hot some fifteen or twenty peISOno
hove lost their lives from the nFe VI
Nv % Growning in the river, into WHICH
tSov cast themselves to escape tne ue-
youring flames. IL, o,+o-n
.oot;on of the city, in the CleVelano
fhre factory, corner OF beaver anu
TToc+ Oavis streets, the hameS aCe
+boir way, to the eastward, spreaulns
North and south TO the river 1rohC' AZ
4rct confined to a few houses III Cne
no;gbhorhood e of Cleveland factory, q
.trono warm wind blowing from tne
noth-west famed the flames ana Ihey
soon began to spread from mouse "
houge with a rapidity inconce1EaDle u
oDv one hut an eyewitness. Burning
ob;ngles fying through the air starteu
now fires in all directions, and soon the
doomed city was a mass OF roarlng'ue-
youring flames. eo-,o,,
For ten long hours the brave hremen
fought without hope, but at ciocA
IN m. the wind calmed down ana tney
we're enabled to get it under contrOl'
Assistance was sent by the hre com
noniog from all the neighborlng cltleS
in Guiding Savannah and Tampa, Cne
1Aaln thus secured saving the CITY lronn
total annihllatlon- 81
The burned district, commencing a
9 West Dayis street, goes east as Iar as
z Hngar's creek, and north as far as
Iaroliup street down to the st. Jonn
river ,,o,,,
of the old city only twelve BLOCKS
oScanod forming a square in the
south-West portion of the business sec
tion being bounded on the north Dy
Adams street and on the east by Laura
All of Bay street and the river from
east of Laura was consumed.
A list of the public buildings con
sumed comprises every bank Dut que
in the city, all the churches, tne county
court house and jail, the Windsor, St
James. Arlington, Glenwood ano
MONEYS Hotels, the opera house, Ene
armory. the Elk club, the JacksonvFlle
Telephone Company, the city bulldlne
all of the schools and long IlSC Ol
others too numerous TO mentlon.
At about s p. m. the wind died doWn
and afforded a blessed rehe1- lux
flames had tapped up everytklng IL
their way from the Cleveland facCory
to the Duval street vladuct and DacH
on Bay street to Laura, where lne hre
was gotten under control ana nlu LII
further material damage
The next morning broke on mass
of Smeldering ruins where a feW OrIel
hours before had been a happy, pros
porous city. Fifteen thousand peopIt
were homeless and were only TOO gIaI
to have escaped lie terrible connasrd !,
ton with their Iives, having lost al
but the mere clothes on their BACKS
The catastrophe is beyond descrip
ton. Such an utter destruction OF
city might well cause the Drdveo
heart of her citizens to sink WIN uie
appointment, but to-day, a week aLIe
the fire, we find the citizens alrea9
taking courage, and they have braVeI
faced the future, and commenced III
task of rebuilding.
AS usual in such cases OF loss an
suffering, the American people Fe
sponIed at once, and from all part
of the country assistance mas pee
poured into the city. Up to to-oa
over $4,000 have been sent to reileV
the distress and suffering, while Ca
loads of clothing and food nave Dee
sent in from all sides.
The Secretary Of war at Wasnlns
ton sent army tents to shelter tn
homeless people, and the ruined POI
ton is being fast converted lnuo
canvas city.