Goldsboro weekly argus. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 1885-1909, 1902-07-10
Clinton HAS 4 BIG FIRE.
500, 900 WORTH OF PROPERTY
DESTROYED.
A Number of People Homeless and
a Number of Others Lost All
They Had in a Short Time.

NCAy OOooA yCStC1Ooy, WAIAC1A
left several families homeless and
destroyed the savings of a lifetime
for a number of merchants.
Before the wires were burned
down and telegraph connection had
been broken, the Mayor of Clinton
telegraphed to the Mayor of Colds
bore that the town was burning up
and asked that the fire department
of Goldsboro be sent down to help
them stop the fire. This telegram
was delivered to acting Mayor Geo.
c. Royal about 1915 in the after
noon. Application was made for a
train, which was made ready and
the fire apparatus loaded immedi-
ately. The fire department sent the
steam fire engine, the hook and lad
which was loaded on two fiat cars.
The train, with Engineer E. T.
Burke at the throttle and Capt. Jack
Collier looking after the bell cord,
left the telegraph office in front of
the Hotel Kennon at 2:O5 and made
the run to Warsaw, a distance OF 20
miles, in 80 minutes and made two
stops. The engineer had never pulled
a train over that part Of the Atlantic
Coast Line before, and SO the road
was perfectly new to him. He did
not know when he reached Warsaw
and ran a mile by the station before
he was notified by Capt. Collier. The
run over the Clinton branch was
necessarily slow, as the track and the
roadbed are not in such good CON
dition.
There was a large crowd at the
railroad to meet the rescue %fireD1en,
but it was evident from the EXPIRES
sion on their faces that help had ar
rived too late. If this did not tell
the sad tale it was only necessary to
cast a glance at the tall and desolate
lines of brick chimneys and the smok-
ing ruins of stores and residences to
comprehend the magnitude of the
loss. On going up town from the
railroad one had to pass by house
hold furniture scattered in every di-
rection. Women and children were
standing and staring at the smolder-
ing ruins of what was just a few short
hours before the dearest place on
earth to them-home. On reaching
the court house square, around which,
on all four sides, is situated the bust
ness houses of the town, a confused
mass of goods, wares and merchan-
disc was piled up in the streets and
the crowd was walking over and
picking up such things as they could
conveniently carry off. Merchants
had given up in disgust. Some had
moved their goods as many as three
or four times, and then had them
burned up in the street. After ex-
hausting their efforts in trying to
stop the fire and save their goods,
they had gone off to their homes,
those that had one left standing, and
left what they had to the ravages of
the flames and to the crowd. It was
a sad sight.
During the few moments that the
Especial train remained in Clinton this
reporter made an effort to find out
the origin of the fire and the amount
of the damage. The latter could not
be reckoned with any degree of cor
rectness, but from those who are best
qualified to pass upon the loss it is
! estimated that the fire, which started
from a cigar or cigarette stump, cost
the people of Clinton at least $780,
600. About one-fifth of this amount
is covered by insurance. The fire
started in a frame store occupied by
"Japo Carr, on the east side of the
court house. This whole block of
business houses, from the Murphy
Hotel to the railroad, is burned
down, as well as the handsome resi-
dences on the east side of this block.
THE wind was blowing from the
northwest and drove the fire in a
southeast direction as long as there
was anything to burn.
The following is a partial list OF
the principal sufferers. The amount
;ilof individual damage could not be
learned:
: Chas. Boyette, Chas. Crumpler,
Dave Giddens, Mrs. D. E. Clifton,
Rooney Williamson, Chas Butler, J.
10. Powell, J. P. Parker, F. T. At
kins, T. M. Ferrell, IA. Stevens,