The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1902-01-01
THOUSANDS GO UP IN SMOKE.
Sumter Dry Goods Store Burned Sunday Morn
ing-0ther Heavy Losers-Total Loss Ex-
ceeds S35, 000-lnsurance $4,000.

SululeI OIy Goo1S SroTe Burned Suncay MoTE-
ing-0ther Heavy Losers-Total Loss Ex-
ceeds S35, Insurance $4,000.
The most serious fire that has occur
red in this city since the great Epper-
son fire last spring, and one of the most
destructive of the past seven or eight
years, broke out at o'clock Sunday
morning on the second floor of the Sol
onions building, on the corner of Main
and Liberty streets. This building is
occupied by the Sumter Dry Goods &C.
and Drs. W. B. and E. P. Afford. The
Sumter Dry Goods Co. occupied the en-
tire first floor and the rear half of the
second floor, while the Messrs. Afford
had their dental Offices in the front
rooms upstairs.
The fire started in small room cut
off from the rear end of the hallway up.
stairs, which room was used for storage
purposes by the Misses Solomons, the
owners Of the building. In it was stored
q miscellaneous collection of old arti-
cles, the greater part of which is said
to have consisted Of old furniture and
fl: lures once used in the store when it
was occupied by the late a. \. Solo
mo2s. 1t is said that this room has not
been opened for months and there is no
plausible theory that accounts satisfac-
torily for the origin of the fire, unless
it be put down to the account of rats
and matches or spontaneous combustion.
The fire had been burning for some
time before it was discovered, and even
after the policemen on duty detected
the odor of burning wood and paint
that convinced them that building in
the immediate vicinity was on fire, 1t
was some time before it could be To-
Gated. The fire spread from this little
shut-in room, near the center OF the
building and adjoining the wall of the
store occupied by the New Bon Marche,
to the ceiling, and burning through it,
cot a foothold between the ceiling and
the roof. When the fire was finally To-
Gated the flames were beginning to
shcw through the ventilatorS in the
Main street end of the building above
the front windows of Drs. Affords Of
fee. The space between the ceiling
and roof was at the time SmOulderlng
mass of flames.
The walls separating the several
rooms on the second floor were thin
partitions of pine boards. The fire had
burned through the upper part OF these
and extended to the dressmaking de-
partment of the Sumter Dry Goods Co.
and rooms adjacent, in which the re-
serve stock of dry goods was stored.
The floor was burned through in one
place only-in the small rooms before
Newfoundland this only hole l! by
3 feet in dimensions. Through this
Goals of fire had dropped down on the
stairway leading from the Dry Goods
Store to the dressmaking department,
but at this point the fire had gained
little or no foothold, as there was no in
fammable material within reach.
Just as soon as the fire was located
the fire department was on hand and
the firht to save the building and pre-
vent the destruction of the entire block
of stores fronting on Main and Liberty
streets was begun with the greatest
vigor and determination. The fight
was made from the front, from the Lib
erty street side, from the roofs OF the
adjoining stores and from within, one
line of hose being carried up the stair
way from the front and into the upper
hallway. The cutters were plugged
with blankets and other goods taken
from the store and the roof kept Hooded
with water, while holes were cut in the
tin roof, through which the water
poured in torrents The fight against
the flames was kept up without cessa.
tion from shortly after 2 o'clock until
about $50. and when the fire was got
ten under control. 1t was a great fight
and well made, and the fremen de-
serve not only The thanks of the prop
ertv owners in that block, but of every
citizen as well, for had they done less,
had they not worked so faithfully and
intelligently, making the most OF every
opportunity and means within their
reach. the fire would have swept the
block clear of buildings and the loss
would have been many times greater
than it was. The roof of the building
is total wreck, all the rafters and
ioists being burned and only the melted
and twisted tin left hanging between
the brick walls. The second floor is
eutted, nearly everything in itrbeing a
total loss, except a few bales of domes-
tics and other heavy goods in the ex-
treme rear of the second floor, and one
dental chair and cabinet in the front
room of DR.. Affords Office. These are
badly scorched and soaked with water.
The goods of the Sumter Dry Goods
Co.. although removed as rapidly as
possible. were water-soaked and so bad
ly damaged by smoke that it is difficult
to estimate the percentage OF damage
they sustained. In addition to the
regular stock there were about thirty
handsome dresses unfinished in the
dress making department and all OF
them were burned, together with the
sewing machines and all other furni-
ture in this department.
The New Bon Marche also suffered
considerable loss. A flood OF water,
finding an entrance through the wall
or roof from the Dry Goods Store, and
the goods on one side were water-soak-
ed and damaged.
The loss is estimated as follows:
Misses Solomon's building, loss So
600 to $4,000; insurance $500, IN the
following companies: Aetna, 1000;
Home of n. Y, $1,000: North British
and Mercantile, $500: Phoenix OF
Brooklyn, $1,000. o,o
Sumter Dry Goods Co., stock, s2o,-
900; insurance $4,000, as follows:
Westchester of n. Y, $1,000: Ameri-
can of Philadelphia, $500; North Brit
;sh and Mercantile, $1,000: Pennsylva.
MIA, of Philadelphia, 1000: Phoenix OF
Brooklyn, $1,000; Liverpool and Lon
don and Globe, $1,000; Hamburg-Bre-
men. 1000; Helveta. $1,000: Sun OF
New Orleans, $1,000; N. Y. Under
writers, $1,000 Greenwich, $1,000;
Phoenix of Hartford $1,000: Balose,
$1,000; Royal Exchange, $1,000: Con-
necticut, $500.
Drs. Afford, furniture, instruments
and fixtures S2,000 insurance $500.
New Bon Marche, stock damaged by
water, estimated at 1000 to $1,000,
insurance, $1,000.
The Sumter Dry Goods Co.. has open
ed an Office for the present in the back
,oo,o of tho Snmter SavinuS Bank for