The Savannah morning news., 1902-02-10

SColeS OF walls tell. Flying fire.
brands carried the conflagration over
some buildings and around others, and
1t, therefore. burned in an irregular
course. These brands were on the
tracks of the Erie and Ramapo streets,
and alighting on Straight street start
ed new area of fire, in which the de-
struction and desolation wrought vas
nearly as great as the other. This sec
ond great fire started at the angle of
Park avenue and Washington street
and swept almost unchecked until in
these two thoroughfares there was no
more fuel. On the right-hand side of
Market street it encountered Sandy
Hill Cemetery, barrier to check it,
but on the left side, at Carroll, it
claimed st. Josephs Church, a great
classic stone building. 1t was on this
second great fire that the volunteer
firemen from the outside cities did thir
most heroic work. They fell back only
when they had to, and when the natural
obstacle interposed, they seized the
chance and stopped the fire.
The final and one of the most desper-
ate fights of the day occurred in mid
afternoon, back in the first fire area, at
the Hamilton Club situated at the cor
ner of Church and Ellison streets. The
handsome club rooms caught and the
exhausted firemen were rallied around
it. They were anxious to save the
structure and, besides, failure meant
that the fire might take new headway
among the properties adjoining the club
house The buildings were doomed,
however, and a torrent of water kept
the fire to the premises. The four walls
of the club house stood, but the roof
collapsed and the interior was COM
pletely burned out.
An Imposing Spectacle.
Paterson rests in a valley and the
confederation was an imposing specta-
Gle from the hills that wall it in. Col
umns of flame climbed high in the air
and shed their light for miles. Hun
dreds of persons hurried into the city
before daylight to watch the work OF
destruction at close range and wnen
the day came thousands more Joined
them With the crowd came thieves and
looters. but there was not much pillag-
ing Under orders from Gov. FRANK
lin Murphy, companies A, c, X and
M of the Fifth National Guard, as
sembled at their armories and were
held as a reserve force. The police,
deputy sheriffs, hundreds of special
watchmen and firemen united in pro-
tecting property during the day and
when night came a grim order clear
ing the streets was issued by the city
and county authorities. Despite the
precaution of the authorities there was
much confusion in the streets at night.
The destruction of wires left the city
in darkness save for the dull glow
given off by the acres of embers.
The sale of liquor was suspended.
The sweep of the Flames.
The area of destruction foots UP
roughly twenty-five city blocks.
From Main street to Paterson street,
between Van Houten and Market
streets there is but little left. On the
block bounded by Main. Ellison, Wash
ington and Market streets, not a sim
gle building, excepting that of the Pat
erson Savings Institution stands. All
along the west side of Main street
property is wiped out, and on the east
side also from Market to Van Houten
streets.
Along the south side of Broadway,
between Washington and Church
streets, great damage has been done.
Van Houten street is reduced to
smouldering debris so far as buildings
are concerned for some distance.
Ellison street suffered from the
neighborhood of Prospect street on its
north side, as far as Church street.
On the south side of this street there
is widespread ruin from short dis
lance west of Main street to the par
sonage of the Second Presbyterian
Church, near Paterson street.
Market street is pile of ruins from
Main street to the Market Street
Church on the north side, and on the
south side. Nowhere was the scene
of devastation more marked than north
of the Erie Railroad in the district
bounded by Sixteenth avenue and Mar
ket street. There was simply nothing
but ashes left to tell that busy and
nooulous section of the city had ever
existed.
On Washington street, between
broadway and Market street there is
practically nothing left.
Church street is wiped out on its
west side between Ellison and Market
streets as it is on the east side.
Old Landmarks Destroyed.
1t was in it's newest and best built
portions that Paterson suffered, though
some of the property now lying in
blackened heaps had an interest which
came with age and usage. The trolley
! car stables where the flames began had
| in their time been a skating rink, and
| also the scene of political rallies and
other popular gatherings. The First
| Baptist Church had a history all Its
own, it's origin running back for a CEN
| tury. The cid city hall used for po-
lice station was also a landmark
Neither the home of John w. Griggs
ex-Attorney General of the United
! States. nor that of Mrs. Garret A. Ho-
| hart. widow of Vice President Hobart
was harmed by the fire, both being well
] out of it's path.
! The cost of the fire has not yet beer
counted with any degree of accuracy
! and il will be several days before there
can be a definite tabulation of losses
| and insurance.
The Estimated LOSSES.
In the confusion of the day and the
rigorous guarding of the burned dis
| tricts at night, II was impossible TO To-
cate a majority of the heavier suffer
ers. The estimate of $10000,000 proba'
bly. will cover the destruction broadly
and a group of city officials who went
over the city this evening were In
clined TO scale that figure down to be-
| tween 81, SOC, 900 and $S,00000O for actua
property losses. Their estimate made
| no CALCULATION for. loss on account oi
suspension Of business. A hastily pre-
pared and incomplete list compiled by
| a business man tonight gives the FOL
lowing estimated losses:
city Hall, S450,OO0. First National
Bank, 500, 600: Second National Bank
/ sGO 900. Paterson National Bank, $780,
| OO0. Hamilton club $4,000, kat7
building. sg5 900; Garden Theater, t5O,'
/ 0OO. Jnlted States Hotel, $4,000. Pub
! uo Library, 100000. Quackenbush 4
/ 90 department store. building and