The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1904-02-12
Most Disastrous Fire.
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no further damage. In numerous
wrecked buildings, the flames played
about the debris and threatened to
weaken the foundations or the few
walls that were left
The Work OF Destruction on Every
Hand.
Like a grim tower IN the ruins
stand the walls of the History Con-
tinental Trust Company building. The
walls Of the Baltimore and ONO
building are also standing, but the
PENNSYLVANIA railroad building. di-
rectly across Calvert street is RACED.
Only the walls remain OF the once
stately Equitable building. Only rem
nants of one wall are left or what
was the National Hotel, at Holiday
and Fayette streets No buildings
are left standing as far as the eye
can see down Baltimore street. from
this point. All along South Gay
street, there is the same picture OF
complete destruction. a broker sign
and a lettering front wall show where
the Maryland w. c. T. u. building
once stood. Adjoining this was the
building occupied by the Iron Ship
Company and by the British Con-
sulate. whose building is a complete
lOcS. hS DAA4NA4AS bS-N ~ III
man consulate, the Square also IS in
ruins.
The costly United States customs
house in course of construction and
~upy the triangular block be-
tween Lombard and Water streets
and exchange place is said to be ruin
ed. The marble blocks are badly
damaged. the ]cOrnices on the north
side are destroyed and the marble
$1,000 DF DInnaz
The only other Federal building dam
aged was the United States custom
house number one. diagOnally op-
posite. Here the interior sustained
serious damage, but the outer walls
are intact, the only building in that
sectiOn whose outer structure was
preserved. Westward along Pratt
street is only debris from which
flames leap and play.
Oil Ignites Into Flames.
Down Pratt street, west from Gay
for several blocks, the oil in the
wreck of the Standard Oil building
ignited in succession of explosions
with the bursting out of flames. At
times the smoke rolled uD n threw
great black clouds over the ruins.
Pratt street for many squares is al
most impossible by reason or huge
piles of masonry and water. with
which the fire companies flooded that
section
The electric wires are a tangled
net work and the trolley wires are
down in every direction. AT O'Don-
nells wharf. where a freight station
Of the North Central railroad IS To-
Gated. the flames fed all day on the
infammable trimmings of the annex
to the power house of the United
Street railways, the main building OF
which was Quilted early this morning.
The walls of both buildings, however,
remain intact.
The large buildings of the Miller
Fertilizer Company, he Brigener Oil
Company, S. A. Robinson, dealer in
seeds and the Martin Wagner Com
pany, Gamers n packers, opposite
the slip from the power house, were
DESTROYED and the ru-n5 burned
throughout his evening.
Brick Piles Show Where Buildings
Stood.
Many of the occupants of Ill fated
Pratt street were saloon keepers and
dealers in second hand goods. There
il nothing today to indicate that the
places ever existed, ave for brick
piles. All the buildings at Dugans
wharf. nearby were destroyed. The
Hutchinson feed concern, at this
point. is also in ruins Stretching
from here down east and west Falls
avenue were a humble Of business
Establishments Among these the
Lime, Cement Company-s plant. the
Cochrans Ice House were burned. The
large four story building Of the Nc
COrmick Drug Company, at E,as,
Falls avenue and Pratt street was
ruined. The William Tell House, a
saloon and hotel al East Falls ave
nue. and Pratt street, the Hoffman
house. another hotel nearby, the T. j..
Myers large five story packing plant
and the w. w. Boyer Packing plant
were destroyed. The CommerciaI
building, a six story building at the
corner of Lombard and Gay streets,
stretching over half a block. is de-
strOyed. but the vaults are safe.
The Fire Fed by Spirits
The Fayette Street Episcopal
church, one of the oldest buildings in
the city. at. the corner of Gay and
Fayette, on the border of the fire dis
trict has nothing but the outside
walls left. The hardware store Of
John Brown at Concord and Pratt
street was reduced to debris. On Gay
street between Lombard and Water
streets. two wholesale liquor estab-
lishments. the Jarrett, William Com
a a five story building and the
Wilson Distilling Company, also a five
story structure are due TO ashes,
while a ron wall is al that is left
Of the five story wholesale liquor
plant Of kuhl n Son. The Cum
mings and Melville Distillery, another
five story building, the wholesale
liquor establishment of Broadbeck
and Company, at Water and Gay
street. and other similar establish
ments on Gay street were destroyed.
The wholesale candy factory of the
Lauer and Suter Company, at Lom-
bard and Frederick streets, embrac-
ing three houses on Lombard and
Frederick, each of them u rour story
structure. went next. The in1am.
mable character of the contents OF
these buildings will give an idea OF
the fierceness of the blaze. Spirits
fed the rood and the heat was ter
rfhlo