The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-02-08
Forty Millions
Are Lost in the
Sweeping Terror


Many Buildings Burning
The big dry goods houses of Daniel
Miller & Sons and R. M. Sutton & Co.
were soon aflame, and along German
street, east and west from the Hurst
building, there were a dozen buildings
burning.
Mass & Kempers big wholesale store
on Baltimore street quickly succumbed
to the flames. On Hopkins Place the
Hopkins Savings Bank and the Nation
al Exchange Bank were Quilted by fire
Across the street were the ruins of
John E. Hurst & Co., and next to it S.
Hecht, Jr. & Sons were in flames Ad-
joining was the large building owned
by the William Koch Importing Com
pany, which was also quickly destroyed
Across the street the Stanley &
Brown Drug Co. building was quickly
in ruins, while fronting on the Balti-
more street side of this block were the
Roxbury Rye Distilling Company, the
building occupied by SHERMAN &
Todes, the house of Allen & Sons Co.,
which had hardly been completed, while
next to it was the establishment of NJ.
Moses & Co. On the corner was the
building occupied by Messrs. Sugar &
Shear, and several other smaller con-
Germs.
All of these were swallowed up in
flame and in fact, the whole block was
nothing but Cauldron of fire.
, At 1870 o'clock Mullens Hotel, a
seven-story structure at Liberty and
Baltimore streets, was in flames from
garnet to cellar, and its great hight and
narrowness acted as a torch. All the
guests had been ordered out and none
was injured.
Many Engines at Work.
Though every bit Of fire fighting APP
paratus in the city was called into
requisition, the flames continued to
spread and engines arrived from
Washington and Philadelphia. Engines
from stations in Baltimore, Howard,
Anne Arundel and Hartford counties
also Joined in fighting the flames. 1t
it roughly stated that there were $50
lines of hose, all playing at one time
upon different parts of the confagra-
ton. With loud roars, wall after wall
toppled into the streets and firemen
ran for their lives.
All kinds of wires had to be cut to
clear the way for the fire fighters. The
block bounded by German, Liberty,
Sharp and Baltimore streets were ear
ly found to be doomed and the firemen
turned their attention to saving the
buildings on Baltimore street, east of
Sharp, but the fire was beyond their
control.
Red hot cinders ignited the roof of
Front Street Theater at least half a
mile from the main conflagration,
which shows to what distance the fiery
rain fell. The blaze was extingushed
by the flremen, assisted by citizens.
Alarm ut the Hospital.
For a time considerable ALARM was
felt at the CITY hospital. The Sisters
of Mercy in charge of the Institution
we're all at their posts. and an effort
was made to keep the fact Jof the con-
fiagration a secret from fine patients.
A few cinders fell on thu roof of the
hospital, but were extinauished by the
physicians of the house staff.
Eighteen women, ivy 20 babies and
seven nurses were TAX In from the Ma
ternite Hospital on West Lombard
street, in police ambulances, and CIV
en- quarters at the City Hospital. A
woman who was i'll in bed with typhoid
fever was taken to the city hospital
At O'Clock a tremendous explosion
of about $50 barrels of whisky, stored
in the upper floors of "a Hanover
street, hurled tons of burning mat
ter across the street on to the roofs
of the buildings opposite which the
fremen were 9renching with water in
a vain hope 20 make Hanover street
the eastern boundary line of the con-
fiagration. Here an engine was buried
by a falling wall, the firemen fleeing
for their lives.
Hurried from Churches.
The whole city was notified OF the
conaasration by a terrific explosion,
which Occur red some minutes after II
o'clock. Al sharp. splitting roar went
nm with re.verberating thunder. This
was followed by a peculiar whlsti'hs
noise, like that. made by shrill wind
The churdhes in the central part Of the
CITY weEe filed with worshippers'
many oil whom became frightened, and
while nj panics ensued, hundreds OF
men ana women went outside to see
what n ad happened. In few mo-
ments Tine streets and pavements all
over tine city were crowded with ex-
Another deafening crash occurred,
and I dense columns Of cinders ana
smoI.e shot up over the central section
Of the city and in huge brown col
unit moved rapidly toward the north
eagt Borne on the strong southeast
w,Ina the column Of smoke blazing
e,1nSsrs and even pieces Of tin roofing,
80 over the center Of the city and
raln Of clnders fell compelling pc
f.t ts.i 10 dodge red-hot pieces OF
wood Few could see ihe Pre-
Two more explosions ftliOwed ana