The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-08-25
Hardin's Stables Become
Their Crematory.
BLAZE AT DAYBREAK
Fire Within Two Blocks of Main Sec
ton Of Raleigh Destroys Big Livery
Stable and Cuts Brick St0rehouse
Next With a Heavy Loss and
Very Little Insurance.

is to be found at the corner of Mar
tin and South Blount streets, where
yesterday morning the flames lit up
the sky, destroying houses and horses.
Sixteen animals-thirteen horses
and three mules-perished in the fire
which swept away Hardin's livery
stable. and Quilted the storehouse just
west of it. Delivery wagons buggies,
carriages and traps, with feed stuff in
the stable, and a general line of mer-
chandise belonging to Mr. W. A. Wyatt
in the building next door were de-
stroyed.
The fire occurred yesterday morn
ing between four and five o'clock
Just before day. There was a smould-
CT of smoke above the big livery stable
and then out burst the flames. Fierce
ly they burnt and it was seen that the
stable was gone. The flames from the
side extension i'm the rear swept around
and entered the back of the store
house next door. The inside timbers
caught and the fire ragged fiercey.
yet the Raleigh firemen. by good work
confined the flames to these two build
ings.
The stable, which with all the horses
and mules in it, was utterly destroyed,
onl ySome of the blackened walls
standing, was the property of Messrs.
Ed. b. Barbee and NJ. I. Leach, being
occupied by Mr.. George Hardin as a
livery stable and horse boarding en-
porium. The building fronts on Mar
tin street. and was of brick, two stor-
les. while a long annex, a wooden
building faces on South Blount street
and extends back of the store building
next to the brick livery stable, this be-
ing owned by Mr.. w. a. Wyatt
There is said to have been no insur
ance on the stable building, though
there is probably a mistake as to this,
for one of the owners is reported as
having said that the building was WE'LL
insured There was no insurance on
the Wyatt building and stock in it, and
II is not known whether Mr.. Harden |
had insurance on the horses and |
equipment i'm his stable. He is out of
the city. in Maryland, with some of
his fine racing horses, which thus es-
capped being destroyed.
The losses are about as follows: |
Stable and addition, $3,5u0; horses,
etc, killed, $4,000; buggies etc, de- |
stroyed. 5000 MyattS store, injured, |
81 .0OO; stock destroyed. $4,000 Total
about $4,000. with barely a suspicion !
of insurance on everything.
The fire killed sixteen horses and
mules these being horribly burned. |
though the death of some came from
suffocation. These were owned as
follows:
George HARDIN horses, 3 mules.
Geo. :. Terrell & CO. horses.
w. ii. King Drug Col horse.
g. y. Walters horse.
Bud Bashford-1 horse.
Smith. Goodwin & Col horse.
Swift * Col horse.
j. r. StOtt. of NaSh.-1 horse.
Besides heSe horses in horse flesh,
there were many buggieS and other
vehicles. Geo. Hardin lost two road
carts and one buggy; Geo. Terrell lost
a buggy and two delivery wagons: w.
- King lost a trap and one delivery
wagon: c.. n. Walters one trap and
one buggy: Swift & Co., one delivery
wagon; Bud Bashford one buggy;
Smith, Goodwin q Co., one delivery
wagon; c. b. Anderson, one buggy
aad harness; j. +. Stott. who lives
near Glover, Nash county and who
is a son of Mr.. n. T. Stott of this
city. one new buggy. Besides these
there was the harness, some saddles
and the equipment in feed and ma
terial of the stable
In the Wyatt two-story brick build
ing there was stored among other
things, 240 sacks of sugar a car load
of nails a car load of bran, car load
of ship stuff, car load Of oats a car
load of hay, large number of mowers
and rakes and a large amount of flour
and sugar. All of this is not destroy
ed. but there is great damage, both by
fire and water.
The origin of the fire is q mystery.
I, was after o'clock when the fire
alarm rang in the engine house and
the firemen's homes. The alarm
from the fire bell did not sound as
that is out of order.
The first warning came from out
SIDE the burning stable to two men
sleeping inside. People had been
aroused by the smoke and the blaze
and these beat on the door. Two men
were inside these being Mr.. Henry
Hardin brother of Mr. George Hardin
and n negro employee. Both had
slept soundly, and the negro says that
the cracking of the burning wood is
the first he knew of the fire. These
men had barely time to get out with
their lives while from the midst of the
fiery furnace came the terrified neigh
ing and frantic champing of the
horses growing fainter and fainter,
adm then the Stiffness which said
dead" and freedom from agony.
Not one horse escaped.
The fire companies did efficient
work. Chief Woolcott was on the
scene directing the work and soon
there were six streams pouring into
the blaze. A small frame house just
i'm the rear of the stable was saved,
as was also the store above MyattS,
this owned by Mr.. S. Berwanger and
occupied by Mr.. c. c. Jones as a gro
cory store. The section is thiclIly
built up, and had there been much
wind the entire section might have
been destroyed, despite all effort.
I he fire fighters had to work in close
to the flames, and they did their work
we'll
Various theories have been advanc-
Il to hR nf hn fro
spontaneous combustion theory is one,
this being based upon the fact that
some green millet had been stored in
the building, but this is set aside by
the fact that this was stored in the
front of the building, while the APP
pearance is that the fire started just
back of the middle of the brick por-
-, aud thrnuoh the addition TO the