The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-02-26
Disastrous Fire Sweeps
)v,erH o'tsspriinl1ggs, ], Ark VI
ss8 Great D,arllag Done } y I !
,CHARIsED 4BO DIES
I. FOUND lin DEBRIS
Feared That others Also May
L Have Lost Lives The D Water ''ts.:
k5 Pressure Gave Out all Crl-
teal omen 8 s. ott g 81 I.S
Residences and B Is i
ness tet Houses Burned.
lIlI'5J


ss h less Houses S6uIIpc 81 " H &a;t
Il. &s3f 81 {By I Associated prcssy e
III or SPRING Fob Fire re
I swept the southern pbrtion OF ttls8iclty
carly to.day, doing immense dan,ase$anlldcl
y scausI The death OF three persons. The 11t
! loyges arc vurlously cstitnated t;s from from
soue million to Il wp million pillars Three
81 charred corpses have been found among,
Il the ruins and as scvcra ! d persons are
reported missing the death list ma y be e
Increased. Tho idertit OF the victims
ma not been y cs tablishod. One Of u the
u bodies is supposed to no that OF r. fema!se
III guest az Tho Grand Central Hotel. 3
e ~ Ia firc. which started Ia I 8 40 q lock
4 this morning, was the worst this State mas
cxperienccl. In five hours II had burned
5s or rs an area Sof ono square mill 1slock
Il aftcrEblock Of Tesid ences business no uses,
hotels and Il other buildings. we're sWept
away, 4 and the entire own was I panic.
stricken though tho IRE Wa 3 GO ~ nnneu
to tho outhcrn part OF the Gil y. street Y
I: y ca y wires ana telegraph and q telephone
Z poles were destroyed. and hcse services
were temporarily demon l lied .S8$ q 10 fire.
s swept area Includes @ every otlsr al on
n Cha Bel Street, all on Market trcet from
Central Avenue west, Dram &c 81 reel 20
rand Avenue, portion y ot,s Gag
arc Tic Grand Central 4 III tel, the Lee Ice
House. Mood Va Hotel. r tea Sl Iotel CO.
ltimbfa Hotel I he count ~ court house. the
tail, First Methodist Chur ~ he We Wish
" Church and resid ences and 81 ores TO 4 !. 70
arge nun Der, eed e ~ y
from 200 to 20 @ III St.sS VIZ 81
Origin q Mystery. 2s.,5
5;sS Tho IRE started lin the rand Central
Hot Il, and b It's orig In is !,
81 mo guests had ret ired for the. nlght.5
and oa!y Wefe ais
Il, covered IN "a strong mort h ~ wa blow. J.
Ing, I'D be fore tie IRE I'd pa IT men could
II reach lie scene the flames spread ~ pld
10 adjoining buildings, general. a q rnh
was sounded 7. and every eng Inc IN $thegclt y
responded Guests iii the Dig hotels we're q,
az akened and hundreds OF hesc ina Silly
dressed and repaired TO the scene Eof ms y!
\ The flrcnen and police work va iantly.
III but their efforts could mot heck he on-J
ward march Of the flames. and to add
to their difficulties, the water pressure
gavo out ut IS o'clock. Bucket brigadess les
were then formed, ci items \ a nd 4yisltors
alike volunteering their services, s .s
# Excitement wa manif tested ever y where
n when tho flames got beyond control Many
y lodging & houses 3 and N ci,ca 81 restaurants
were in the path. OF the fire. and the
occupants were liurriedly apprised of
their danger, Many in, their 9 g, =
L jumped from windows and sust aimed se-s
we're bruises and shocks 95 81 5s.$5S
AT daybreak the wind increased IN force
and famed the flames intoSn seething'
4 glare, which lighted UP the country for
miles around. 81 The fire swept along Cen
tral Avenue south, cating up 5blltldin s az s
ter, building before occupants could re-
4 cover their vnluables, Many OF them
s.areIy escaped With their lives. On tho
west side Of Central Avenue Il strip OF
woods, covering about ten acres. arrested
the progress OF the ltlrc to the west. The
Park Hotel through n favorable shirt ~
the wind. "a escaped possible fdestrllctl 10 n
Tho guests were hurrlcdy summoned
from their rooms, and man @ mem ~, e
S packed trunks and 4valiscs and made their
way to the streets, The Arlington and
Eastman Hotels were not In the threat
Il encd district. 8E4i I'D ~ Z. "
Charred Bodies Found.
After5sthe fire had IL gained full head
way the streets BECAME cfoked wit speo-
Me Hundreds of those who had been.
driven from their houses We're runnin
franticallys about, n some carrying cloth.
Ing, yalises aud other property, loo KING
for n place Of safety. The police and
every aid. Mayor George Bedding took
personal charge OF the fro and police
forces and directed their efforts With
the assistance OF Sheriff WI ltanls5 pat rols
were established and the crowds kept
back to the danger lines. &. Z I, 1, s.
Il AT 0 o'clock the fire had practically
burned Itself out, and the work of ircscuo
and relief wa begun Il In the ruins OF tho
Grand Central HotelEn charred female
body was found. Tho remains could not
ne Identified as the hotel re 8 lstcrj and
other records were burned. Tho name
may never be known. IN q lodgi Ing mouse
ttwoEunknown male corpses We're " scoV'
erred, is III XXI
39 Mayor Fielding issued n proclalna ton
calling upon tho citizens to open therf
homes to the destitute, and the appea
was responded to on every side, inc
large hotels took In hundreds VINO mao
4 lost their belongings, and fed AVndfeds
more a mass meeting, ca lied py me
3 Mayor. was held this afternoon. ayor
Bedding asked for contributions to assist
1.-THE dest tute. and generous donations were
made. Many t,rfmen subscribed literally
to tho fund, Mayor Belding said at the
meeting that 1t was his opinion that me
& city can take care Of the situation With
ffo,k an appeal for outside aid. III n
ti The telegraph Offices to- mig ut have been
flooded With tecgrams from q " parts OF
Tho country, asking II friends and rela-
tves arc safe. A number Of these mes'
sages were probably occasoned BY scnsa-
tonal reports sent out from hero that
Z the loss of life was great, -Four Or i've
persons are unacconnted for, nv no
only victims that are known TO have per-
lshed arc the hrco persons whose bodies
have been found. e5 81
81 #I Relief Fund,
fs ,rhe relief fund tonight reached g total
of $4,000 4 Numerous contributions from
outside points have been Wired in, rang
ing III: anipHnt from fifty TO two huns
Fdreedt dollars, Mayor niger, of l1ouls-
@yilie, 4 iSy.,l5.WRott left here to-day, subs
5Icrihel $500 Just before BOARDING his tram
~ 3 Iconfinued on second Page