The Caucasian., 1905-02-28
LOSS 4BOCT FIVE
MILLION DOLLARS.
Vast freight Terminals of Illinois
Central Railway Burn.
DOZENS OF WHARVES
AND ELEVATORS GO.
Hundreds % Cars Loaded With Eueh
Freight anb Thousands Of Bales
of Cotton Consumed at the
Crescent Citya

New Orleans, Feb. 28-Firs invoiy-
ing $o,oO0o00 loss in physical prop
erty and that strikes q serious tenn
porary blow to the immense EXPORT
trade of New Orleans, swept the ri-sr
front Sunday night and wiped out the
vast freight terminals Of the Illinois
Central known as the Stuysevant
docks. Nearly half dozen squares Of
modern wharves and freight sheds.
two magnificent freight elevators, hun
dreds of loaded cars and vast quanti-
ties Of freight, together with a large
number of small residences.
The Stuysevant docks extend from
Louisiana avenue almost to Napoleon
avenue, distance of twelve sa,aares.
The wharves between those points
were covered with miles of trackaue.
and steel am1 iron sheds ran the whole
distance. The two grain elevators were
OF the most modern construction, the
upper one having capacity of 1.eo0.-
goo bushels. Thousands of bales OF
L.
ages OF sugar. great quantities Of cot
ton seed oil and oil cake. lumber and
every conceivable variety OF freight
filed the warehouses and sheds. Prae-
tically all the export business handled
by the Illinois Central was put aboard
ships at the docks. The docks have
been under construction for ten years
elaborate extensions and immense In.
vestments having beee made after. i,
constitutional convention Of 1888 made
1t possible for the road to invest per.
manentiy at this point
The fire was discovered shortly after
o'clock. 1t was said to have resulted
from q Journal that had not been sur
ncfently oiled. The whole plant vas
equipped with gigantic water tanks
ana hre extinguishing apparatus. but
the blaze, small at first, almost In.
stantly got beyond control. comnuni- d
eating through the conveyers to thA
lower elevator and some Of the sheds
The response of the fire department.
was prompt, but owing to the fact
that the terminals were inaccessibie
owing to fences and tracks. the engine.
round difficulty in reaching the flames.
In half an hour the fire covered two
squares and the lower elevator was
practically consumed.
AT midnight more than nine SQUARES
OF the terminals had been complefelv
DESTROYED, and 1t seemed unlikely that
the fire would be checked until II
reached Napoleon avenue, which Ia
also a very broad street. During the
fre heavy wind blew and the blsxe
was OF indescribable fury carrying
orands to a4great distance. moving
oack the crowds OF sishtseers. 1n,.E
mense pieces OF corrugated tron, forn,
rrofn the sides of the upper, eleyatar.
were carried through the air an II 3thev
were feathers, and dropping IN every
direction, constantly endangered fhs
lives OF fire men and spectators
The weather was bright ana war,,,
and probably $4,000 people visited the
scene during the progress OF ti,a f1rr.
Aside from the tremendous 1na. il,
volved In the destruction. OF pronertv.
the fire. is calamity to New orlaans
In the temporary abatement OF the I'M
mense port business Of the Illinois
Central, particularly In the matter 81
grain shipments.
As soon as 1t became known that
SAAC SSSfio ~ Lie HES WIS the 4StuYY6-
SAINT docks harbor tugs hastened fo
the wharves and vessels that wers
moored there were pulled out into the
river.
Switch engines were rushed Ia tho
wharves and hundreds OF ears ioaded
with freight were drawn to peints
above the upper end OF the ferminai,
before the fire behind them. Mary
hundreds more, however, were con-
sumed.
The wind was blowing down the
river when the blaze began and the
fire spread with greater speed In that
direction. BY 8 o'clock the lower el~-
vator and sheds and wharves from
Amelia street to Louisiana avenue,
distance Of six squares, had fallen I'm.
Fortunately Louisiana avenue Ii
very broad thoroughfare, and the fur
ther spread OF the fire to the residence
section was checked. Between those
points the flames swept to complete de-
structfon many cottages of the poorer
classes, the occupants in great
many instances losing all they pos
sessed.