The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-02-28
LOSS PLACED AT T($5,O0l,OOO. Conservative Estimate of New oy.ans Fire.
 $- THE DIy .RSION OF TRADE City Working Hard to Pre- vent Any Change. Spirit of Indomitable Enterprise Mani- fested and New Buildinsx Win be Begun at Once on Ruins
 of OId.
THE Dl, .RslON OF TRADE

of OId.
 New Orleans, La., Feb. 27.-Complete figures of the loss involved in the de- struction of the Stuyvesant docks of the Illinois Central, 1t was announced by local officers of the company today. will not be available until an inspec- tion of the books of the docks is fin- ished. Fortunately all of these were saved
 Today Local Freight Agent Cousins and his office force, went to work on them and MT. Cousins announced to- night that 1t might be possible tomor- row to give the results. The value of the wharves, sheds, warehouses, ele- vators and trackage Is known roughly. but the number of cars and the quau- tity of merchandise, destroyed cannot be given until the inspection is con cluded. In the meantime estimates of the loss vary between Superintendent Dunne's figure of $3,000.000 and Gem eral Freight Agent Perkins's aggre- gate of s5.00o.OoO.
 The ruins of the fire smouldered all day and two engines were kept at the scene to protect surrounding residen- tial property. Including the Crescent Ice plant. the police have compiled list of approximately forty buildings. mostly occupied by laborers. which were destroyed with an estimated loss of $100.o0o. Earlier estimates of the damage to shipping were modified to- day. the principal sufferer being the Leyland liner Indian Head, on which the loss is s5.000.
 Streets Were Blocked.
 Officials of the fire department said today that the fire might have been ex- tinguished in its incipiency if the streets leading to the docks had not been closed by authority of the Coun- ell and long lines of freight cars had not been parked on the tracks. It was impossible for either the engines or the fremen to get through until too late to be of service. Chief o'Conror said one of the results arsaala tsas6t- less be to force the city to provide a modern fire boat for the harbor. He said the disaster could have been averted If there had been one.
 Some distress Is reported among the poorer classes who lost their belong- ings. The local charity organization society has asked for funds to relieve 1t.
 President Fish of the Illinois Gen. tral Railroad, was reported today 70 be at Palm Beach. Local officials do not expect him here. Vice-President Harahan and other officials are on their way from Chicago and will be here at noon tomorrow. They will have full authority to handle the situation and discuss plans for the immediate clear ing away of the wreckage. the re- opening of temporary tracks on the river, and provision for handling the grain business of the Illinois Central until the docks are restored. The To- cal exchanges and business interests will cooperate with MT. Harahan in any plans he may have to prevent any diversion of the traffic now coming over the road.
 No one is missing and 1t is generally believed that the fire was without loss of life.
 Made Clean Sweep.
 The fire at the IllInols central termi- nals in this city mad burned out by a. m., having made cIean sweep of elevators and sheds from Louisiana Avenue to Napoleon Avenue. The smouldering runs will, of course, burn for a day or two.
 The wnarves destroyed are estimated at $312,O00.
 It is estimated that the insurance on stored freight, etc, will approximate $4.000,000.
 With the fire that destroyed its im- mense export terminals still burning, though beyond the power to do further damage. the Illinois Central Railroad announces today that as soon as the ruins cool. forces will be put to work to clear away the debris and Stuyve- sant dock and elevators will be promptly rebuilt. on more elaborate and substantial scale than before. Meantime the officials of the road are today engaged in the formulation of plans that will enable them to handle the traffic now on its way here from the west and to avoid any material di- version of freight from this city.
 Loss S0yOOO,OOO.
 Conservative estimates figure the im- mediate losses by the fire at $5,000, 900, divided as follows:
 Two elevators, warehouses, sheds, S2, ,50O, 900; 23,000 bales of cotton, $920,- 900; 100000 bushels grain, $3S5,00; 15,- 900 barrels sugar. $30O.00O cotton seed cake. 1S0 car loads, $97,50O; lumber, Sl6,625; cement, $56.250; meal, 20 cars, SIG, 900 -sCndries, S150,0O0: 800 freight cars $375.O00; ships damaged. $50,OOO; city fire department, two engines and six horses, $16,000; private property and other damage. S216.OOO. The rail- road company carried its own insur- anCe anu LAC NOhtCuI6 Ol LHB VdTlOuS elevators and sheds were insured in local and foreign agencies.
 The wharves covered 4.750 feet over a distance of ten blocks Of this wharfage $500 feet and what 1t con- tained was destroyed, the remainder at the upper end of the terminals being saved through the fact that the wind blew strongly in the opposite direc- tion. The destroyed wharf cost S500.- 900. Elevator D, leased to Harris, Scotton & Co.,. of Chicago, cost S300,- 0Oo when built, and elevator E, which was operated by the Illinois Central, cost S4O0.000.
 Apparently no lives were lost in the fire, although there were many narrow escapes of those who were engaged in fighting the flames. owing to it's rapid spread, and lives were constantly endan- gered by the debris of all kinds that was whirled through the air. The es- cape of two fire engines was cut of and their crews had to run for their lives. driver Charles Richardson of No. be- ing painfully hurt
 The fire started in one of the convey ors to elevator D. It spread with re- markabIe rapidity. sparks dropping in- to oil barrels on the wharf and extend-