The Oskaloosa herald., 1905-03-02
NEW ORLEANS IS
SWEPT BY FIRE
LOSS WILL RUN OVER FIVE MIL.
LION DOLLARS.
ILLINOIS CENTRAL SUFFERS.
Most Of the Property Destroyed Be-
Ionged to the Rallroad-FIames
Gotten Under Control at
Noon Today.

New Orleans, La, Feb. 27.-- At
noon today 1t was estimated that the
great fire which has swept tne Illi-
nois Central railway terminals since
early morning will entail a loss of
over five million dollars. The flames
are still raging for eleven blocks
along the river front, but are now
under control.> The Illinois Central
company has already announced that
it will rebuild it's docks at once.
Included in the eleven blocks de-
stroyed were great wharfs and
freight sheds, two modern grain ele-
vators, hundreds of loaded cars and
vast quantities of freight, including
10000 bales of cotton, together with
large number of cottages. The
wharfs were covered with miles of
trackage and steel and iron sheds
ran the whole distance.
Blaze Soon Beyond Control.
The fire is said to have resulted
from a hot journal on a freight car.
The whole plant was equipped with
gigantic water tanks and fire extin-
gushing apparatus, but the blaze
soon got beyond control, spreading
through the conveyers to the elevator
and sheds. The response of the fire
department was prompt, but owing
to the fact that the terminals were
not readily accessible because OF
fences and tracks the engines found
difficulty in reaching the flames. In
half an hour the fire covered two
squares, the smaller elevator was con-
sumed and the fire was sweeping up
and down the river. Tugs hastened
to draw vessels from wharfs into the
river. Switch engines pulled hun.
dreds of box cars out of danger, but
hundreds more were consumed.
The river boats, the employees Of
the road and the fire department con.
centrated their energies to save the
upper elevator, but they were beaten,
and the big steel structure, covered
with corrugated iron, suddenly burst
into flames and in half an hour was a
wreck. r.
During the fire heavy north wind
carried brands to great distances,
driving back sightseers. Immense
pieces of hot corrugated iron, torn
from the sides Of the larger elevator,
were carried through the air as if
they were feathers, and, dropping in
every direction, constantly endanger-
ed the lives of firemen and specta-
tors.
The weather was warm, and $4,000
persons watched the progress of the
fire.
List of Losses.
Conservative estimates figure the
immediate loss by the fire at $5,000,'
900, divided as follows:
Wharves, $4,000.
Two elevators, old and new, ware
houses, wharf sheds Nos. to and
part of No. 8, new F. o. B. cotton
ware house, $2,500,0oo.
Cotton destroyed, $4,000 bales
100000.
Seven thousand bushels of grain,
$3S5,000.
Fifteen thousand barrels sugar,
100000.
Cottonseed cake, 100 car loads, $97,.
5O0
Lumber, $16,625.
Cement, $56,250.
Meal, twenty cars, $4,000.
Sundries, $150,000.
Five hundred weight cars, $375,000
Ships damaged, $4,000.
City fire department, two engines
and four horses, $4,000.
Private property and other damage
$4,000.
AS far as known only two persons
were injured, neither of them fatally
1t is estimated that the insurance
on stored freight, etc, win approxi
mate $f,000,000.