The Red Cloud chief., 1905-03-03
FIRE loss s. 100000
FLAMES SWEEP RIVER FRONT
AT NEW ORLEANS.
Vast Freight Terminals Of the Illinois
Central Wiped Out-Besides Docks
titles Merchandise Consumed.

tItieS merchandise Consumed.
New Orleans, Feb. 27.-Fire, involv.
ing millions of dollars loss in property
and which strikes a serious, if tenn.
porary, blow at the immense export
trade OF New Orleans, swept the river
front and wiped out the vast freight
terminals OF the Illinois Central,
known as the %Stuyvesant docks. Near.
ly a dozen squares of modern wharves
and freighe sheds, two magnificent
grain elevators, hundreds OF loaded
cars and vast quantities of freight, in
Guiding 10000 bales OF cotton, were
destroyed, together with a large mum.
Der of small residences. The loss
may exceed $4,000, 600.
The fire is said to have resulted
from a journal hat had not been suf-
ficiently oiled. In half an hour the
fire covered W squares, the lower
elevator was practically consumed
and the fire was sweeping with ire.
sistible fury, both up and down the
river. AS Don as it became known
that the one of the fire was the
~Stuyvesant docks. harbor tugs hast
ened to the wharves and vessels that
were mOored there were pulled out in
to the river. At the same time switch
engines were rushed to the wharves
and hundreds of boXcars loaded with
freight were drawn to points above
fore the fire reached them. Hundreds
more, however, were consumed.
The wind was blowing down the
river as the blaze began and the fire
spread with greater speed in that d.
rection. BY 9 o'clock the lower ele.
vator and sheds and wharves from
Amelia street to Louisiana avenue, a
distance of six squares, had fallen in.
Fortunately Louisiana enu is a
very broad ~thoroughfare and the fur.
Their spread of the fire beyond that
point into a residence section was
checked. Between the points named,
however, the flames swept to complete
destruction many cottages of the
poorer classes, the occupants in a
great many instances losing all they
possessed.
The river boats, the employees of the
road and the fire department concen
trated all their energies in an effort
to say the upper elevator, between
Austerlitz and Constantinople streets
and to check the fire at that point
The fire, however, gradually worked
past the point occupied by the ele
vator. Heroically the forces kept al
work, but ultimately they, were beat
en- and the big steel structure, GOV
cred with corrugated iron, suddenly
burst into flames and in half an houl
was a complete wreck. More thar
nine squares of the terminals have
, been completely destroyed and i
seemed unlikely that the fire Goult
be checked until it reached Napoleon
!, avenue, which also Is a broad street
|, During the fire a heavy wind blew
: and the blaze was of indescribabl
, fury, carrying brands to great dis
tances, driving back the crowds o
sightseers. Immense pieces of col
, rugated iron, torn from the sides O
4 the upper elevator, were carries
through the air as II they were featt
n ers, and dropping In every direction
$ constantly endangered the lives @
I firemen and spectators.
y Aside from the tremendous loss iI
v volved in the destruction of property
the fire is a calamity to New Orlean
- In the temporary abatement of the In
mems export business of the Illinoi
Central, particularly in the matter G
grain shipments.
The Chief and the weekly Stat