Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-02-27
100000
Loss by Sweeping Fire
in New '0rIeans.
Docks and illinois Railroad
Terminal in Ruins.
Two Large Grain Elevators With
Capacity Ct 100000 Bushels Burned.

New Orleans. Feb. 21-Fire INVOLVING
millions of dollars loss in property and
striking 4 serious, il not temporary
blow ut the immense export trade OF
New Orleans. swept the river front. to-
night and wiped out the freight ter
EinalS Of the Illinois Central railroad
| known as the Stuyvesant docks.
Nearly dozen squares OF WnarVeS
ana freight sheds, two grain elevators
hundreds of loaded ears and vast fnr-
niture cars of freight. including 10000
bales OF cotton. We're destroyed. to-
eether with a large number of small
residences.
The fire was still raging furiously
most reached the upper end of the II
linOiS Central property.
II is not known whether there has
heen any loss of life.
The oceangoing shipping seems to
have suffered serious damage A num-
Der of firemen ana employees of the
docks We're injured.
Actual estimates of the losses are i'm
possible tonight. though they may en-
coed sJ,00G,00O.
The StuyveS;lnt docks extend from
Louisiana avenue almost to The Napo-
lon avenue. n distance of l. squares.
Thew harveS between these two points
We're covered with miles of trackage
and steel and iron sheds ran The whole
distance.
The two grain elevators We're of mod
ern construction, the upper one having
capacity of Il million bushels. Thou
sands OF bales of cotton. several hum
dred thousand packages of sugar;
great quantities of cottonseed oil cakes.
lumber and every conceivable variety
OF freight filled the warehouses and
sheds.
Practically all the export business
handled by the Illinois Central was put
aboard ships at these docks. The docks
and improvements have been under
construction for 10 years past, extern
sions and big investments having been
made after the constitutional conven-
ton of 1898 made it possible for the
road to invest permanently at this
point.
The fire was discovered shortly after
: O'Clock. II was said 10 have resulted
from Il journal that had not been suftl-
GENTLY oiled. The whole plant was
equipped. with gigantic water tanks
and fire extinguishing apparatus, but
the blaze, small at the beginning, al
most instantly got beyond control
communicating through the conveyors
to the lower elevator and some of the
sheds
The response of the fire department
vas prompt. but owing to the fact that
the terminals were not readily Access
sible because of fences and tracks. the
nremen found difficulty in reaching the
flames. In half an hour the fire covered
two squares. the lower elevator was
practically consumed.
Harbor tugs hastened to the Wharves
and vessels that were mOored there
we're pulled into the river. At the same
time switch engins We're rushed to the
wnarves and hundreds of cars loaded
with freight were drawn to points OF
safety. Hundreds more, however. were
consumed. The wind was blowing down
down the river as the blaze began and
the fire spread with greater rapidity
in that direction.
By o'clock, the sheds and Wharves
from Amelia to Louisiana avenue. a
distance Of six squares had been de-
strOyed.
Fortunately Louisiana avenue is
4 broad thorOughfare. and the further
spread OF the fire beyond that point,
into residence section. was checked.
Between the points named. however,
the flames swept to complete destruc-
ton many cottages of the poorer
classes, the occupants in a great many
instances losing all they had.
TIL river boats. the employees of the
road and the fire department concern
trated all their energies III an effort 10
save the upper elevator btween Austen
litZ and ConstantinOple streets, and to
check the fire ~ that point. The fire,
however. gradually worked past the
point occupied by the elevator. Hero
ically the forces kept at work. but uiti-
mately they We're beaten. and the big
steel structure. covered with CORFU
gated iron. suddenly burst into flames
and in half hour was complete
wreck.
AT midnight more than nine squares
If the terminal had been completely
destroyed ana il seemed likely that the
fire would not be checked until ii
cached Napoleon avenue. which Is also
4 very broad street
Immense pieces of corrugated iron.
torn from the sides of the upper ele
rator. were carried through the air as
+ they were feathers and dropping in
very direction constantly endangered
he lives of fremen and spectators.
Probably 10000 people watched the
ire.