The Forrest City times., 1907-02-15
FIRE AT PINE BLUFF NINE BLOCKS DESTROYED AND
 1000 PEOPLE HOMELESS.

Pine Bluff. Feb. 13-A fire which covered an area of nine square blocks and destroyed about one hundred and fifty dwellings. causing an estimated loss of S20o,000 and the loss of two lives, occurred here today The fire started in a house at the corner of Third avenue and Kentucky street and spread nine blocks east to the Cotton Belt shops on the eastern border of the city and burned much of the en- tire district north of Third avenue from Kentucky street to the Arkansas pied largely by the homes of railroad employees, and these were principally the buildings that were burned l.
 addition, the Riverside Methodist church. the Orton hotel, the Lambert hotel. the Hanifn hotel and the Third avenue hotel were destroyed. The two Springer and a man named Reed. While engaged in salvage work, Springer was caught between two freight cars and was crushed to death. Reed was burned to death in a room ing house on Third avenue. In the absence of water pressure, the fire spread rapidly. and in few minutes after 1t started the square bounded by Third and Second avenues and Ken lucky and Florida streets was in flames. The members of the Fire De. partment did all in their power to check the flames, but their efforts were futile, and in q short time three and the river and east of Florida street were enveloped. Many of the residents saved their household eff fleets, and others carried their goods to the railroad tracks, where the in | tense heat soon caused them to be come ignited. The rapid spread of the site the bridge department building
 at the Cotton Belt shops. The build
 ings opposite the Cotton Belt shops were destroyed by dynamite so as tC
 save the shops and the oil house o
 the Waters-Pierce Oil Company. The | insurance on the residences destroy ed is probably small. and the loss vii | fall heavily on the railroad employees I A .aI property on Second avenue will also | lose heavily. The high wind was the cause of the rapid spread of the fire and the efforts of the firemen were of | no avail aginaSt it. A determined stand was made by the firemen at the Orton hotel but when that building caught fire practically no effort was made to further check the flames un- | .il the buildings opposite the Cotton Belt shops and the Waters-Pierce oil | Company's oil hou were dynamited | It would have been useless, with the weak water pressure and the high | wind, to have made an attempt tC stop the fire. When it was seen that the Cotton Belt shops were in danger the shops were shut down and the force of employees was placed at work | fighting the flames with the fire ap paratus at the shops. All of the cars and locomotives were taken from the 1 shops, as were the tools used by the men. The burned district tonight pre- l sents a scene of utter desolation. Moth ing remains where houses once stood l but the fragments of stoves and other l iron ware and wires are down every l where throughout the burned district
 A meeting was held at the city hal
 which was presided over by County
 Judge James Gould, and steps were | taken for the immediate relief of the
 sufferers from the fire. The follow | ing list of losses as now estimated : | Jack Rost, sl 800 Mrs. Rebecca Fay
 Tor, s750; Jack Crowley, s2,30o; Mary l Hanifin, $1,000; K. A. McClintock
 $500: c. B. Yauch, $500; A. J. Appel
 $1.05O; k. A. Ware, $500; M M Bruce
 $600. J. w. Crawford. $500; J. w
 Browning. $2,000; Charles A. Hay
 cock, $1,S00; A. G. Thompson, $500
 Polly A Williams, $1,200; B. T. Pow
 ell, $500; Chas. Haycock, $1,800; F Ferguson, $l 900; White & Altheimer $500; J. H. Wilson, $500; NJ. NJ Bruce $200; Mamie Hanifer, $500; W. T. Or ton, s1,000; Mrs H. Schnable, s700
 w. Gasky, $700; Lampert hotel, s 950 James Gardner, s1,400; A. Selma
 ble, $500; o. c. ldeker. s250; M F
 McCarra, $500; w. k. Youngblood
 s700; Mrs. Rosa Cowan, $500; T
 Pierce s700; Mrs. R. H. McFadden
 S700; w. T. Norris. s700; w. T. Or
 ton, 5000, The local insurance com
 panies estimated the loss 10 be fully
 s200,000 Fully 1000 people art
 homeless, and the sight and womer
 and children in the streets was pitt | ful.
 l