St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1908-03-07
A DEVASTATING FIRE.
Attempt to Assassinate
Chief Shippy. OF the
Chicago Police.
Nine-HOur Law Goes Into
Effect. Other News
Items of Interest.
Destructive Fife

Tampa, Fla, March 1.-The entire
extreme northeastern section of the
city proper was destroyed by fire
which broke out at 9 o'clock to-day and
ragged uninterruptedly for four hours.
The area burned covered fifty-fve
acres, or eighteen and half city
blocks, and 308 buildings were des-
troyed, with the total loss estimated
at $500. 600, and one woman is dead
as result of shock.
The burned section included four
large and one smaller cigar factories
and numerous restaurants, saloons,
boarding houses and over two hundred
dwellings occupied by cigar makers.
The factories burned were NJ. Stachel-
berg & Co, loss $10O. 900; NJ. Perez & Co.
loss $50, 600; Gonzales, Fisher & Co.,
loss $40, 900; Esberg, Gunst & Co.,
branch Of Stachelberg, loss 10000;
Fernandez & Brother, loss $40. 900.
All the factories carried large
stocks of tobacco and cigars. The
area swept by fire embraced all that
portion of the city between Twelfth
and Michigan Avenues and Sixteenth
and Twentieth Streets. The fire orig
mated in the clearinghouse of
Antonio Diaz, TIA Twelfth Avenue,
and famed by strong wind, spread
fan-shaped, defying the efforts of the
fire department, which was crippled
by very weak water pressure, to
check it. Occupants of over 200
dwellings, thrown into a panic,
rushed out, attempting to save but
little of their belongings. A Cuban
woman in delicate condition dropped
dead from shock, her body being rescued
from the burning house with difficulty.
In the big factories it was possible
only to save most valuable of records,
books, etc., and the valuable stock of
leaf tobacco and manufactured cigars
ready for shipment were left to the
mercy of the flames.
Fire Chief Savage was overcome by
heat and smoke early in the fire, but
recovered later. Citizens volunteered
assistance to the fireman, but the
spread Of the flames was SO rapid that
little effectual work could be done.
Among buildings, other than fac
tories destroyed were the hotels and
cafes of Perez and Castro, and Mexi-
mo Caras, six saloons, twelve restau-
rants and ten boarding-houses. The
car barns of the Tampa Electric Com
pany, containing twenty cars, was
endangered. and owing to the dis
truction of trolley wires cars could not
be moved. The fire finally burned itself
out at the extreme northeastern cor
ner Of the city.
Fully half of the people rendered
homeless were out of work owing to
the dull season in the factories, and
their shelter became an immediate
problem.
st. Joseph's Convent was opened to
them by order of the Jesuit Fathers,
and many found lodgings there, while
others were accommodated in homes
throughout the city. Besides these,
thousands of men will be out of work
on account of the burning of the
factories. The insurance is estimat-
ed at not more than half the loss.
At the home of Miguel Rodriguez,
a cigar-maker, the corpse of child
in coffin awaiting funeral services,
was cremated.
| The State militia was placed on
guard tonight in the burned district
to prevent depredations.