The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1908-10-15

! Street sue.
Started on Third Floor.
The FIRE apparently started on the
third floor on the Commerce street
side and with the aid of a strong north
wind that was blowing and which had
a clean sweep upon the structures
| famed the flames to a fiery furnace,
and the spread upward and dcwnwards
completely enveioped the interior OF
the building.
A low pressure of water had to be
contended with before the fire engines
| were got into play. BY this time the
Merchants Grocery Company's build.
ing was Seething mass from bottom
TO top. During the first stages of the
| fire explosives on the third floor be-
gan to explode and fiery brands were
thrown high into the air and sailed
| with the wind for blocks to the south.
Several sparks ignited buildings i've
blocks away The roof of the buildins
occupied by Jacob Meyers & Sons, in
Dauphin street, near Royal, caught fire
from the flying sparks, and several
sheds in the immediate neighbOrhoOd
were ignited bat extinguished without
any serious damage.
While dozen streams were pouring
a volume of water through the win
dows and openings in the Commerce
street side of the building firemen
with numerous leads of hose were
fighting the flames from the rear in
Front street. In this manner the
flames were fought simultaneously
from the rear and front of the build
ing.
Low Water Pressure.
TIE strong wind and low pressure
| of water from the Are hydrants direct
made the work of the firemen difficult
and the names spread through the
| building To the Front street side. BY
/ this time there was not point in the
Merchants building that was not iii
! hames Then the engines were gotten
/ 10 work under full pressure and the
| huge volume of smoke that rolled up
ward told the story of having the fire
| practically under control.
The greatest difficulty was expert
| enced in keeping the flames FROM
spreading too rapidly TO the building
| occupied by Cleveland Bros. The heat
was intense and the wall between the
| two structures WAS not what might be
| termed a fire wall, and it was burt a
| brief space OF time before the firemen
were directing their efforts to stay
the flames from getting beyond their
control in this building. In this they
were successful and beyond consider
able damage to the stock of this firm
! and a portion of the building directly
! against the burning structure, the fire
| here was confined. This building is
owned by Martin Lindsey, OF Uolfard,
| Ala, ard his agents here sail that the
| damage was inconsiderable and cover
ed by insurance. A representative of
| Cleveland Bros. said that the firm 5
| damage would be confined to that sus.
| tanned through water and was not very
heavy and insured.
Just when the firemen believed they
! were gaining on the flames the roof
of the Merchants building fell in and
| the flames shot upward and outward,
getting a new start that required hard
work on the part of the firemen to
regain their lost ground. Il was hard
work for over an hour. Lengths OF
hose stretched across the railroad
prevented the moving of a string OF
| freight cars that extended along Com
merce street from ST. Anthony to ST.
Louis. and this kept the firenlen from
getting at the flames. With five
streams they fought the flames from
the tops of the freight cars, but even
then the water scarcely reached the
third floor. Then the streams from
the big engines were secured and from
then on il was that the firemen grad
ually gained in their efforts TO get the
FIRE under control
Fire Tug Assists.
At most critical moment the big
fire fighting tug Greenwood steamed
up and three immense streams OF
water from her huge engines were di-
rected upon the flames from the Front
street side Under the direction of
Captain John Smith streams from the
Greenwood were thrown into he build
ing aiding the fremen from the rear
to force the flames back towards the
frvnI OF tie structure. which permitted
HShuns from both angles.
4 big fire wall separating the Mer-
cK<nIs' Grocery Company from the
structure occupied by the Alabama
Corn Mills saved that building from
The flames and a heavy loss was pre-
vented A slate roof also protected
the building from the shower Of sparks
that fell over it. The streams of the
engines were the most effective from
plugs at St. Anthony and Commerce
and st. Louis and Commerce. Had the
engines oeen taken TO the river front
for Their supply of water the plugs
could have been used direct througl
leads OF hose and materially assisted
the firemen in their work This seems
to have been overlooked.