The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1908-02-11
TWO MORE FIRES.
]. C. Pike & Co.'S Store and Anoth-
er Residences Burned.

BY Hard and Excellent Work the
Fire Department Kept Them From
Spreading to Adjacent Buildings.
One of the most destructive fires
that Orangeburg has had in thirty
years originated in the dry goods
and millinery store of J. C. Pike,
Jr., Inc, about half-past twelve
o'clock Saturday night, The store
was completely destroyed inside,
none of the goods being taken out
so rapid was the progress of the fire
after being discovered. The fire was
were on their way home. When
first seen the fire was only a small
blaze in the back part of the store.
They ran to the nearest alarm box,
which was only a short distance away
and turned in the alarm, and return
ed to the burning building.
when they got back the fire had
made rapid progress, having practi-
cally covered the whole store inside,
and big blaze was shooting up
through the skylight into the second
story of the building, which was oc-
cupied by Mr.. 7. T. Ayers and his
family. The fire department re-
sponded Immediately. but by the
time a stream of water could be
gotten on the fire the flames were
shooting above the building, so rapid
was its progress. We do not remem-
ber OF ever knowing a fire to spread
as rapidly us this one did. In less
than thirty minutes from the time
it was discovered it had spread COM
pletely over the entire store and was
shooting out Of the top of the build
ing.
Mr. Ayers and his family, who liv-
ed Just above the store, had a narrow
escape. He had been in the bath
room taking = hath arG when he
came out he found the hallway in
flames. It was with difficulty that
he and his family got out of the
buildign without being seriously
burned. Up to the time Mr.. Ayers
discovered the fire upstairs, there
was no sign of the seething furnace
that was raging in the store beneath
where he and his loved ones were
resting in fancied security. 1t was
a terrible shock to the whole family,
as well as a great financial loss.
The losses aggregate about S:6,-
900, distributed as follows ]. G.
Pike, Jr., dry goods and millinery,
stock Of $4,000 was totally Destroy
ed with $1,000 Insurance.; T. T..
Ayers, whose residence was over
Pixies store, lost practically all of his
furniture, household goods, wearing
apparel, etc., valued at S1,5O0, with
no insurance; Mrs. Augie G. Wilson,
owner Of the burned building, which
was worth about $4,000 had $4,000
insurance.
Merchants occupying adjoining build
ings had their stocks damaged by
water as follows: L. Bennett, guns,
bicycles, etc., $500; D. S. Wilson.
dry goods and millinery, $3.50;
Foreman-Rickenbaker Company, dry
goods, clothing, shoes, etc., $1,000.
All of these were fully covered by
insurance. The hard and most ex-
cellent work of the fire department
alone saved these firms from much
greater loss, by conflning the fire
to the building in which it original
ed
The fire originated in Pixies store,
but how it originated is the mys-
terry. Mr.. Pike says he left the
store about ten o'clock and a few
minutes after it was closed by Mr..
Strock who clerked for him. There
had been no fire in the stove Satur-
day night. This deepens the mys-
terry as to how the fire originated.
All agree that it spread as if there
had been some sort of combustibles
used in starting it off. Mr.. Hutto,
who lives a few doors from the burn
ed store, says near twelve o'clock he
was in his yard, where he could see
the back of tn store, and at that time
there was no sign of any fire, but that
a short time after, the flames We're
bursting out Of the back of the
store.
Mr.. John Jones, bookkeeper for
Mr.. j. W. Smoak, says he passed the
burned store about twelve o'clock and
that he saw no fire in 1t. He went
on towards his home, which was q
few blocks away, and had stopped a
few minutes and was engaged In
conversation with Mr.. ]. c. Peers,
when the alarm bell rang and they
both hastened back to find the store
q mass Of flames and the fire shoot
ing out of the building. Policeman
Wolfe, who was on duty near the
building and early discovered the
fire, also says it burned most rapidly.
Mr.. Wolfe also says the fire originat-
ed in the back of the store, and was
only very small blaze when he
first saw 1t.
From the time the store was clos
ed, about ten o'clock, to the time the
fire was at it's worst, about one