Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1909-12-24
HOLLY BEACH VISITED
BY A SERIOUS FIRE
CoIored Settlement at the Corner
of Arctic and Lincoln Avenues
is Completely Wiped Out.
ABOUT EIGHT BUILDINGS DESTROYED

Five Mile Beach experienced the
worse confiagration In its history on
Thursday morning, December %,
when about eight or more buildings
were consumed and for a time threat
ened a large portion of Wildwood.
However, by the heroic work of the
firemen of Holly Beach, Wildwood
and North Wildwood the fire was con
fined to a very small area considering
the high wind which swept the flames
and huge sparks ove the most thickly
built up portion of the island. The fire
started in the first story of the house
owned and occupied by Benjamin Bak-
en-, the junk dealer, at the corner of
Arctic aud Lincoln in the
colored section of Holly Beach and
was soon raging with all its fury a
mong the frame buildings on Lincoln
and Arctic Immediately adj
joining the Baker house. This house
was three and a half stories in height
and of fair size. Next to this on Lin
coin avenue was the building used as
a storage house and dance hall, two
stories high, about Is x 35 feet, also
owned by Mr.. Baker. Then come the
single house owned by Archie Mitchell
which was also occupied by his fami-
ly. On Arctic avenue Immediately
back of Mr.. Bakers house on the cor
ner was a one story apartment house
occupied by the four colored families
of Fred. Baker, Dan Thomas, Miss
Mamie Ellis and Randall Pickett.
This building was also owned by MI.
Baker. Next to this was a double cot
tage owned by Mrs. Mary Robbins, of
Philadelphia, and occupied by the
families of William Ames and Mrs.
Lucy Harris. In the rear of this house
was a small cottage occupied by Jesse
Holden, also owned by Mrs. Robbins.
Two little shacks, n a wagon shed,
in the real of the cottage owned by
Chester Young on Schellenger avenue,
occupied by John Chambers, also fell
an easy prey to the flames and the cot
tage of Mr.. Young was saved seeming
ly only by a miracle, as it was directly
in the line of fire. The flames were
famed by all exceptionally high west
erly wind which drove the sparks and
flames over the work shop Of rs. Cos
lin, the cottage and barn of Andrew
Charlton, the barn of s. w. Coombs,
the yard of the j. Fl. Coombs Lumber
Co, and a number of cottages on Schel-
lenger avenue, including the large
boarding house, the Roxborough, but
as soon as the sparks would light on
any of these places ready hands o
extinguished them and thus prevented
a greater spread. The sparks also car
ried all the way to the beach in some
places, alighting in a number of places
where they might have done damage
had not some one been watching and
Immediately took care of them. One
extra large ember of fire landed on the
roof of Harbison's Wildwood Bazaar
but was discovered by School Principal
Lanning Myers, who with the assis-
lance of his father and the elder Mr..
HARRISON, extinguished 1t before any
damage was done. There was no in
surance on Mr. Mitchellsproperty and
everything was a total loss, but Mr..
Baker had his buildings fully covered.
The families who occupied the houses
aud apartments lost nearly everything
they had, some not eve being able to
get any clothes than they had
on, SO quickly did the flames spread.
1t is not known whether or not the cot
tage of Mrs. Robbins was insured. 1t
was a bitter cold night and IN the
firemen will remember for some time
but they held their positions bravely
and the stubborn fight they made with
the odds against them at the start saw
ed the island from a much heavier loss.
Kind friends soon began to bring out
hot coffee and other stimulants which
the workers in their hard strug-
gle and to these people all those thus
served are very grateful. All the fami-
lies occupying the houses were colored
aud very poor and their loss is a heavy
one to them.
The first alarm was turned in about
1870 Thursday morning and by $50
was nothing left but a shoulder
ing mass of ruins and the firemen had
returned to their headquarters. There
were four fire companies present and
all did their duty faithfully and too
much praise cannot be given them for
their good work. They were the Wild
wood, Holly Beach and North Wild
wood companies and the Wildwood
Juniors. The origin of the fire is not
known. The total loss will amount to