The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-04-04
HEAVY VAD SCATTERS BURNIE BRANDS OVER
 RO0S FOR MANY BLOCKS
The Tkas and Pacific Railroad Loses May Locomotives In the Round house, and Hundreds of
 Box Cars Are De-
 stroyed.

Fort Worth, April 3.--(Special. )-Turn- Ing from their ruined homes, laid waste by fire that swept an erea ten blocks / long and seven blocks wide, 200 families are seeking places to rest tonight.
 Every other house in the city, incIud- ing churches, is open and those robbed of their personal effects are welcomed.
 The total estimated loss by the fire that began shortly after 1 o'clock this afternoon is $2,5Oo,O0O, divided as fol- lows:
 Two hundred and fifty residences, $1.000,- GOO; small business houses and household goods, s5O0,OO0; Broadway Baptist church, s60, 900; Broadway Presbyterian church, S75,0OO; Texas and Pacific railroad round- house and shops, 20 locomotives and 150 box cars, s25O,Ooo.
 J. J. Newton is the only one dead that has been found though it is feared many are missing, but not yet report cd by friends and relatives. Letters and cards show Newton had lived at Parkers- burg, W. Va, and at Krum, Tex.
 The fire was under control at 4S0 o'clock this afternoon after three hours of fierce lighting by the fire departments in face of stiff wind and low water pressure.
 Origin of Fire.
 fsifferent stories are offered as to the origin of the fire. The most plausible is that several small ooys were smok- ing cigarettes in the barn Of Fred L. 1Iackett, corner Peter Smith street and Jennings avenue. Here the first fire called the alarm and the wind, blowing at a 3O-mile gait, famed the flames to the residence section and then along Pe- ter Smith street east for ten blocks. Blowing in a northeasterly direction, the wind forced the flames toward the lower end of the business section of the city and directly toward the union passen- ger station. Everything in its path went mp in smoke, and while many persons, among them firemen, were overcome by the smoke and intense neat, no fatal ac- cidents are reported from the hospitals tonight.
 Apparently doomed to destruction be- fore the fire, the union station was closed by the officials at o'clock and all but abandoned. The Texas and Pa citic shops and roundhouse burned to the ground but the depot escaped dam age.
 Governor Campbell ordered out two companies of state militia to protect property, and tonight the citizen sol diery are on guard for fire ghouls.
 Dynamite Is Used.
 Buildings in the path of the flames were dynaminted to check the confiagration.
 Dallas and other cities were appealed to for aid and fire engines from Dallas were rushed here.
 The fire started about noon in the heart of the bushes district and from the first spread so rapidly that when the engines reached the scene the flames were be- yond control.
 Within an hour ten blocks were either in flames or mass of glowing embers. The heat was so intense that it was im- possible for the firefghters to get near flames
 The spectacle was a terrible one. The roar of the flames could be heard all over the city and a pail of smoke rested over the town and adjoining country.
 Many of the populace were terror strick- en. Some tried to leave town on the railway trains, while many fled to the outskirts with such of their household vaulables as they could carry
 ATH1y OI tOiu0tccTSs
 During the progress of the fire thous- ands who were attracted to the scene were transformed into small army of volun- teer firemen in an endeavor to rescue the household goods of those whose homes were threatened. Their efforts, however, were to little avail, because of the rapid spread of the flames, the wind which was blowing a gale carrying the flames for blocks at time ahead of the actual a 4l1. a~<1 nt Inn arn Nva or nine separate foci of the fire. Here and there little knots of people gathered, sit ting by helplessly as guard to such effects as could be saved, while others drifted about, some laughing and others hysterl- cal, unable to render any aid in staying the fires progress.
 The fight was largely centered at the depot of the Texas Pacific railroad. Time after time the roof of the building be- came ignited, but each time a railroad employe was on hand to snuff it out While the fire was burning beyond the Texas and Pacific depot, owners of the buildings in the business district were pre- pared to take up the fight on their own account, hundreds of buckets of water be- ing distributed over the buildings and on roofs. Several times the flooring or 8 roof of a building would start to burn but as quickly would 1t be extinguished
 Rapdity of Progress.
 vase here and bird cage there. among the debris tonight told the story of the rapidity of the flames rush, and even horses and bugg:es were caught and had to be abandoned in the street while the occupants ducked through by ways to safety.
 Finally when the fire had laid waste to | the vast area, those who had been rem dered homeless drifted back to where their homes had been and the scene which only little while ago had been full of tragic animation, became one of Association and ruin.
 !, Practically nothing was saved from the
 qmes which fell victims tp the nfA