Henderson gold leaf., 1911-06-29
FIRE AT NORTH HENDERSON.
Three Dwellings, Two Stores and
Methodist Church Go UP in Flames

Three Dwellings, Two Stores and
Methodist Church Go UP in Flames
/ North Henderson was visited early
last Saturday morning by a very
destructive fire, in which a young
girl perished, and three dwellings,.
two stores and the North Henderson
Methodist church were burned. The
story of the young girls terrible
death is told in detail in another
column. Several stores and dwell
ings barely escaped destruction, some
OF these catching on fire at different
times. Indeed it looked at one time
as If good portion of North Hen.
derson was in imminent danger OF
being wiped off the map. The big
Henderson Cotton Mill, although on
the other side of the railroad, was in
the direct path of the flames, and
owing to the constant rain OF sparks
on its roof, was considerably en-.
dangered. The buildings destroyed
were constructed mostly OF heart
pine and burned like tinder. There
was a right stiff breeze most Of the
time from the southwest, a,i 'he
air was full off1ying sparks and coetls,
there being in consequence an almost
ceaseless rain Of fire in the immediate
vicinity.
The fire originated in some IN
known manner in the cook room of
the cottage occupied by the family
of Mr.. George p. Pearce, and was
first discovered about l o'clock a.
H., it having already made so much
headway that the kitchen was fall
ing in and other parts of the house
were burning. The fire alarm was
exceedingly late in being turned in,
and this taken in connection with the
fact that the fire was about a mile
from the fire station, even consider
ably beyond the corporate limits OF
the city, and coming on in the dead
hours of the night, made it impossi-
BILE for the firemen to arrive with any
thing like their usual promptness.
And even when they did arrive upon
the scene they were greatly handi-
capped from the very start. They
could lay only one line of hose pipe
and that an extremely long one. The
water main out there is very small
and they could therefore get only
moderate pressure. Hence the fire
men were almost powerless to do
much toward subduing the sea OF
flame that ragged furiously for more
than an hour.
From the three cottages burned
the flames were quickly communicate
ed to the store of Gill Bros, which
wasa good sized frame structure.
Here the firemen made q desperate
effort to hold them in check and il
possible save the Methodist church,
which was next in line and only a
few steps distant. But the fire here
became intensely hot, and a stiff
breeze kept blowing it over Or the
church. Still it was hoped until the
last moment to be able to save the
house of worship by keeping it as
thoroughly drenched with water as
possible, and by quenching the fire
on the side of the burning store next
to it. But the roof OF the church,
which was of pine shingles, was al
ready fairly smoking and stewing
when n sudden puff of wind sent a
long blaze from the store directly
over on it. In less than a minute S
time it was ablaze in u half dozen
different places, and there was moth,
ing left to be done to it but to carry
out the organ, the benches, etc, and
let it go. Wortham's store was next
to burn. But here, by concentrated
fighting, the flames were permanent.
/ ~ checked and stopped. House,
store just across the road from
Wortham's caught on fire perhaps
as many as a half dozen different
times, but was extinguished by per.
sons who climed up on the roof with
buckets of water.
Two of the cottages burned be
longed to Mrs. ". T. Carter, anC
were occupied by Mr.. George P
Pearce, Mr.. Pharaoh Lamb and Mr.
James Journegan, the last two
named living in the same house
Mrs. Carter estimates her loss or
both cottages at more than 81 900
Will puIy ROOO iuSuIdICe Oll bOIH
The Pearce family lost everything,
with no insurance. James JournegaI
lost most of his things, with no in
surance. Pharaoh Lamb lost about
half his household goods, with nc
Insurance. The next dwelling tO
burn was the five-room cottage o
Mr.. George Wortham, who also lost
his store. He lost most of his house
hold goods, and saved most of hi.
stock from the store. His loss il
stated at $500, with no insurance
Gill 4 Company lost their store
building and about half it's contents
They estimate their entire loss al
about $4,000, with 81 00insurance
The Methodist church was valued at
about 81, 800, with $1,000 insur-
ance.
1t required l, $50 feet of hose to
reach from the last hydrant on Gar,
nett street to the scene of the fire.