Albuquerque evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1911-1914, 1912-02-21
twenty-five Blocks Of Resi-
dences, Store Houses and
Manufacturers Wiped Out
in Wild Night Blaze.
TERRIFIC GALE OF
WIND SPREAD SPARKS
Two Million Dollars Worth Of
Cotton Alone Was Destroy
ed and Hundreds Rendered
Homeless.


cay EveninE Herald 4, =. Lcnsed WIreI
Houston, Texas. Feb. g1.--impelled
by gale that swept In with one Of
the coldcst' northers of the winter
flames swept through the eastern sec
tion Of Houston early today. wiped
out twenty-five blocks and caused a
loss estimated at from six to ten mill
ION dollars.
Scores of cottages were destroyed.
as well as many big manufacturing
plants, and thousands OF persons were
made homeless. The number OF
homes ana stores burned is more
than $50
The greater part OF the loss is con-
fined To- the lumber and cotton in
dustrios. Forty-fiye thousand bales
OF cotton stored In warehouses and
congresses were burned. This Item
alone represents loss of $4,000 600.
The fire started Ia cottage near
the Southern Pacific railroad tracks
soon after midnight It's origin has
not been established definitely. a
heavy Wind picked np the Flames and
hurled them 20 nelghboring cottages
and boarding houses In a flash they
ignited. The forty-mile gale carried
sparks many blocks away ana within
half AN hour a great area of small
residences was burning.
The fire spread to nearby manufac-
turing plants so rapidly that firemen
abandoned attempts GO check the
flames and instead devoted their en-
crgies to warning householders. Pos
siblc loss OF life thus was averted.
A the manufacturing plants aud cot-
ton compresles firemen and volun-
toers had organized Co fight the
flames. Walls and roofs were water
soaked This water was cvapora,ed
quickly by the Advance guard of
sparks. and when the flames reached
the factories they succumbod. as ala
the rows of cottages
An hour after the flames began
their advance the firemon organized
for final stand at Buffalo bayou. a
small utroam that divides the eastern
part of the CitS from the main Sec
tion, and every piece of flre-fghting
apparatus was stationed along the
banks. II the fire leaped the bayou
II meant the destruction of the city.
As the advancing flames began tu
reach the bayou banks thousands of
streams Of water were hurled into
them, checking little by little their
progress. Al some of the narrower
portions Of the stream the flames
leapod across, but the more substan-
tial buildings did not afford the tim
dorllke fuel heretofore encountered.
and tho spread of the fire was pre-
vented
Thousands Of persons wore driven
from their holmes. ln the cold Of the
northcr they suffered slightly from
exposure. Relief work was at once
set under way. however. and food and
clothing provided.
Many persons were hurt during the
fire. but so far as can De determined
there were no casualties.
The burned area Is az least mile
and half Ions and at points quar-
ter of a. mile wide. II embraces the
ashes of long rows OF cottages and
solid streets OF manufacturing plants
II was swept clean.
one Of the ilrst of the more proten-
tious buildings attacked was the brick
Star and Crescent hotel Inmates had
been warned and an escaped without
injury
The flames roar gave warning ana
INJURIOUS OF IftihnNH hlNlHh W" nv"
10 the cold dashed from their homes
clad only Ia their niRht clothes Wo-
men carrying babies. women az whose
skirts small children chung, gathered
in homes of neighbors for refuge only
60 be- driven out few minutes later
by the oncomlng fire.
Firemen appointed leaders among
the men Of the flamo-swcpt district
and they. marshaling the refugees,
led them out of danger Homes
quickly were provided in other resi-
dence sections of the city Clothing
and food were furnished by "a relief
COMMITTEES and there was compare
tiyely little suffering
Among the mills factories and
plants either totally destroyed or seri-
ously damaged by the fire are Me
Fnddcn Southern Compress and
Warehouse company, Dew Bros. syrup
min, Houston and f.lggott Lumber
company, Rogers Paint company
HudsonE pencil factory Houston
Packing company slightly damaged;