The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1913-04-24
FIERCE FIGHT WITH FIRE
Ones Gave the Firenen a Long.
Severe Battle

The firemen had lively time the
last half of last night and were all
pretty we'll petered out this morning
when they got their equipment all
Strengthened out and the machinery Of
the fire fighting plant of the city again
ready for business, which was not till
after o'clock.
At about , O'Clock the firemen were
awakened by a policeman and hack
driver who came TO the station and
yelled fire. The boys tumbled out and
tripped the alarm at Chief Chambers
house and got away themselves, all ar
irving at the same time at the scene
Of the fire, the big, two-story wooden
building opposite the electric light
plant which must have been built by
Noah 10 house the people after the re-
ceding of the flood, for the present in
habitants of the city can't remember
anyone else ever building it. The build
ing was enveloped in flames, being a
seething furnace from top 10 bottom.
1t was plainly evident that it could not
be saved and was really of little value.
being uninsured and unoccupied.
The iremen concentrated their eff
forts on preventing a spread of the
flames and had their hands full. The
east by negro cottages within ten feet
of its high walls. The fremen saved
at least two-thirds of the house on the
south side. and all of that on the east,
which was only scorched bit and
minus a window. One can scarcely
realize that such a building could burn
and the iremen save these cottages of
dry, yellow pine within few feet of
n,,l, "a
there yet cannot be disputed. The
iron roofs, of course, made the matter
possible.
The heat of the flames was so intense
and the sparks and burning shingles
flew so far and wide that property for
blocks away caught on fire. The cleo
tric light plant building, across the
street west was on fire in several
places, about the caves and ventilators
the only places where the fire could
catch. as the building is covered with
! iron An old street car. 100 feet away
/ and some wood over a hundred feet in
ianother direction, were set on fire.
Falling bits of shingles set fire to
THE Episcopal church on Magnolia
street. more than block away, and
/ the men had to go onto its roof and put
out the small blaze. a large two-story
house, across Magnolia street on the
west side, three hundred yards from
the fire. had a hole yard square burn
ed in the roof and the fremen got an
extension ladder up and put this out
with difficulty.
Citizens this morning report that
sparks and pieces of burning shingle
rained down into the streets and on
+ housetops as far as the S. a. L cross
4 ing on Exposition street, which is al
most beyond belief, and Mr.. Helven-
ston says that much of it fell in the
neighborhood of his home. The wind
was not very high, but there was q
strong current of air, and when the
sparks mounted high into the air with
the draft caused by the burning build
ing, they drifted off for many blocks.
The firemen were packing their hose
in the wagons to leave the fire, wher
they saw a huge blaze over in the Or
ange street section, and hurried over
there to find another fire. They were
handica pped for lack of hose, as mos
of it was still on the ground, full Of
water. They had to send to the sta
tion and back to the scene of the frs
tire for more hose.
The second fire, or rather the sew,
enth. for it was about that, was in
cottage owned by Aquilla Jones, a col
ored woman. which is No. 312 Soutl
Orange street. under the new system
of numbering. 1t was all ablaze whel
the firemen reached it, and the occu
pants were just beginning to awake.
Two families of white people oc
cupied the house, which is neat am
almost new One-story structure TIL
Inmates were taken out with some diff
fculty, as nine people were crowde
into the house, one of them being
very aged and feeble woman and an
, other an infant.
The firemen began fighting tn
flames and rescuing the people at tn
same time. The inmates lost every
thing in the world they possessed, com
ing out with only their night clothe
on.
How the fremen saved the adjoinin
= property is only accounted for whe
we remember that they are "Ocala fire
men" Adjoining the house on tn
north, is a big two-stoFy residence, no
ten feet distant. 1t has a lot of resi-
running down it's Notwithstanding an
a few scorched shingles and boards t
testify that its neighbor is roofless an
NalI destroyed,
This house and the one across tn
street east of the burned cottage, bot
caught a number of times. The Jone
cottage will probably be worth re
building as considerable of it was say
ed.
. Those occupying the house. who 10:
their all. are Mr. and Mrs. ]. L. Johr
son and three children. Mrs. Willial
- Hall, daughter and son and a grand
child who came here from Oklawah
some time ago. Both families are le
almost destitute, and tn n ighbors al
, giving them temporary shelter an
- clothing. This cottage was insured.
were both of the, negro cottages by III
: side Of the large building that burned
The fremen say the water pressul
= was fairly good and the public sure
u should feel that the f1remen did the
= full duty, as a general confiagratic
might have been the result of the fire
There is little doubt that the Jon
cottage was set on fire by fallir
- sparks from the first fire.