The Brunswick news. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 1906-2016, 1914-04-03
LOSS MAY REACH
NEARLY MILLION
FOUR CITY BLOCKS DESTROYED
WHEN THE FLAMES SWEEP
TOURIST HOTELS.
PRICELESS TREASURES BURN
What Was the Heart of the Tourist
Section of the City is Now Verita
BILE Graveyard of Buildings With
crumbIins Walls and Hot Ashes.

ST. Augustine, Fla., April e.
Flames of unknown origin swept
through four blocks Of the heart os
st. Augustine this morning causing
fatal injury to one hotel guest pain
full injuries to several other guests
and a property less of from 100000
to $1,000,000
Miss Alice M. Smith, of Ame:st,
Nova Scotia, had her back broken
and one leg fractured in jump from
the fourth story window of the Fmri-
da house She will die.
A. Libby, a tourist guest Of the
Florida House, had a leg broken in
jumping from the fourth story nf the
building.
Mayor Amos w. Corbett was pain
fully burned, one hand being in a
bad condition, as a result of heroic
work at the fire.
Several other people were siigltiy
injured escaping from the five tour
ist hotels and residences which wtIe
swept away by the NAV of the flames.
What was yesterday the hear; cf
the tourist section of St.. Augu til
is today a veritable graveyard Of
buildings, with crumbling walls and
tottering chimneys. for tomb stones.
The once beautiful section OF the An
cient City is now mass of shoulder
ing ruins. Twisted wires and pipes,
piles Of brick, heaps of hot ashes and
bursted and burning gas lines are all
that is left.
Policeman S. A. Mccormick discov-
cred the flames at 1880 a. m. He
was walking his rounds when he dis
covered smoke issuing from a second,
story window of the Florida House.
He dashed for the fire station, which
is but a block away and gave the
alarm in person. Foreman Rante and
the men on duty responded to the
alarm at once. They we're Joined by
Chief Townsend within few minutes
and the battle with the flames was
on.
The terrible, shocking cry Of fire
awakened the sleeping citizens of the
Oldest City in the United States, and
within few minutes thousands had
gathered at the scene. The Florida
House was large frame building.
and it burned like SO much tinder.
The wind was blowing from the north
west Had it been coming from the
bay at least one-half Of the city would
have been destroyed.
Chief Townsend, of the fire depart
ment, soon discovered that the flames
were beating his gallant crew of fire
men in the battle to save life and
property. He telegraphed to Fire
Chief Haney, of Jacksonville, for help,
and the Florida East Coast Railway
officials ordered a special train pre-
pared and the tracks cleared ,or a
test of speed. Chief I!aney and a
full company of firemen together with
apparatus boarded the train and were
whirled here in record time. They
were soon upon the scene. The add
ed force of fighters aided materially
in saving the city from complete
destruction.
The boundary of the fire is from
the bay front along Treasury street
to ST. George street, thence north to
Hypolita street, thence east to the
bay front. The space would cover
about four ordinary city blocks. The
only structures saved in this territory
was the Taylor building and the Burt
building, both frame. All of the struc-
lures surrounding this territory were
blistered by the intense heat and it
was. Only by the heroic work of the
firenNsn and the townsmen that they
were saved.
When the sun came up over the bay
it shone upon a great area of desola-
! ttion. Burned fire hose, wilted trees,
destroyed flower beds, and general
dismay greeted the eye, not to men
tion the ruins of the vast number of
buildings which were complete mass
or ruins The flames were under con-
troll at about 4:30 or o'clock. After
that time no new fires were started
and all the buildings surrounding the
burned district were safe. Many of