The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1920-09-30
GAlvEST0n'
= sf@ s4s:..gs
FIRE WIPES ]
~4 +x~1ssE
OUT PIERS
Blocks Of Buildings and
Steamships Burn-Cot
ton Sheds Destroyed

AnO WAsGe 49, SS~ - ~
Of The Texas Gulf sulphur CO...
pany ut 2 .. N. teck . toll a.
$2yOOo,0o0 damage -alsHg the
water front At the foot -
Thirty.sixth street before n was
controlled, It Va sestnated q
neon today.
Streams Of water are still
playing spon the rains. 's
Fire Chief Ryan received. -
letter yesterday. postnartea
from some city In Cansaa,
warning kim that syou are GO
ing to DO destroyed, The let-.
ter, which he toek to be the
work Of . crank, was slgnel
merely "John.'
Galveston. Texas, Sept. 30.-Fire
which broke out on the Galveston
water front early today destroyed
piers 35 and '36 and considerable
adjacent property. damaged several
steamers and consumed q large
quantity Of cotton and other CONF
modities.
Unofficial estimates placed the
loss In excess Of $1.00O,000.
Blocks Burning.
Galveston, Texas. Sept. 30.--lBy
United Press with two piers
and q block of.water front buiid-
ings completely wiped out. and
buildings In seven other blocks and
three steamships burning, hre
which was sweeping the Galveston
water front was still out OF con-
troll and raging fiercely ct S:15
o'clock this morning.
As the entire fire fighting depart
ment str0ve desperately to check
the flames o strong northwest wind
carried sparks from building to
building. When one Of the frame
structures which thickly dot the
water front ignited 1t seemed to
melt like q pasteboard box. The
sparks were carried over q wide
area and authorities feared the Ere
would break out in other parts Of
the city. Citizenry and troops on
strike duty were assisting in com.
batting the flames.
Wipes Out Piers.
Piers IS and 36 were completely
wiped out. Steamships burning In
cluded the steamer Ancon, 6,lS6
tons. loaded with grain and owned
by the ]. H. W. Steele company:
the Gloria de Larrinasa, Brit
ish, 2,172 tons. loaded, owned
by Fowler & Mcvitie, and the
Hornby Castle, British. 1850 tons,
unloaded and owned by Fowler &
Mcvitie.
All three OF these ships were at
pier 36. Two other vessels were
moved to safety before the flames
reached them. /.
Destroys Cotton Sheds s@
The great cotton sheds Of the
Cotton Concentration company,
covering nearly q block and load
ed to capacity with cotton await-
Ing shipment. we're completely de-
stroyed, as was the Freeport Sui
phur company's pier and building.
The fire centers in the section OF
the city known as the West End, At
the foot OF Sixty-sixth street.
Buildings afirs along the wster
front are mostly frame structures,
including many Of the shack" va
riety. As the flames licked from
roof to roof. great showers Of
sparks we're driven before . strong
wind and carried to other secti0ns
Of the town where 1t was feared
they would ignite other buildings.
One telephone message said ths
Cotton Concentration cOmpany'o
sheds were among the buildings
burning, and that the plant Of the
Freeport Sulphur company was
| practically consumed. 81
It was believed that the ships
burning did not belong to either
the Morgan or Mallory lines.
Wind Whips Flames.
The wind whipping the flames
vas from the north.
The hre was reported to have
started Ut o'clock this morning
at the F.eeport Sulphur company's
pier AMI spread to two others.
Pier 3s caught fire from hyIpg
eparks at Z O'Clock. Although thfs
was q serious spread. II was BE-
/, lieved the fire was nearer under
control than at any time sincs II
/, started.
--