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TW E ESTABLISHED 1805., NEWBERRY, S. C., rlUESDAY, MTAY 7,190.1.'YlIEAWK,$50AFR Txn nm myTn nr n II- I AND FIFrFN MILLIONS F I)OF LLARS HAVE BEEN GIVBN AS SACRILPICE TO AWFUIL FIEND, For Ton lorrible lours Colled the Sen Of Flanie Over Miles of I1cantifut Rest dences anid Many Biocks of Clomely ttilit Up inSlUss Iouses-On Iunired tind Thirty City ilocks Contaiining Thir teel Huudred Hlouses Bsurnedi. Jacksonville Florida, May 4, 1 a. m.-The most disastrous fire in the history of this city began yesterday shortly after noon in a small factory, from a defective wire, according to the best belief, and burned for near ly ten hours. In that time a prop erty damage estimated from $10, 000,000 to $15,000,000 was effected. According to the city map, one hundred and thirty blocks were burned, many of them in the heart of the business and residence sec tion. The catimate of houses to the block is 10, hence 1,300 of them went up in smoke. . . Many of the finest public and private buildings were destroyed, in cluding hotels, theatre, churches and residences. The casualties cannot be accurate ly estimated tonight. That there were several seems to be well authen ticated. Among them was that of the fire chief, who sustained a bad f all. The mayor ordered all of the sa loons closed, and has impressed help to clear the wreckage. The mayor at a late hour stated that he estimatod the loss at $15, 000,000, and that 10,000 to 15,000 people were homeless. Mr. V. W. Cleveland, in whose premises the fire originated, and who was one of the heaviest losers, dropped dead from oxcitemeit. A stalwart negro, bringing a trunk on his head from a burning building, went crazy from the horror of the situation. Ue ran around in a cir cle wiih the trunk on his head unti he sank exhausted and died. Women ran through the street tearing their hair and clothes and in several in stances had almost denuded them selves when they were cangbt by friends and led to places of safety. Horses hitched to trucks could not Jbe cut loose quickly enough and mauy of them ran wild through the demoruljzad throng. At night -the military ivos ordered out to guard the household goods piled high in vacant lots. d acksonville, ~a , May 4.--At 1 a. mn., the situat on is one approach ing desolation %n a large section of the city. TIPI burned district reaches BurbIdge street on the north to the St. John's river on the south, a distance of 'quite two miles. The width of the desolated area is* thirteen blocks. Within this space practically everything is,blackened ruins. On Bay street, the principal mart of trade, the Western Union Telegraph company's building is the first'going west. Everything east of '' Laurel on Bay is gone. At 10.15 o'clock last night tihe fire Swas under control, having practically burned itself out. The suburban settlements, with the exception of LaVill'a, are intact. La Villa was badly hurt. The extent of the dam age cannot be told until tomorrow. Thousands of persons are on the streets tonight homeless, with prac tically all of their worldly posses sions upon their backs. The depots of the railroads situated in the south. eastern section, have been turned into temporary lodging houses and hospitals. Luckily tihe weather is fine, so that there will .be no suffer ing on that score. S Meetings of tile city council, the * commercial bodies and the charitable institutions will be called Saturday morning to devise ways and means for meeting the situation. It is not * known yet if an appeal for help will be issued tho.ugh it is thought lhkely that the exigencies of the occasion * will demand such action. It is hoped that arn appeal can be avoided. * At 12.45 today Jacksonville expe .tienced the most disastrous fire of her existence, the entire length of Beaver street from Davis street to tuo ureeK on .iloorty street have 1)n totally destroyed. This is 14 solid blocks of residences. For the same distance Ashley and Church streets have both been completely blotted out. When the fire reachod Bridge street in its eastward courso it on voloped in flames three blocks, Du val, Monroe and the north side of Adams, burning up that entire soc tion of the city and running 14 blocks to the Duval street bridge. How much further in that direction the city is burned it is impossiblo to learn, the street being impassible, but it is foared that St. Luko's hos pital was burned, a report reaching the city that the Presbyterian church in East Jacksonvillo is ablaze. If this is correct the fire must have extended five blocks further east. The conflagration has caused as far as is definitely known a distance of two and a half miles by a half mile wide. When the fire reached Julia street it was a roaring furnace without any prospect of being put under control. The local military companies were >alled out to keep back the crowds ind the fire- department began to Liso dynamite to blow up the houses a block away from the fire and thus prevent the fire from spreading. So lierce was the blaze, however, and so trong had become the wind that millions of sparks and flying burn ng shingles spread over five or six ilocks, setting the roofs of the houses >n fire in advance of the department. Sooa Senator Toliaforro's residence, hen tho adjoining houses on that Aock were ablaze and in spite of all 3fforts to save the Windsor and the t. James hotel both houses were inickly onveloped in flamos. For ibout an hour the guests in the Windsor had been busily packing .beir trunks and went away load. 3d with trunks and grips, some anfortunately to the United States 3otel, but most to Riverside. Leaping madly across the street -rom the Windsor, the Seill's house aught fire, and then the Methodist parsonage, and in a few minutes the Prinity M. E. church was a mass of lames. The opera house block fol owed, and the Richards and Living ;tone boarding houses. A desperate ffort was made to save the Baldwin nansion, which was recently pur )hased by the Elks for $18,000. go earthly power could save this >uilding, and that entire block and he one west was quickly a mass of lames. Once the fire got started on ,iain street, the closely adjoining uijlings wvent one after the other. Paint shops with barrels of oil were plentiful in that district, and as they 3anght fire one after the other the >lazes arose hundreds of feet high, md quickly set the other buildings mross the street on fire. Then the Hubbard hardware store saught, and the people scattered when they saw what had happened. E[undreds of pounds of powder- and m great deal of dynamite was stored la this building. Ten minutes passed, when suddenly there was a roar, and the building collapsed like in eggshell. The dynamite and the powdler had exploded. Here again bhere was much danger for the fire. lien. Cartridges began to explode aind bullets began to fly around, and Lhe effort to fight the lire at this point had for a time to be aban cloned. This was only the start of the most intense part of the fire. The Furchgott building was soon iblaze, and then quickly the Gardi rier building was also a mass of flames. Down the street the lire spread with rapidity, and the entire section of Bay street from Market to Nlain street, and extending for five blocks back, was burning all at once. The city building went, the fire department building, the armory, the county court house, the clerk's office, with the county records, the criminal court house, the city jail and the graded schools and the Catholic church and orphanage, St. John's E'piscopal church and the convent. The entire city of magnifi cent buildings all burned up in less than four hours. The scene was one that beggars description. At 8-80 o'clonk tha fire was checko<d at the intersection of Laural and Bay streets, where the Commer cial bank ii located, which woiit ip in flames, the Western Union, being just across the stroot, and not dam aged. Among tho prominent hotels burned were the St. James, the United States, the Pracido and the Windsor. It is impossible at this hour to as certain tho losses, but it, is said by insuraco agents that it will be be tween eight and nine millions. Six lives wero reported lost in the conilagration. The mayor has called a meeting of the city concil for tomorrow to con sider ways and means of the sufflr era. The plars of the city as reported by the city surveyors shows that 130 blocks were burned and a part of another black. The estimates of residences to the block in the remi. dential district is ten, and in the business dection the blocks were solid. The chief of police ordered all sa loons closod until further notified. A partial list of the estimated losses as secured up to 8:30 o'clock Friday night are as follows: Cleveland Manufacturing company $25,000; Commercial bank $50,000; First National bank $15,000; Hub bard's block $50,000; Industrial Sav ings and Trust company $5,000; Windsor hotel and annex $35,000; St. James hotel $40,000; Hotel Pla. cido $15,000; Mohawk block $50,000 Gardner building $200,000; Kohn, Furchgott building $52,000; Semi nole club $15,000; Elks club $35,000 opera house $10,000; Kerkimes block $25,000; Palmotto Block $20,000, H. & W. B. Drew $15,000; Hotel Riche lieu $15,000; Ely block $18,000; Gilkes building $125,000; Nedeman block $30,000; United States hotel $25,000; Albemarlo house $5,000; Christie, Groover & Co., drugs $100, 000; McMurray livery stable $50,000 New York Steam laundry $18,000; R. D. Knight -& Co. $20,000; S. H. Kresse Co. $10,000; A. B. Campbell Co. $50,000; Hofiloy Bros., drugs $10,000, Cable Piano company $5, 000; auditorium and skating rink $30,000; C. C. Bettes, drugs $18,000 law exchange $15,000; police station (rented) $8,000; Greenleaf and Co. $150,000; Merchants National bank $10,000; Florida Hardware company $5,000; East Florida Printing com pany $20,000; Ritzwoller She con. pany $8,000; Belovedere saloon $25, 000; St. Johns hotel $5,000; Smith building $28,000; Barton block $8,. 000; St Mary's orphanage $30,000; Church Immaculate Conception and parsonage and St. Joseph's convent $110,000; Cookman institute, colored school $10,000; First Baptist churdh $10,000; St. John Episcopal church $50,000; McTyre Memorial church (M. E.) $35,000; WV. S. Ware's resi dence $100,000; Senator Taliaferro's home $10,000; J. R. Parrot's resi dence $35,000; Mr. Pollock's resi dence $15,000; Col. H. Bisbee's resi dence $10,000; Judge W. B. Owen's residence $8,000. Yulee Junction, Fla., May 3.-Fif teen million dollars worth of property gone up in smoke, ten thousand pee. pie made homeless as it result of a fire in Jacksonville today. The en tire business section of the city is in ashes, and numerous lives have been lost, and the end is not yet, as the fire is still burning furiously, defy. ing the essaults of water, dynamite and the supreme efforts of the entire population, aide'd by the fire departments of numerous sister cities. Such is the sad story of destruction caused by the displacement of a bit of innocent .looking wire which ac cidently got into a shredding machine of the American Vibre company, at the corner of Dr via and Union streets. The fire started between the hours of 12 and 1 oclock p. in., and owing to this fact the loss of life will be com paratively small. The fibre factory was a wooden shell, full of inflam mable material, and in a few mo ments was in a mass of flames. The wind, which was already b'lowing strong from the southwest, seemed to be nossesed with a sndden fury, nd soon was carrying destructivo embers allthrough the doomed city, the fair est portion of which lay right in the wake of the wind. Somo dolay was experienced, and to add th tragedy of fateful accideute, the engino at the water-works sufferod a mishap, and nothing more than ordinary pressure could be obtained. By this time the flames had swept to the Boston store, a huge furnituro estab lishment belonging to W. W. Clove land & Son, who wore also proprio tors of the fiber factory. It leaped across Davis street and took a course right through a section whore block after block of framo buildings, most ly occupied by negroes, had been erected. Horo is where the fire do partment lost its grip, as simultano ously in half a dozen places, some of them six blocks from the main fire, roofs were seen to burst out in flames. The wind rising higher and higher, mowed down whole rows of tht-se buildings and- attracted at first a crowd of curious sightseers, who seemed to be fascinated by thosight, until they learned that their resi. dences, too, were in danger of total destruction. It took just four hours for that re sistless sea of flames to consumo every building in its wako for a space of six 'o eight blocks wide from Davis street near whore it start. ed to the Hogan's creek viaduct, a distance of over one and a half miles; and then, not satisfied with eating out the heart of the residential por tion of the city, it doubled itself and came roaring up the principal tho roughfare of trade, destroying every thing in what was the original incor poration of Jacksonville. The gov ernment building, which caught firs at one time, but was saved, is the only pretentious building left stand ing, and it may go before morning. From the humblo houes of the poor to the elegant residoncos of the well-to-do was but a short journey for the flamos. After passing Bridgo streot, the first house which suc cumbed to the flames wias the elegant brick mansion of former Councilman Stansell. Then it seemed that wher ever there happened to be a shingle roof on a building erected before the fire limits were extended, the flying embers found lodgment. Blocks away from the main fire other fires would break out. Right into the heart of the town the flames swept. The Windsor and St. James hotel, both of which are the finest winter hotels in the South, were consumed in an incredibly short time. The opera house followed next, and then row upon row of ele gant residences wvere offered up to the insatiable fiire fiend. As the viaduct leadmng over tile marsh and of -Hogan's creek to East Jacksonville was reached it wvas plain that the limit of the progress of tile flames wvestward had been reached. Thie hope of the p)OOlio grew strong that the worst was not over, but so far as the money value of the dam age was concerned the worst wvas yet to come. Just as tile material for tile flames was apparently consumed a shlift in the wind sent a ronring son of flames southward toward tile river. Then it was beginning to dawn on the minds of the unfortunates whoe had refugeed to the riverside thatt they were in danger of being cut off and suffocated. A rush was made for thle south Jacksonville ferry, and hundreds sought refuge on the other shore. Then came the most thlrilling scene of the entire day. The flames caulght the freight warehouses of the Atlan tic, Valdosta and Western railway and began from there its backward march in the eye of the wind. Slow ly but surely it ate its way against the wind, taking either side of Bay street until it reached Jones' boat yard. Tile wholesale grocery store of F. & IL. Dowling (Co, Muller & Co., and dozens of smaller concerns were slowly wiped up. WVhile tile flames failed to cross the open space known as Jones' boat. yard a new danger threatened. Tile flames swept down in rear of the United States hlotel and that, with the law exchange, was doomed. MIeantime the count.y court houne caught firo and another splondid 3di 1ico was soon a totil wreck. From tho Unitod Stltes hotel the tlimos igain jump( across the sit root an[d tho line of march wis taken up again only to be Checked wie the last building between IMcCoy and Hogan's Creek had been (lost royed. Among tho houses that had sue Cuilbed to tho lles at 8S o'clock, on l.ay street, whore the Mohawk block, the Gardner building, Furchgot's m1ammii1ioth dy goodIs houlso, Benodiet & Pollak's wholettlo dry goods', Ohristio Drug company, McAllister, wholesalo ligours; Colenl Bros., dry goods; It. L. Harrison, dry goods; Isomni aind Skinnlor, whlolesale( gro cories; 1. E. llaird, paints; WV. A. Bourso, hay and grain; F. M1i. Dowl ing, wholosal0 grocer; Claussen, wholesalo grocery; Florida Hard ware company; United Sitates hotel; F. F. Clark's furnituro house; Honry Clark, carpets; D. E. Cooper, furni ture; FOttings & Ioichard, furniture; Harlishoimer, grocer; estato of Me Nory, wholosalo grocery; Coleman, tailor; a dozen drug, retail grocory, millinery and other stores. Tho hotels destroyed include the Windsor, St. Jamos, Phicido, United States, Girard, Glenada and Oxford. Senator McLaurin Makes a Statement R EO A R i Nt) TEICtIt 01e PO(STMASTICI( 11111' TO OlSN. iiARi1'TON. Tile ''13iititnckinig" Newpliatl,na Jruul, llpatoi,o, fie Says, Wille liig Unl JuHt to liil-wi4 Talk to the i'copIfllMy 22nd. [Special to The State.] Bennettsvillo, May 5.-Much hav ing been waid yesterday in the South Carolina papers in reforonco to the connection of 0r1. Waldo Hampton's name with the postmastership of the Columbia postoffice, your correspon dont sought ain interview with Sona. tor J. L. McLaurin and obtained the following statement: "The placv, so far as I am awaro, has not boon tendered to Gen. H1amp ton. I do not profess to be able to control the appointmont. I was ap proached by a devoted friend of his, who is not much more than an ac quaintance of mine, and asked if I would endorse Gen. Hampton for postmaster at Columbia, as ho thought it would be appreciatod by him at this time. I unhesitatingly replied that I would when a vacancy ov. curred, if the genoral desires to ac cept the place. 1 was assured by this friend that lie thought it would be acceptable. I urged (lhe reteun tion and reappointment of Gon. H1am pton as railroad commiissionier, and hatd both written arid p)ersonal acknowledgements of his apprecia tion of the efforts which kept him in office a long time after his term ex pired. "Nobody expects to 'biuy' Gen, Hampton, and (lie headlines of the News and Courier are as insulting to him as unjust to mue. I mentioned this matter to a friend of mine in Columbia and it met with his~ hearty approbation and lie volunteered to ascertain whether the General deC sired the President to tender him the position or not. Everybody con nected with it was influenced by a delicate and true regard for Glen. H1am pton andi to dIrag the matter into the papers for political puirposes is in thorough keooping with the bush. wvhacking tactics omploye(d by those who object to fair argument on pub lic questions. "I am not and I refuse to be drag god into the papers by every canard started by my political enemies. I will speak to tihe people not the papers and make my position on all questions thoroughly understood at Greenville on the 22nd instant. This palrticular iuicident is closed so far as I am concerned, but I am confident that the friend of Gon. Hampton's who first ap)proachied me wvill cor roborate wvhat I say, as I believe lie was acting in the utmost good faith though entirely without the knowledge of the General." If you wish to scald you husband, or wife, as (lie case may be, p)ro cure cold water and heat it before using it. LIFE TERM CONVICTS BREAK FOR LIBERTY, OVEHOW'Ew.It A GUVAR) ANi) FlY TO WV A tF i11 IF: 8 W A al l '. Anothe F'r vl x t.Ilix Malt 1i11t Followm-3t1 li it Tret, Fionts at P'irimri Illut In Isrouight I,owal wVI(I1 '1n8t,l. OnIly Oue 1M1 Itpes. Special to t1h1 State I Ilgood, MAy 2.- Ono of th0 most dariig escapes that was over made from tohe Stato firIII was ma111do by threo conviets yostvirday morning. 'Ilo plow detalil vas it work near ia thick branch when Israolsiis, it lifo prisoner from York Contity, slipped 1[) bllinld Gluiard M. 0. Burkott, struck lilil it Htiniill"g blow oil the neck and took his glu from him. After getting t1ho giu Sims attompt od to h1oot 3urkott, but did not know iow to ianipulato tho rillo. Ito iumediiitoly took rofigo in tho branch, carrying the rillo With hi Im and wis followed by two other des porato convicts, ( rant. McNeill, Ho11 tolcod for lifo from Ch'ri-lestonl, and Tom Haiystck, sentenced for 20 years, from Saluda. Tho other pris oners ia'.1do no eflort, to oscape, though it is Raid that, otiers woro ill the plot. As soon i. it was 1.oHsiblo Mr. Gardnor, the manager of Do 81an1sure farm, was notified of the scipo and 11 is t11 custom ovry', effort wis made to eflft th lbeir cap turo. It was not long beforo the guards and tlirustivs had th elapeis sturroinded inl tho swaminp. With the edges well guarded on all sides, soV eral entered and soarched the almost impenotrable swamp. It wa11 not long beforo Isaace Sims, the ring leatder, wa diicovered l) it t roo. I o still had the rillo with him and oi being cominuldod to suirrnder, oponed firo on Alr. Morris, 0te m11anl. ager of the Reid farm, andl(] another mani who was with him. As thoro wastg only on load in the rilie, Morrit know that no harm could then ho done, so ho covered Sims with his pistol, nild offectod hill capture with out any furtli- trouble. Sim wim then securely tiod, turned over to one of the guards and wasf ( oon ]fl( ed in the tockade. The pursiit of McNeill and Uiystack was then con. tmielud. Another drivo was mnade through tho swanip whon McNeill wits discov ored. H1e broko and ran andi a tem)to( to make his e011)A acros4 an open field, but Mr. (Gardor, whct was mnounitedl on his horse, sooni over took imn. Onl being ,iommanlded tc hallt, McNeill showed light, turned ont Gardlnr Iad had1( to bo shot b1. fore lie wvould1 surrendter. '111 woumd, however, is ini the atrms and( is niot conisidered it danlg(erous 0on0. 1He wasi returned to the stoekade and the pur suit wvas continued for Haystack. With tihe swamp1iJ well gualrdled ont all sides, seairch after search was5 madto, but the fugitive could1 not boe found, A latrgo guard1 force was kept or duty all of last nighit but at thli writing. Haiystackc hats eluded hit pursuers~ anld it is supposed0( has made(1 escape. It is simp)ly marvelous hiow lhe oil'oted it undler the circumstan.ce. Thle plot to e2capl) wats well laid foi the prisoners cap)turedl wer() supp)lie' with rations suflicient to last two 0] three dlays and( atlso had at small qulanitity of turpentinio which they3 use, it is said, on their foot to kcop the (logs from trailing them. When Sims took Mr. Butrkett's gun, Ilurk. ott attlempted to shoot him with hit pistol anid aftor snapping every citr tridlge it refused to lire. The damage to the ontt crop on the( State farm, baused0( hby the (1ams) giv ing way, will not be as5 great as wvat at first supp)losed1. While the entirc crop on tile river has been undor water it is thought that the 1110t 01 it will now be saved1. TIhe breaki are being mendeod as rapidly as pios sibl1o. All of thle cotton that wai planted prior to tihe recent heavi rains will, have to be planted1ovel again. 0The heavy rains and ex tremely cool weather that fol- wet caused the seed to rot in the ground Seed are in great demand, but thb usnal ornn will be pnt in. Wade Hampton Not For Sale. 11H IV OUL I) NOr A( -i't-. AN OFFICE TUCNDItnEl) lsl'LUlK soIt Citrotlt1 'M (rtt I( At Son D( lar I thtt, ti l'ositmnaRtornhip) of (ohitfi,ta inag iot ht1c iv i Ten(ir( it 1mis, but hi %Votild lout "ConIlIcr i 'ropost (Iitft Ally WVay Comrectedl WVIth Heuttor Mlcl.msurlin.' All Sorts of Ittimors of Pror.pectivo ICowards for IC4 polb As,esi,m. Iowsi and Courior.] Columbia, May 3.-For sovoral days tho rumor has boon 'n circula tioun that (mon. Wado Hmtilpton had beenl tendored, Or WoUld Ito tendored, tho Columhia postoilico. Tho ro port sems to have boon founded on a report that a Columbian, who is it closo friend of Sonator Mclaurinl, told friensi of (lont. IHampton tiat if h wouild accept tho appoiitment, without tiny Conditions whatover at tached, his ('clallnuin's) influllco would bo used to got thu appoint mont for C-1on. Ht1111j)ton. Tho further statoment was mado that When thU matttr was brought to tho attention of (ron. H[ampton by 1iii friends, Geni. llampton replied that his hoalth would not permit of his accopting 1the position. Thiti corrospoldelt called to seo (Ion. ilampton diring tho morning, anld had a long talk with him about mattors in general. Whon the ru mor of thu postmastership was brought up, (lon. 11amptoi said that ho had no Winder from Prcsident McKiiloy or Senator Mcl'aurin. Whon tho rumor in its ontirety was stated to him, ho salid: "You may tialy that I would not even con silor a tender from 1uch it source, aind I wait you to sity to the people of thu Stato that not only would I not accept. a position from such a source, but I would not even con sider it." H1 siaid that ho would have re mained in (he position of railroad commissioner had President McKin. loy retained him, is 110 (the preident) would liko to havo done, but ho did riot want to consider it proposition in any way connectod with Senator Mo Lauriln. lie snid that ho felt that the people of South Carolii, know that he had never been for sale, and toat he would never be. Later in tho day a telegram was receiven from Charleston annouricilng that . similtir rumor had r1oecihed Chtarloston. Thte fact of the matter is there seems8 to be ai reguilar atlloat just nowv about Federal atppoinltments all of wvhich indicate thait Senator McLaurin scents to hold the wipI htandlle of the app)ointmoents that are to come to this Stato. One is thtat for.. m ier Assistant Attorney Gleneral Charles P. Townsend, who was atssis titnt Att orney Ge neral undor Mr. B3arbor, and who hits booen Senator McLanrin's private secretary, is to be one of the assistatnt dlistrict attorneys tnder Mr. Capers. Judge Town sond(, who att 0one time occup1iod1 a seat Ion tihe 1)ench1 of the Statto, is a first. class lawer. Another report is t hat a prominent bankh oflicer wits noext to be offered thte postoflice in Columbia, itnd thait in case hoe accejpts that Mr. Enser, who is now p)ostmnaster, is to go nip. stairs anid replace M~lr. E. A. Webster, whlo has boon thte repullicant leader in the State for mainy years. Another report is that Mr. Loomis Blalock is to be tihe successor of Uni te(d States Marshal Lawson D. Mel tonl. A rumor that has reached Colum. bin is thtat of Mr. Jeff Richardson, of tihe Ureenvillo News, will only inti mate his accoptance, that be will only intimate his acceptance, that lhe can have the Greenvil> postoflice, and( that tihe position is awvaiting him on a silver platter, so to speak. These are only iumors that are floating around, which may or may riot pan out. WVhen a man is too hlazy to walk aroundio a mudt-hole, he shtouIld not a be commn dco for bravety in walk tng thtrotugh it.