| From the Wilmington Journal |
| May 5, 1864 |
| |
| Terrible Fire! |
| Great Destruction of Property!! |
| Yesterday morning at 20
minutes to 1 o'clock, a fire broke out in a warehouse or shed, on the
Western side of the Cape Fear River, some 200 feet South of the Ferry,
which is opposite to the Market Dock. |
| From this point it spread with
amazing rapidity, and in an inconceivably short space of time every
building on the Western side of the river south of the depot of the
Wilmington & Manchester Railroad was enveloped in flames. |
| When we arrived at the dock,
the whole Western bank of the river for several squares was one line of
flame, and it was feared that the Railroad depot, with the workshops of
the Company, would also be destroyed. |
| The destruction of property is
very great. We sum it as nearly as we can as follows: |
| The Confederate Government
lost 800 bales cotton burnt, of which about 200 were Sea Island -- say
$800,000. It lost also in materials and work in progress at Berrys' Ship
Yard about $100,000. |
| T. Andrea lost 2,500
bales of cotton -- 300 of it Sea Island -- say $2,430,000. |
| The Nashville & Chattanooga
R. R. Co. lost 187 bales; J. W. Thomas 37 bales -- say $200,000. |
| In Cpt. Hallett's Sheds
there were 850 bales of cotton, 47 of it Sea Island, belonging to the
State of Virginia, and sundry other parties. Also rope and bagging
to the amount of $100,000. All burned. Total loss about $900,000. |
| Rankin & Martin and B.
Hallett's Rosin Oil Works, about $70,000. Insurance to the amount of
$7,000. B. Hallet's loss in shed about $25,000. Insurance $3,000. |
| The Southern Express
Company lost two cars with merchandise, also some merchandise in a
small warehouse. Loss about $100,000. |
| John A. Taylor, shed,
etc., at Ferry, $10,000. |
| The damage to the machinery
and tools at B. W. & W. L. Berry's ship-yard is comparatively
light. Most of the workmen's tools were saved. They expected to be able
t resume work in about three weeks. The sheds and saw mill machinery in
rear of ship yard is the principal loss. Estimated total $25,000. |
| The Wilmington & Manchester
Railroad Company lost the small wooden building in which the
President, Treasurer and Superintendent had their offices. All the
contents were saved. The building was of little value. The chief loss of
railroad property was 25 freight cars, 15 of them belonging to the
Georgia Central Road, 8 to the Wilmington & Manchester Road, and 2 to
the Southern Express Company. Total loss in cars $150,000. |
| Thus far we have a summing up
of about four million eight hundred thousand dollars, but this does not
include the injury to a quarter of a mile of wharfing, mainly ruined,
nor the loss of the sheds and buildings belonging to the Confederate
government and to other parties, nor the injury to the cotton press.
These and other things not necessary to mention can hardly be estimated
for at the present time, since it may be impossible to replace them and
difficult to do without them. We are happy, indeed, to learn that the
cotton press itself is expected to be in operation again in a short
time. It is probable the when the whole loss is known and the wharves,
buildings, etc., have been included, the whole loss will fall little if
anything short of six millions of dollars. |
| The usual doubts are expressed
as to whether the tremendous fire was accidental or the result of
incendiarism. It may have been either. We have not been able to discover
anything that will warrant us in saying that it was the one or the
other, if we except the astonishing rapidity of its spread, which
does look as though it were too rapid to be merely accidental, and
gives rise to suspicions of foul play, although, indeed, the
combustibility of all the materials the fire had to work upon could
hardly be increased. |
| We doubt whether any human
power could have arrested the progress of the fire when it had once
gotten under way, still we could not but remark upon the fact that even
if the fire had been within the reach of control by the exertions of the
fire department, there was no fire department to be found by which such
exertions could be made. This struck us the more forcibly because of our
having noticed the activity and zeal of the firemen on several occasions
during the present year -- we had seen that they were practicing with
their engines, and we know that the town authorities had been making
exertions to increase the efficiency of the department and to have its
apparatus put into the best order. We believe they had succeeded in
accomplishing both these objects. We enquire why the present state of
things exists, and are told that the white companies are on duty as Home
Guard, and that the colored companies, mustering 180 men in all, mainly
free negroes, have had their members either impressed or scared off by
the fear of impressment. Whether incendiaries are abroad or not, we
shudder at the thought of a fire breaking out in the closely built part
of the town, filled as every place seems to be with cotton -- cotton is
our next door neighbor -- cotton is everywhere. |
| We make these remarks in no
captious, fault finding spirit, for that is a thing we despise, but we
desire to call attention of the authorities who have control of these
matters to the condition of things, as we have the best authority for
believing that they actually exist, hoping that some course will be
devised calculated to provide for the safety of property, public and
private, and relieve the apprehension naturally felt by the community. |
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