JACKSON NEWS.
A Big Fire Destroys a Large Portion of the Town.
...
Last Sunday night at half past ten o'clock our citizens were aroused from their
slumbers by the ringing of the fire bells. A rush for the streets was made when the fire was immediately located
in the Northern part of the town and the men and boys hurried to the scene of the conflagration where it was found
that the large gin house and machine shops of Mr. John E. Moore were in flames and beyond control.
The wind at the time was blowing a sharp gale in a southern direction carrying the flames and burning coals directly
to central and business part of the town. Every effort was made to prevent the spread of the flames to other buildings
but to no avail. From the gin the flames leaped to the machine shops which were rapidly consumed, and from there to the residence
occupied by Mr. Frank Ridley and family, hardly giving them time to escape with their lives. From Mr. Ridley's
dwelling the fire spread to the large blacksmith and coach shops of Mr. J. B. Cocke and thence across the street
to the old academy building. The Episcopal church was soon discovered to be on fire and every effort made to save it;
but the intense heat and blinding smoke soon drove those who were bravely fighting the flames away,
and that magnificent building with its valuable clock and windows were left to the flames which soon consumed it.
All hopes of saving anything in this vicinity were now given up, and all hands, both white and colored, now turned their attention
to prevent the spread of the fire to other portions of the town. Some of our colored people deserve special mention and thanks
for their prompt and timely assistance and skillful work in preventing the spread of the flames. At one time, all of us were about to
give up in despair; this was when the large stables of the Hotel Burgwyn caught on fire and
the flames were reaching several feet high, but timely assistance soon extinguished them. One of Mr. George Bowers' houses
caught several times, and once three of them were on fire at the same time but were put out without sustaining much damage.
Mr. W. T. Picard's residence, the Hotel Burgwyn, the Jackson Drug Store and several other buildings caught fire but were saved by timely
assistance, there being men stationed on all the buildings with water; no serious damage was done in this part of the town.
The following are the losses (approximately) so far as is known at this writing:
John E. Moore, gin and machine shops, about $3,000; Frank Ridley $500; The Jos. N. Selden heirs, $1,250;
J. B. Cocke, $1,250; Sam'l Calvert heirs, $250; The Episcopal church, $3,000;
W. E. Harris, 5 bales cotton; Jos. Gay 2 bales; Dr. H. W. Lewis 11/2 bales;
A.D. Edwards 11/2 bales; H. T. Warrick 1 bale; Henry Stewart 1 bale;
Wm. Taylor 1 bale; Sol Harden 1 bale; S. P. Boone 1 bale; Charles Newsome 1 bale; J. E. Moore 3 bales;
B. S. Gay about $50. worth of hogs.
There was no insurance on any of the above except the Episcopal church which had a policy of $1250.
The origin of the fire is unknown, but is thought to have been incendiary, as no fire had been in the
gin house since the Saturday before and Mr. Moore, as was his custom every night,
had gone through the gin late Sunday night and saw no signs of fire.
JACKSON.
October 2, 1895.
"The Patron and Gleaner", Andrew J. Conner, ed., Lasker, Northampton County N.C.
Thursday, October 3, 1895 [Vol. 4, no. 40]
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Fire in Jackson.
A disastrous fire occurred in the town of Jackson, Northampton county, on Sunday night.
The Episcopal church, the academy, the residence of Mr. Frank Ridley, a coach shop,
Moore's cotton gin and about thirty bales of cotton were burned.
No insurance except on the church which was insured for only $1,200.
The church was a handsome one and had two beautiful memorial windows.
There was a large clock in the steeple, the gift of Mrs. Burgwyn, which cost $500.
The fire originated in the cotton gin and is thought to have been the work of an incindiary.
The loss is a heavy one to the town.
"The Murfreesboro Index", John W. Hicks, ed., Murfreesboro, [Hertford County] N.C.
Friday, October 4, 1895 [Vol. XI, no. 5]
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