Tensas Parish History Submitted to the USGENWEB Archives Project by Edith Ziegler JAN 2002 ********************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ********************************************** From the Pen of Josiah P. Scott Extracted from The Tensas Gazette of October 30, 1936 October 28th, 1936, 35th anniversary of Big Fire that Swept Business Section of St. Joseph in 1901. There are yet quite a few people in Tensas Parish, and especially in St. Joseph, who recall, with grief, the terrible conflagration that swept the business section of St. Joseph on the fatal night of Monday, October 28th, 1901, when a loss of two hundred thousand dollars, was suffered by our people, one half of which was borne by the firm of Joseph Moore & Co., consisting of the the late Mr. Joseph Moore and his son-in-law, Mr. W.J. Steen, without a dollar insurance. The handsome two story, brick store building of Joseph Moore & Co., built in 1899, was guaranteed to be fireproof and might have resisted a smaller blaze, but the Kershaw building, a two story frame structure, immediately across the street, made too hot a fire and the iron clad doors burst into flames. The following account of the fire is taken from the Tensas Gazette of Friday, November 11, 1901. A DISASTROUS FIRE Sweeps Over the Business Portion of St. Joseph and Destroys an Entire Row of Business Houses A disastrous fire swept over the business portion of the town of St. Joseph Monday night, October 28, and destroyed nearly two hundred thousand dollars worth of property. The alarm of fire was sounded at 1:30 o'clock, when the flames were seen to issue from the store of W.H. Harvey & Co. The rear of this building contained a second story, which served Mr. Harvey as a residence. The fire is said to have caught from a defective flue in the kitchen and ignited the adjacent woodwork. The dry weather made the house an easy prey to the fire, which spread with such rapidity that ere the population could be aroused the entire building was in flames. Desperate efforts were made to check the fire, but in vain, and the store occupied by G.W. Sloan, the livery stable of H.L. Smitha and the saloon of Emile Meyer, across the street, were the next to burn. The fire then leaped to the large store building of Chas. C. Skinner, which was soon reduced to ashes. Here the flames had uninterrupted sway and the entire row of store buildings on the front street were at once ablaze, and presented a spectacle sublime and yet horrible. Every building was burned to the ground from the plank road corner to and inclusive of the new store of W.H. Harvey & Co. The fire, not content with the destruction of these frame buildings, spread across the street to the brick store of Messrs. Joseph Moore & Co., and the galleries, which were frame, were at once ablaze. The intense heat from the adjacent fires, together with the burning galleries, caused the iron-clad doors and windows of this handsome building to redden and burst asunder, exposing the interior to the mercy of the flames, and soon this magnificent structure, the pride and ornament of the town, was a firery(sic) mass. The flames shot forked tongues from every exit and through the stock with the fury of angry demons, anon resembling some mighty volcano, confined within four brick walls. The Iron roof fell in, the walls crumbled and one partially fell. The frame building of Levy Bros. Stood about 25 feet distant. Our people realized that here the fire must be checked or the town front was doomed. They may have said to the flames, "Thus far and no further shalt thou go," for possibly never was a nobler or more heroic fight made. Ware houses and outbuildings were demolished; ladders procured and lines of men formed into bucket brigades, while others took stations on the roof of this store and that of W.R. Baker & Son, immediately adjoining. A string of buckets was thus passed up, from man to man, enabling those on the roofs to throw water with almost constant pour. Flake after flake of burning tinder and flying debris fell on the roofs, only to be immediately extinguished. The heat from the brick building was so intense that the men were compelled to turn their backs, but they fought on, white and colored alike, with a courage and determination that would have done honor to the Spartans of old. Explosions of gun powder in the brick building only increased the ardor of the firemen. Men slipped and fell from the roofs, only to climb back again and fight the fire. The reward was well earned but victory was finally achieved. We give special praise to none=there was glory enough for all. The setting sun of Monday gazed upon a prosperous row of business houses, filled with bustle and life. The rising sun of Tuesday beamed upon a vast area of ruin and desolation; on homeless people, some without sufficient raiment, and others whose hopes for the future were scattered to the four winds or whose prayers and supplications ascended with the smoke toward Heaven. Nearly two hundred thousand dollars had been swept away! The following is a list of the losses and the insurance. W.H. Harvey & Co., stock valued $9,000.00, insurance $4,000.; building belonged to Kershaw estate, valued at $1250. G.W. Sloan, stock and effects, $500, no insurance; building part of Kershaw estate, valued at $1250. H.L. Smitha, livery stable and some effects, valued at $2ooo, insurance $1000. Emile Mayer, saloon, stock valued at $3500, insurance $1700; building belonged to Jos. Moore, valued at $2000, no insurance. Chas. C. Skinner, stock $11,000, insurance $5000; building part of Kershaw estate, valued at $2500. Thos. Rutherford, watch-maker, loss about $200., no insurance; Telegraph office, loss $150., no insurance; part of Skinner store. St. Joseph Drug Co., stock valued between $7000 and $$8000, insurance $3000; building part of Kershaw estate, valued at $1500. Louis Blackman, stock $4000, insurance $600; building belonged to Kershaw estate, valued at $1000. Entire Kershaw property burned, valued at $7500, insurance $3000. Love & Meyer, stock $7200, insurance $2250; building belonged to S. Solomon, valued at $2000, insurance $750; C.F. Shelton, butcher and livery man, in same building and yard, loss $500, no insurance Abe Love, stock valued at $3900, insurance $1250; Miss Emma Paatz, in same building, loss $1000, no insurance; S. Solomon, residence upstairs, household effects, loss $750, no insurance; building property of S. Solomon, valued at $2000, insurance $750. Miss Jennie Parr, stock $500, building $800, no insurance. W.H. Harvey & Co., 2nd store, stock about $600, practically all saved but badly damaged; building belonged to Mrs. M.L. Paul, just completed at actual cost of $900, insurance $300. Joseph Moore & Co., stock valued at $52,000, building $23,000, total $75,000, on which there was no insurance, this building being considered fire-proof. The upper part of this building contained offices, bedroom and the K. of P. lodge rooms. Drs. Newell & Newell, office furniture, fixtures, library, medicines and surgical instruments, value at $800, insurance $500. Dr. J.N. Montgomery, office valued at $100, no insurance. Panola Lodge, No. 141, Knights of Pythias, paraphernalia and furniture, valued at $250, no insurance. Cumberland Telephone Co., 75 unused poles burned, 5 poles and lines in service, 10 phones, loss about $400,; phones insured. PERSONAL LOSSES Bonney House, injury to building and furniture $100 S.O. Johnson, barber 50 John Gilbert and others 150 C.G. Nichols 50 R.H. Whitney 50 Norman Smith 30 Louis Hullum 50 A.M. Smith 50 Fulton, watch and wardrobe 200 W.M. Hunt, bicycle 30 Bleckman, clerk 75 S.W. Hazlip, paint shop 50 J.H. Perry, tools burned 40 Loss and damage sustained by Levy Bros and Baker & Son 100 Jos. Love, furniture damaged 50 E.N. Moody, rifle burned 65 In addition to the above, the levee residents, fearing the fire would reach them, moved their effects out, and suffered considerable loss from damage and unrecovered goods. The Post Office building was nearly demolished, being considered advisable to tear it down as a means of checking the fire and thus possible saving the residence of Mr. W.M. Davidson, which would certainly have burned had the stores of Levy Bros. And W.R. Baker & Son caught. However, the house and furniture were injured. The contents of the Post Office, we understand, were practically all saved without injury. The fire might have wrought greater havoc had it not been for the timely aid rendered by the hands from the plantations near town, which the managers thoughtfully sent in. These reinforcements were in- valuable and great credit is due them for property saved. The people of St. Joseph feel deeply obligated to the troop belonging to the show conducted by Swallow & Markle, which showed here Monday night. These men came gallantly to the rescue of our people and fought the fire as desperately as if the property had been their own. Their uniforms were practically ruined and their services were of inestimable value to our people, and we, in behalf of our citizens, tender these gentlemen thanks, and assurances of our appreciation of their labors.