Cumberland County NcArchives News.....Destructive Fire. November 12, 1885
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Bill Gibson bgibson@uncfsu.edu July 10, 2007, 12:52 pm

The Fayetteville Observer November 12, 1885
Fayetteville Loses One of its Largest Buildings – Burning of the Fayetteville
Hotel.
	On Thursday, the 5th inst., just a few minutes after the town bell had been
rung for 4 o’clock, it broke forth again in wild alarm, and summoned the people
of the town – the large crown assembled on the Fairgrounds and the throngs of
newly arriving visitors filling the streets from the incoming trains – to
witness the burning of the Fayetteville Hotel, one of the largest buildings of
the kind in North Carolina.
	Although the Chief Fire Warden, with such apparatus as he had at command, was
promptly at work with all his force, it became very soon apparent that with the
inefficiency of the means at our disposal the great building was doomed, with a
possibility that other valuable property would be involved in its ruin.  The
fire which is supposed to have originated from a defective flue in the third
story, gained rapid headway and in a very short time dense volumes of smoke were
pouring from every door and window, and sweeping in gloomy folds about the
neighboring buildings.  The streets were blocked with toiling men moving the
stocks of goods from the stores and the furniture from the house; the pavements
were packed with excited women and children; and above it all were the din of
the fire bells and the beating of the fire-engine breaks, powerless to arrest
the progress of the rapid flames.
	In the meantime, the Chief Fire Warden, Mr. Jas. D. McNeill, with commendable
judgment and promptitude had telegraphed to Raleigh for aid, and until the
arrival of the steam engine expected every effort was directed to saving the
adjoining property—the handsome iron-front store of Mr. E. J. Lilly, the immense
building of A. B. Williams & Co., the large frame structure of Mr. J. C. Haigh
and other property on north Hay street, being in great danger.  Fortunately, the
fire exhausted itself with the hotel, and with the excellent work done by the
Raleigh company on its arrival at 5 o’clock the flames were entirely extinguished.
	In the burned building were the Fayetteville and Knights of Pythias Halls, the
saloon of Mr. Jas. M. Matthews, the billiard room attached to the hotel, the
barber shop of Mr. H. A. Carter, the clothing store of Mr. F. W. Thornton, the
grocery stores of Messrs. J. R. Lee and Charles Marsh and the office of the
Singer Manufacturing Company.  All these firms sustained more or less serious
damage to goods from removal, breakage, etc.  Messrs. Matthews and Glover, the
lessees of the Fayetteville Hotel, had recently fitted the house with new and
handsome furniture, upon which there was no insurance, and their loss was very
heavy, amounting, it is believed, to between $4,000 and $5,000.  To them and the
ladies of the two families, deprived by so cruel a misfortune of the comforts of
a delightful home and valuable effects and belongings endeared by association,
we tender our heartfelt sympathies.  Capt. John B. Broadfoot, who had just
handsomely furnished his rooms, incurred considerable loss in the breaking of
furniture and destruction of greatly prized books.  Mr. W. F. Leak also suffered
much loss by breakage, etc.
	The Fayetteville Hotel was built in 1848, replacing the one which was destroyed
by the disastrous fire of 1845, and was owned by a company of stockholders
consisting of J. W. Hollingsworth, President, 33 shares; D. A. Ray, Secretary,
15 shares; Directors, F. W. Thornton, 70 shares and S. J. Hinsdale, 15 shares;
Mrs. A. H. Costin, 3 shares; Mrs. Jno Shaw, 4 shares; Gilchrist estate, 41
shares—making the total capital stock $18,100.
	The hotel was filled to overflowing at the time, and more guests were
constantly arriving.


Additional Comments:
Shortly after the fire, the City of Fayetteville ordered a new steam fire engine
from a New York manufacturer.  I am surprised that the Raleigh fire engine
arrived so quickly.  The Great Fire of Wilmington would occur about 3 and a half
months after this Fayetteville fire, on Sunday, the 21st of February, 1886.  The
Florence, SC fire company was called to that fire and arrived, in Wilmington,
just 3 hours after being called.

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