﻿80 
  History 
  of 
  Durham. 
  

  

  FIRES. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  night 
  of 
  December 
  1st, 
  1880, 
  a 
  fire 
  started 
  in 
  a 
  

   bar-room 
  situated 
  on 
  Ch»3\ 
  near 
  Willard 
  street, 
  occupied 
  by 
  

   W. 
  R. 
  Vickers 
  — 
  cause 
  of 
  fire 
  unknown. 
  Owing 
  to 
  the 
  fear- 
  

   ful 
  condition 
  of 
  the 
  streets, 
  caused 
  b}' 
  incessant 
  rains 
  and 
  

   freezes, 
  the 
  Fire 
  Company 
  could 
  not 
  move 
  its 
  engine 
  and 
  

   the 
  town 
  was 
  left 
  helpless. 
  The 
  flames, 
  as 
  if 
  recognizing 
  

   their 
  power, 
  crossed 
  Chiy 
  street 
  and 
  entered 
  Block 
  10, 
  

   (Southgate's 
  Map 
  of 
  Durham,) 
  and, 
  as 
  all 
  the 
  buildings 
  of 
  

   the 
  block 
  were 
  frame, 
  were 
  all 
  soon 
  consumed, 
  save 
  one 
  — 
  

   Angler's 
  old 
  store 
  on 
  the 
  north-west 
  corner 
  of 
  Main 
  and 
  

   Mangum 
  streets. 
  

  

  Thurber's 
  Tobacco 
  Factory, 
  Planters' 
  \A^arehouse 
  and 
  M. 
  

   A. 
  Angler 
  & 
  Son's 
  large 
  store 
  were 
  the 
  principal 
  buildings 
  

   destroyed. 
  $60,000 
  worth 
  of 
  property 
  consumed 
  in 
  an 
  

   hour 
  ! 
  

  

  January 
  1st, 
  1881, 
  the 
  furniture 
  store 
  of 
  B. 
  L. 
  Duke 
  & 
  

   Co., 
  situated 
  on 
  south 
  side 
  of 
  Main, 
  between 
  Mangum 
  and 
  

   Church 
  streets, 
  took 
  fire 
  and 
  burned 
  to 
  the 
  ground, 
  together 
  

   with 
  the 
  large 
  four 
  story 
  brick 
  store 
  adjoining 
  it. 
  Another 
  

   loss 
  of 
  $12,500. 
  . 
  ^ 
  ■ 
  

  

  January 
  15th, 
  2881, 
  the 
  alarm 
  v>'as 
  sounded, 
  and 
  the 
  fire 
  

   was 
  discovered 
  to 
  be 
  in 
  the 
  centre 
  of 
  the 
  range 
  of 
  framed 
  

   stores 
  on 
  north 
  side 
  of 
  Main, 
  between 
  Mangum 
  and 
  Church 
  

   streets. 
  In 
  a 
  short 
  time 
  the 
  flames 
  had 
  made 
  such 
  progress 
  

   that 
  all 
  efforts 
  to 
  check 
  them 
  were 
  useless. 
  With 
  a 
  stiff 
  

   north 
  wind 
  blowing, 
  the 
  fire 
  crossed 
  and 
  burnt 
  all 
  the 
  

   wooden 
  buildings 
  on 
  south 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  street. 
  In 
  two 
  hours 
  

   nearly 
  two 
  blocks 
  of 
  buildings 
  were 
  in 
  ashes. 
  A 
  $50,000 
  

   fire 
  ! 
  

  

  Fortunately, 
  with 
  but 
  few 
  exceptions, 
  all 
  the 
  sufferers 
  

   were 
  partly 
  protected 
  b}'' 
  insurance. 
  At 
  least 
  $75,000 
  was 
  

   distributed 
  among 
  policy 
  holders 
  by 
  the 
  Companies 
  repre- 
  

   sented 
  in 
  Mr. 
  James 
  Southgate's 
  Agency. 
  It 
  gives 
  us 
  pleas- 
  

   ure 
  to 
  state 
  that 
  every 
  claim 
  was 
  satisfactorily 
  adjusted 
  and 
  

   paid. 
  

  

  With 
  $75,000 
  to 
  start 
  with, 
  Durham, 
  Phoenix 
  like, 
  rose 
  

   proudly 
  from 
  her 
  ashes 
  and 
  within 
  a 
  few 
  months 
  substan- 
  

   tial 
  brick 
  buildings 
  appeared 
  where 
  once 
  stood 
  a 
  mushroom 
  

   growth 
  of 
  frames. 
  Since 
  the 
  fiies 
  the 
  streets 
  have 
  been 
  

   graded 
  and 
  paved, 
  tiie 
  sanitary 
  condition 
  of 
  the 
  town 
  is 
  

   excellent, 
  the 
  rate 
  of 
  mortality 
  is 
  as 
  low 
  as 
  that 
  of 
  any 
  town 
  

  

  