Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-08-13


detailed account of the great fire which |
occurred in that city early yesterday |
morning. The Kimball House, the |
finest hotel IN Georgia, and perhaps |
in the South, together with vast
amount of other property, was destroyed. |
The total loss is placed at a million of dol
lars, and it may greatly exceed that
amount if the vaults of the Gate CITY !
Bank did not resist the flames. Inc
safety OF the money in the vaults, estl-
mated at half a million OF dol |
lars. was, at last accounts, IN
doubt. The original cost Of the
Kimban House, which was the pride of
Atlanta, was 10000, and it contained
furniture worth $125, 900. The insurance
was only $4,000, very small sum COM
pared to the value Of the hotel property. !
Other property destroyed seems to have
been much more fully covered by in
surance, as the total insurance
on the property destroyed is
stated to be 100000. 1t is believed
that the fire was Of incendiary origin. If
this proves to be the case it is to be hoped
that the guilty parties will be hunted
down and made to suffer the full penalty OF
the law. Had the fire occurred two or three
hours earlier, or had there been a little
delay in the discovery of the fire, it is
probable that there would have been a
fearful loss of life. The hotel was crowded
with guests. and the flames advanced with
great rapidity. In an hour from the first
alarm the building was a mass Of
smoking ruins. 1t is evident that
the prOmptness of the hotel clerks
in arOusing the inmates of the burning
building. alone prevented the loss of many
lives. This is the second large hotel burned
in this State within a very short time.
less than two weeks ago the magnificent
structure at ThOmasville was reduced to
ashes. The Mitchell House and the Kim
ball House were the two notable hotels
of the State. They were well known
throughout the country, and deserved the
regulations which they enjoyed. They
Will he replaced. of course, by structures
equally as fine perhaps, but their destruc-
ton will nevertheless be severely felt by
the cities in which they were located. 1t
was painfully apparent yester-
day that the water supply of
Atlanta is insufficient to meet
the demand of great lire. This is a de-
! feet that ought TO be remcdied at once.
Delay in this matter Is full Ofdanger. The
7 season when greater apprehension of fires
will be felt is rapidly approaching. A
city without a sufficient water supply is
almost at the mercy Of the flames.
The whole State is. in a measure,
/ interested in a better water supply at
/ Atlanta. The State House, containing all
the records Of the State. the Treasury, and
valuable records of counties that could
/ not well be replaced, may take fire at any
/ time. II Is not a iire-proOf building. In
I deed. it is not much better than a finder
box. 1t would burn as quick, if not more
quickly, than the Kimball House did if a
: fire once got fairly under Roadway in it.
The fire oi yesterday ought to arouse
I the Legislature TO a sense Of the danger to
/ which the State records are exposed
I Nothing can he done, perhaps, to guard
/ the present capitol binding against fire.
/ There is no Use in wasting money on it.
/ What is wanted Is a new capitol build
I Ing. The necessity for it is urgent. The
/ State Is able to build it, and the best inter-
ests Of the people demand it, The Legis-
/ Iaure will do wise thing if it passes a
| bill authorizing a capitol building before
I it adjOurns.
/ The New York World and Sun have
made a good point on the Republican or
/ cans. particularly the New York Times,
I which have been abusing Dorsey since
| his revelations regarding the manage
ment of the Republican campaign Of 1880.
/ These organs have called him thief, a
l liar. and fnsinU ated that his only claim
/ to decency was the fact that for a limited
/ period he was admitted to the company Of
/ decent men, They have denied that he
was entitled to any particular credit for
/ the victory obtained in Indiana in 1880, or
/ for the success of the Republican
/ party in the national contest Of
/ that year. The sun and World
Saturday published the Times report of
4 the dinner given Dorsey by the Republi-
| can leaders at DelmOnicO's on February
| 18th. 1881. The dinner was given to cele-
/ brate the Republican victory Of the pre-
| viOus October in Indiana. Grant, who was
/ the first speaker, said; I'VE have assem-
| bled to do honor to a gentleman who
/ contributed more than any other man to
! bring about the result we all hoped for at
/ the last Presidential election"
Mr.. Arthur said; - don't think we had
( better go into the secrets of the cam
paign. The gentlemen in New York who
/ stood IT the back of the National Com
mittee responded so literally to the de-
mands Of the committee that Mr.. Dorsey,
+ with his matchless skill, cool mead and
wonderful courage, was able to save not
merely Indiana and through it the State
/ of New York, but the nation"
Senator Window, speaking of Dorsey's
/ career in the Senate, said: I'm that body
no was always conspicuous for honesty,
earnestness, energy ana organizing
power" John c. New said he had come
LOO miles to testify his regard for Mr..
Dorsey, and Whitelaw Reid said: "Im-
mediately after General Garfield, it seems
to me thanks most fifty come to Dir. Dor
sey." These quotations are enough to
show what the Republican leaders
thought of Mr.. Dorsey in February, 1881.
What is thought Of him since he made
the party secrets public property can be
discovered by reading the Republican
organs. The probabilities are that Dor
sey is Just about as bad as the Republican
papers say he is, but they would have
continued to praise him as a great and
good man if he had not revealed the party
secrets.