The Atlanta constitution., 1894-05-14
DR.. TALMAGE'S LOSS.
FOR THE THIRD TIME HIS TABER-
NACLE IS DESTROYED BY FIRE.
HE HAD JUST FINISHED HIS SERMON.
Luckily. Only n Few Persons Wore in the
BuiidinG-An Adj oinin. Hotel Also
Burned-One LOdy Carried Out.

New IOrk, May l3.-flfe seems " pe .he
Nemesis of Rev. 7. Dewitt Talmage ana
the members of his congregation 1heh
beautiful new tabernacle at the corner OF
Clinton and Greene avenues broohlS H.
was DESTROYED by fire this afternoon. Flames
broke out in the church edlllce just allei
those who had attended the morning ser
vice had left the building. Not only "a9
the church destroyed, but the nearby hotel
and number of buildings were also great
ly damaged. Had the fire broken out one
hour earlier while the building was tilleu
with worshipers, it is almost certain that a
dreadful panic and loss Of life would have
resulted.
This is the third time that-th 1alinage
tabernacle has been destroyed by fire BY a
singlar coincidence each fire occurred on a
Sunday.
Everything in the tabernacle today was
destroyed with the building. Perhaps the
loss which will grieve Dr.. Talmage most Is
that of the memorable stones which he
brought from the east. and which were set
in the wall at the right of the organ, en-
cased in stero-relief work. They were four
in number The top block was from Mount
Calvary, and bore the word Sacrifice" The
stone below from Mount Sinai bearing on it
The Law" The bottom stone is from
Mars Fill and bears the inscription Cos
pei" The front stone was unmarked,
A more unique collection of stones was
never gathered in one place.
Started fn the Organ.
The fire was discovered shortly after
u O'Clock, just after the congregation had
been dismissed from the morning service
Or. Talnage was in the church shaking
hands with u number of people when flames
burst from the organ.
EX-Supervisor Reed, who was in the Sum
merfield Methodist Episcopal church. direct
ly opposite from the tabernacle, had also
seen the smoke coming from the tabernacle
window and had sent in an alarm OF fire.
BY the time the fremen arrived the flames
were bursting from all the church windows
Two extra alarms, and finally a special call
were sent in, bringing all Of the engines
in Brooklyn and Williamsburg to the fire.
The flames spread with lightnlng-liile rap
idity and the sparks flew in all directions.
The greatest excitement prevailed.
The, interior of the church was a seething
roaring mass of flames inside of thirty
minutes after the fire was discovered, and
by 1 o'clock the roof and the handsome
steepIe had fallen in.
Hotel Guests Flee.
Great Jets of flames shot across the open
space between the tabernacle and the Hotel
Regent, which is next to the church. ON
Clinton avenue, and in a short space OF
time that portion OF the hotel nearest the
church was burning tiercely.
The Regent was family hotel, The guests
fed in dismay. Some of them stopped to
throw their valuable and clothing from the
safety just as they happened to be appar-
eled when the panic struck him.
At the time Of the tire there were eighty
five guests and ninety servants in the hotel
and many OF these had narrow escapes.
The fire extended to the hotel between the
first and second floors.
Before the employees gave the alarm they
attempted to get it under control. The fire
soon spread up to the third and fourth
floors, however, and the guests and servants
rushed pell nell into the street.
A savannah Lady Helped Out.
There We're two ladies in the hotel who had
to be carried out. On the fifth floor Mrs.
Loomis, of Savannah, Ca, was lying ill
with her young baby a few days old. She
was carried safely from the burning hotel
and with her child was removed in an am
bulance to the Homeopathic hospital.
Miss Kean, the assistant housekeeper of
ing. She had just passed through severe
illness but was cOnValescent.
The flames spread rapidly through the
hotel, and it, too, was soon aflre from Gel
lar to roof The firemen then devoted their
efforts to saving surrounding property.
number of dwellings in the vicinity caught
fire again and again, but the ffremen each
time flooded them with water and eXtin-
guished the flames. The Summerheld NJ. e.
church, at Greene and Washington avenues
also caught fire from flying sparks, but the
flames were soon eXtinguished.
The numerous small fires continued until
4 o'clock, by which time the firemen had
gotten the flames in the tabernacle and hotel
under control
The tabernacle and the Hotel Regent We're
completely Quilted. Nothing remains but
the walls. At o'clock portions Of the rear
wall Of the tabernacle fell. The total loss
is estimated at little over a million dollars
The loss on the Hotel Regent, including the
buildings, paintings and the guests house
hold goods viii amount to about 100000
,-,l,1, oh,