The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-03-19
GEO. 0. GAYLORD, Propr.,
OF WlMNGTOES BIG RACKET STORU
THE WESTERN UNIONS BLAZE
Sequel to . Night of Lightning-The Office
in Charlottee Completely DestrOyed-De.
struction Of Architect Milburn's Hand.
some New Oh1ces.

struction Of Architect Milburn's Hand.
some New Onices.
Charlotte Observer.)
The Charlotte office Of the Western
Union Telegraph Company was complete
ly Quilted by fire Sunday morning. The
Western Union office is a two-story brick
building. Above 1t on the north side
tower the walls Of the Central hotel, and
on the south the walls of Mr.. H. G.
Springs new building, the Central hotel
annex. Over the roof Of the building
runs the covered way connecting the Cen
trail and annex. The entire ground floor
of the building was occupied by the West
ern Union. The second floor was used as
offices by Architect Milburn. In this lit
tie building. between two big, tall ones,
1t was kindled by electricity, not of the
machine made kind. but of the kind that
Franklin discovered with his key.
Saturday night was one Of the occasions
when telegraph operators plaster their
hair down with paste, for during the
night a severe electrical storm was in
progress. At intervals the rain coming
down upon the roof, would SOUND as il
it were being poured from a tub; windows
| would echo the rattle Of the thunder, and
the flashes of lightning would periodi-
cally blot out the lesser lights Of gas and
Four C's electricity. The very air seemed
to be electrified.
AN hio 4 49, NP tiIcP
promptly at u o'clock Saturday night,
and Manager Burts and his operators
went home. At Us q; m. the telegraph
stricken with dumbness, and after re-
| peated tests, Operator James located the
It was not until a:25 that a key to the
Western Union office could be secured,
and then the operator found that the
plug TO the s Onservers speGiai wire WAS was
the plug back in the switchboard. and
/ returning to The Observer office, resumed
taking the press dispatches. At the time
thing was all right there-no fire. or sign
of fire.
turned in. Chief culpepper saw at first
glance en that It he e. had a as, stT lib snt fire t to sub
ment, including the. steamer. Half a
dozen big streams Of water were soon
the house, but the nre soon got through
the roof and leaped high in the air be-
tween the two big buildings. In the front
floors were Quilted: in the rear part, they
were burned out from floor to roof. =.
The building is the property Of Colonel
| owners Of the Central hotel. They had no
insurance: The building can probably be
replaced for 1900. the walls be II intact:
Charlotte office is the largest In the state.
and one of the most important in the
south. as all the southern wires are con-
nected here. The office was equipped
with eighteen sets of instruments. 1000
cells of batteries and a switchboard for
seventy-ive wires. The fire was evident
ly caused by lightning. as IL was plainly
seen to have originated at the switch
board. which was near the centre of the
building. Manager Burts has fitted up a
temporary office in the Seaboard Air
| Lines uptown ticket office.
BY long odds the severest loser was
Architect Frank Milburn. Less than
three weeks ago he completed the equip
ment of his office rooms on the second
floor. The feature of the rooms. how
ever. was Mr.. Milburn's display Of archi-
t%ectural drawings. embracing HIS work in
that line for eighteen years past. All Of
these were totally destroyed. not so much
as an unsoiled scrap being saved. Mr..
Miiburn estimated his loss. from a
~pecuniary standpoint alone. at so. 600.
| Among the drawings destroyed was one
for a court house in Georgia: the draw
ing for the deaf and dumb school at Raj
|, eigh. and several churches and school
houses. representing $4,000 in architects
| fees. Mr.. office was the finest
between Washington and New Orleans.
| By 9 o'clock Sunday morning. Manager
| Burts had a wire working to ichmond
| BY 2 O'Clock in the afternoon he had sew
eraf ines working to different points.