The herald., 1898-02-07
Believed to Be Caused by
Incendaries
AN EPIDEMIC AT SAVANNAH
THE CATHOLIC CATHEDRAL rs
DESTROYED
The Famous Highland Park Hotel at
Aiken, South Carolina, No
Longer Shelters Guests
Assoclated Press speclal wire

Associated Press Special Wire
SAVANNAH. Ca, Feb, 6-Savannah's
epidemic of fire continues. Tonight dam
age to the extent of SIPS, 900 was caused
by confiagration which started in hay
warehouse on the wharf at the foot of
Jefferson street. The fire started in
the warehouse and had burst into large
conflagration by the time the alarm was
turned in. The fire communicated to
several brick buildings on Bay street,
and three Of them were entirely gutted.
The heaviest loss was sustained by
Charles Conklin & Co.. who carried n
100000 stock of hardware, with an In
surance of $4,000.
There have been dozen fires here
within the last two weeks and there Is
considerable talk of firebugs.
Before the fire which broke out in
the hay warehouse had been brought
under control, flames burst out In the
magnificent cathedral of st. John the
Baptist, the seat of the Catholic church
in the state of Georgia, and 1t was soon
a mass of ruins.
All the fire engines in the city were en-
gagged at the other fire. The consequence
was that it was nearly an hour before an
engine arrived to turn stream on the
valuable property that was going to
waste, and on the buildings around that
needed protection. The tremendous
shower of sparks that was carried up in
the heat for an hour or more, falling in
the square and on other buildings, made
a grand spectacle. The fire started in
the organ loft and spread rapidly
through the church. Everything was re-
moved from the rooms in the vicinity
and it was only after a struggle that
they were saved. At midnight the de-
struction of the cathedral was complete.
The cathedral cost $225,000 and was in
sured for 60.000 1t was one of the finest
ecclesiastical structures in the south.
The edifice contained many works Of art,
all of which were saved.
A FAMOUS HOTEL
AUGUSTA. Ga, Feb. 6-Highland
Park hotel, which for more than score
of years has been filled every winter with
northern people, and which has made
Aiken, S. c., one of the best known re-
sorts in the south, was burned to the
ground this morning. The house was
full of guests, it being the very midst of
it's season. The fire broke out about
80 this morning in a little building in
the rear of the hotel, where the engines,
dynamo, laundry and dressing room for
the walters was situated. This one
story building was Joined to the main
hotel, big three-story building of 1s5
rooms, by a small, narrow, wooden
structure, which, the guests say, might
have been chopped away with axes and
entirely cut off from the hotel IL there
had been any intelligent direction of the
efforts that were made to save the hotel.
Mr.. H. w. Priest, lessee and manager
of the hotel, who is one Of the biggest
losers, says he has no idea haw the fire
originated.
The streams that were turned on it
from the standpipe of the hotel ground
were Intellectual. The hotel had been
entirely refitted for this season at cost
of about $4,000 The owners are Con-
necticut people and the company was
capitalized at $15O,O00.
The building was insured for 10000;
furniture, $4,000.
During the excitement of the fire an
alteration occurred in which Thomas
Fallon of Boston, the engineer of the
hotel was shot by another employe. The
wound Is not serious.
A TOWN IN DANGER
ALBANY, Ind, Feb. GA furious fire
broke out here at midnight in the Spei-
cher business block and ragged for two
hours and half. An appeal to Muncie
failed to bring relief. Albany has no fire
protection to cope with a big contiagra-
tion, and the citizens are powerless, but
at an early hour were tearing down
buildings to finally stop the fire by a
want of fuel One thousand men formed
in line with 500 buckets and saved much
property. The total loss is estimated
variously at from $4,000 to $4,000. The
Speicher block was destroyed and half a
dozen firms lost from $4,000 to $4,000
Hobbs clothing store in another block
with stock worth $4,000 was badly
scorched. All the stock was removed
but one half of il was stolen q fterxya rd