The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-12-17
WALLS ALL THAT is LEFT.
TWO WINGS OF HISTORIC CHATHAM
ACADEMY IN RUINS.

Nearly wiped Out by lncendiartes.
Two Grammar schools Made Home
Iess-The Fire Well Under Way
when Discovered and Driven
Through the Building by "A Fierce
Wind-Watcr Seemed Ia Feed In
stead of Qucnch the FIames-The
Theater Threatened by showers OF
Burning Brnnds-BOOks and Rec
Ords Rescued.
Blackened, tumbling walls and smoking
ruins are all that is left Of the eastern
wing Of savannah's Oldest school building,
the Chatham Academy.
The academy was discovered on fire at
4:3O o'clock yesterday morning, and in
three hours nothing was left of the east
ern wing but The walls, and the main
building was almost Quilted.
Chatham Academy furnishes room for
the two Chatham grammar schools and
for the High School, in which are about
LOO children. OF this number 800 are in
the High School. The buildings occupied
by the grammar schools were totally or
partially destroyed, and between 500 and
900 children were thrown out Of their
school rooms, and will have to be provided
for In other buildings.
The fire was discovered by Mr.. Il. p
Middleton, night clerk in Knights drug
store, at Drayion street and Oglethorpe
avenue, dlagOnally across the street from
the academy. When the flames were seen
by Mr.. Middleton, they were confined to
the northeast corner of the building and
appeared to be in greater volume on the
first floor. The northeast room on the Sec
ond floor, that of Miss Claghorn, where
the incendiary attempt of Thursday nihht
was made, was the only other room that
seemed TO be On fire, and from 10Th the
flames We're just beginning to burst.
Mr.. Middleions first act was to rush to
the telephone to notify No engine house
Of the fire. Instead he was connected with
headquarters when re wanted No. g. The
station at Ogaethorpe avenue and Aber-
corn streets, a block away. Dropping the
telephone he rushed over 10 give the alarm
in person. He arou ed the Waterman, who
sounded the alarm and called out The de-
partment All the hremen of No. 8, with
the apparatus, were at the fire before the
alarm from Box No. IS, at Bull and York
streets, had been rung in by a policeman.
IL was evident that there was to be a
dangerous fire. The flames had gained
considerable Roadway, and were spreading.
AS soon as an entrance to the hall on the
ground floor had been secured the smell
of kerosene was Enthusiastically apparent
and there was no questions in the minds
of the firemen that the building had been
fired by incendiaries who had used the oil
to aid them in their devilsh work
The Air Filled with Sparks.
The wind was high and from the north
west. The direction proved to be a for
tunate one. Had il been as high from any
other point of the compass. 1t is quite
probable that the flames would have been
communicated to adjoining property. The
theater is the nearest building 10 the
academy in the direction in which the
wind was blowing, but is separated from
the school by the wide yard on the south
side, and the sparks had to be driven over
1t. In passing over the yard, however,
the burning brands seemed 10 find no diff
Guilty. The wind caught up the blazing
sparks and whirled them through space
until the great draft of the fire had lost
its influence. Even beyond Liberty street
TO the south, when the fire was at its
hight, a perfect rain of sparks fell, and
no little alarm was created among the
residents even farther south.
No time was lost by those who had
heard the alarm or had been awakened by
the noise arousing others in the houses
to the southwark of the academy, and in
its immediate neighborhood. The danger
seemed imminent for the sparks were
descending with the rattle of hail upon
the tin roofs. In those roofs was their
salvation, for had the roofs been of shin
giles there would have been no possible
chance to save anything before the wind
north of Liberty street.
As il was, it was feared that the sparks
might communicate the fire. Il was not
until the firemen had succeeded in saving
the western wing of the academy and the
sparks had ceased to fly that the watch
ers abandoned their places
Chief Mcguire did not take many min
utes after the arrival Of that portion of
the department, engine companies Nos.
], and 3, which answer the first alarm
from the section of the city in which the
academy is located, to see that the situa-
ton was serious and demanded a general
alarm. Soon the entire 1reIighting force
and apparatus was on the scene. 1t was
time. The fierce fire ran from floor 10
floor and room to room, of the eastern
end of the building, wrapping Il in
mass of red flames. despite the powerful
streams of water that were poured upon
1t. The water seemed rather to feed than
quench the flames, and 1t was soon recog-
nized that efforts would have to be de-
voted to saving the middle and western
wings of the building
Assistant Chief Mouro was at his home
when the alarm sounded He hurried to
the scene and took charge Of the force
that was fighting the encroachment OF
the flames to the westward, Chief Ma
guire remaining in general charge of the
entire department. The aerial ladder was
run up, and strong stream was directed
from its top upon the bell cupola that
crowned the middle wing of the building
on the Oglethorpe avenue side
The Firemen's Hard Fight.
The efforts Of the firemen in the corri-
doris balls and rooms of the middle wing
were heroic. The men were driven from
one room 10 another, dragging back their
hose and continuing the fight, the fire
gaining upon them, but gradually losing
its ferceness under the dampening force
with which The four or five engine streams