The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-12-12
CLEARING AWAY THE DEBRIS.
WALLS LEFT FROM AUGUSTUS BIG
FIRE PULLED DOWN.

Use of Dynamite on Masonic Build
ing's walls Proved Somewhat Dam
gerOus-Pieces of Iron Were HurI-
ed Across the Street-EIectric Car
and "A Cable Used to Pull Down the
Ruins-Many Insurance Men Are on
the Ground.
Augusta. Dec. u.--This has been a busy
day ON Augustus burnt block.
Towering walls here and there overhung
the sidewalk on Broad and jackson
streets and early in the day the work of
pulling them down was begun Strong
wire cables were pressed around column
or through window opening on the wall
and then through a pulley fastened near
the end to an electric light pole on the
street below. The other end was then
attached to an electric car.~ The current
was turned on and the car moving off
would tug on the cable and pull down the
wall
This plan worked very successfully with
the high walls of the Arlington Hotel,
which fell very promptly, but repeated
failure was met ON the high fornt Of the
Masonic building. This wall was not only
ornamented, but strengthened with round
granite columns outside the brick wall, on
each story, and each time the tug on It
was made the cable would break,
while the walls remained standing.
Premature Explosion.
The most sensa tional incident to-day was
when dynamite was tried under the front
wall of the Masonic hall. The psople were
made to clear the stleet for two hundred
feet and electric wires Were connected
with dynamite cartridge under the wall
and a battery on an electric car. Every
thing was In readiness and Electrician
Cassidy was under the shadow of the wall
attaching The copper wire 10 the wire lead
ing to the dynamite cartridge
Thousands of spectators We're shocked
at the roar of a premature explosion and
from a cloud of dust Mr.. Cassidy was seen
bounding over the debris and rushing for
the middle of the street not daring 10 look
back until he had cleared the distance
that might be reached by the fading wall
and then very much frightened and very
indignant al the reckless carelessness Of
the man at the battery. The big wall did
not tumble, however, and only column
was blown down, at the foot of which the
cartridge was buried
Another cartridge was placed under an
ether co'umn and this one was successfully
discharged after all had reached safe
distance, The indignation of Electrician
Cassidy a few moments before was not a
marker TO that of Hon. ]. C. c. Black,
President w. B. Young, and otter occu-
pants of offices across Broad street. as
they rushed out into the street in earnest
protest.
Use of Dynamite Dangerous.
A r,-sli1
shock, but the cast iron column had been
shattered by the dynamite and fragments
of various sizes had been hurled across
Broad street like shrapnel from a cannon.
One fragment struck a telephone pole
right in front of the Commercial Bank
another clipped the end of the Southern
Railway office sign, another crash
window as he sat reading with
in. The window panes in Lawyer Sui
livan's office fell with a crash. There was
no further use of dynamite after the in
dignant protests which followed.
Tugging with the cable was resumed
and about o'clock this evening, the big
wan, fifty feet front and five stories high,
with its tons of granite columns fell with
a mighty crash that shook the earth, and
was distinctly felt in the buildings across
Broad street.
Insurance adjusters are arriving on every
train, but the agents refuse yet to give
out the actual amount of insurance, the
list of companies in which policies are
carried and amount of each company's
risks.
AT a called meeting Of the City Council
tonight an ordinance was submitted pro-
viding for building inspector, fire walls,
etc.
The building of temporary stoclxsde
for city prisoners was ordered, not to cost
over $1,000