The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-12-06
DISASTROUS FIRE
VISITS MERIDIAN
Loss Amounts TO Quarter of a
Million Dollars.
SCENE OF SMOKING RUINS
The Handsome Rosenbaum Building
Was Totally Destroyed and it Seem
ed at One Time as if the Entire
Block Was Doomed.

Meridian, Miss, December 5.--(Special.)-
The most disastrous fire in Merchants his
tory occurred tonight.
AS a result of the devastating work of
the flames the handsome Rosenbaum build
ing situated in the heart of the business
portion of the city is a mass of smoking
ruins and adjacent buildings are seriously
damaged either by the flames Or by the i'm
mense volume of water poured in streams
upon them in order to save them from
destruction.
The fire was discovered about $50 o'clock
in the heart of the Rosenbaum building
and it was therefore difficult for the fire.
men to get to it and before they succeeded
in doing SO the flames had eaten their way
to the walls of the building, completely
cutting it.
Early in the action the firemen turned
their attention to the houses adjoining and
across the street from the burning build
ing.
The whole block at one time seemed
doomed, but the fire department, assisted
by hundreds of citizens, by dint of hard
fighting and the use of every available foot
of hose succeeded in combining the fire to
the southeast corner of the block, and to
the Handley Wyatt building Immediately
adjoining on the east.
Several times during the progress of the
conf1agfaton the buildings on the south
half of the block, fronting Fourth street
and Twenty-second avenue, caught fire, but
the firemen were on the alert, and sue
ceeded in promptly extinguisn1ng the blaze.
The Southern hotel caught at one time,
but the blaze was quickly seen and put out.
There were several streams playing upon
the hotel, and this handsome structure was
saved only by the superhuman efforts on
the part of those handling the water.
Origin Not Known
1t is not known how the fire originated,
and at this writing it is impossible to give
an approximate idea of the damage DONE
1t is safe to say, however that the dam
age will reach the quarter million dollar
mark To the other buildings adjacent seri-
Gus water damage has been done, and this
Is particularly so as regards the Southern
hotel, as it was in such close proximity to
the burning building as to render 1t neces-
sary to keep it thoroughly drenched.
SO far as can be learned every firm al
fected by the fire carries insurance to near
ly cover the loss sustained by them,
though the various amounts cannot at this
hour be ascertained.
No casualties are reported as Gordon OF
notice kept the crowd beyond the danger
line of falling walls.
The heaviest losers are A. l.. Rosenbaum'
owner of the block; l.. Koch, dry goods
Alex Loeb, clothing, E. r. Suetter, Jew
elry: M NJ Cross, hardware; j. l.. Hahiey'
furniture; Oscar Lillybeck, druggist; queen
City Millinery Parlor and Southern motel.
The upper floors of the Rosenbaum block
were used for office and lodge rooms and
number of lawyers, doctors and dentists
are heavy losers, among them being CGch-
ran & Bozeman, who lost their library val
ued at $6,5o0
At a late hour tonight the totai loss Is
estimated at $500. 0OO A closer estimate of
the insurance places the figures at $2oo,-
900.