The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-03-30
JEFFERSON A RUIN
RICHMoND's SPLENDID HosTEIRY
A TOTAL LOSS.
GUESTS HAD NARROW ESCAPE.
BUILT BY THE LATE LEWIS GINTER
AT COST OF 81 ,O0O, 900.

Flames Broke Ont Shortly After Mid
night and Were Soon Beyond Con-
troI-The Building Supposed to BE
semi-Fire Proof, Burned Like Tin
der and at O'clock This Morning
Only the Towers Were Standing.
Women Wept as They Saw the
Work of Destruction.
Richmond. Va. March 2s.-Richmond
to-night suffered her greatest disaster by
fire since the burning of the Spottswood
Hotel on Christmas eve, 1870.
The jefferson Hotel. the magnificent
structure built and furnished by the late
Lewis Ginter. at cost of about ST.
100000 is in ashes. No lives were lost.
The hotel was constructed of buff brick
and granite foundation, and was regarded
as semi-fire proof. 1t burned like finder.
The building covered half block in the
ultra fashionable part of the city, 'front.'
ing on West Main and Franklin streets.
The flames broke out in the upper part
of Main street side, spread with tre-
mendous rush, and soon that part of the
building was a seething mass of fire.
Prompt measures were taken TO awaken
and alarm the guests, and soon these were
confusion.
There were in the hotel fine works of
art, including Valentines marble statue
of Jefferson in the Franklin street court.
Although the hour was late when the
fire broke out, an immense crowd was at
tracted.
The guests who were driven out of the
Main street portion, and those in the
Franklin street part, took refuge in the
Inhh So h. LOFT M he ceLo &C
of distress and excitement beggars de-
scription.
At 1890 O'Clock there was hope of saw
ing the Franklin street part, but in any
event that will be ruined.
There are wild rumors of FIVE firemen
having been cut off in one of the corridors
and suffocated, but this cannot be veri-
fed.
At o'clock this morning all hope of
saving any part of the hotel had been
abandoned.
Firemen Not suffocated.
The report of suffocation of five firemen
proves unfounded, but several persons
were hurt by falling down stairs, etc. One
man has his hip broken. No one persisted
in the flames.
The fire started in the linen room from
a defective f1ue
Insurance is about $650,000.
There was in the hotel a party from
Montreal, Canada. None of these were
hurt, but all lost their baggage.
All the surrounding houses are filled
with property taken from the hotel
There has been some looting and several
arrests have been made.
At o'clock this Saturday morning the
two towers of the building are still stand
ing, as also is part of the Franklin street
front, but the latter is a wreck.
During the progress of the fire thous-
ands of people gathered in the vicinity
and many women wept as they contem-
plated the work of destruction. Except
for the general confusion there were no
startling incidents.
Immediately upon the discovery OF the
fire, which was eating into ceiling of the
linen room, the hotel fire apparatus was
brought into play, but the hose burst.
Attendants then dashed through the
building awakening the guests, many Of
whom were sleeping and had to be drag
ged out of bed.
Most of the guests on the Franklin
street end of the hotel saved their bag
gage, and finally the Jefferson statue was
gotten out with the, head broken off. The
guests in the part where the fire started
lost their baggage and many of them lost
all their clothes.
Owing TO the hight of the building the