The evening times., 1901-03-30
THE JEFFERSON IN RUINS
RichmOnd's Magnificent Hotel De
stroyed by Fire.
The Loss Estimated at About "A MIL
lion DOIiars, Probably TvO-thirds
Covered by Ensuranee-Ai Guests
and Servants Gotten Out in Safety

lion Dollars, Probably TwO-thirds
Covered by Ensuranee-AII Guests
and Servants Gotten Out in Safety
RICHMOND, Va, March 30--The JEFF
ferson, the most magnificent hotel in the
South and one of the most beautiful
caravansaries in the world in point OF
architecture and furnishing. is charred
mass of ruins. 1t was practically com
pIetely destroyed by fire last night, en-
taiIing a loss of probably more than 81
000. 900. two-tbirds of which is covered by
insurance.
No lives were lest and no serious casu-
aItieS as a result of the fire have been
reported, the flames having made their
appearance in the seventh, or top story
of the vast structure about II o'clock.
the guests and servants thereby having
opportunity to leave the building in safe
ty-
The blaze was the fercest Richmond
has experienced since the evacuation in
1865, and the entire fire department aug
mented by many men employed by the
hotel company, were at work since the
flames first appeared until O'Clock this
morning, when only the beautiful Frank
lin Street end of the hotel bore a sernb
lance of what it had been before the fire
had done its ghastly work
Almost the entire population witnessed
the burning Of the Jefferson To the peo-
pie of this city the destruction of the ho-
tel is almost a personal bereavement. as
the structure was one in which they took
the greatest pride
The building covered half block IN the
ultra-fashionable part Of the city, front
ing on West Main and West Franklin
Streets. The flames broke out in the upper
part of the Main Street side, just under
the famous Convention Hall, a large glass
encased garden on the roof, and spread
with Il tremendous rush. Soon that part
of the building was a seething mass Of
fire Prompt measures were taken to
awaken and alarm the guests and soon
they were rushing through the corridors
in wild confusion.
Immediately upon the discovery Of the
| fire, which was eating into the 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
| gad out of bed Most Of the guests
! on the Franklin Street end Of the hotel
| saved their baggage, and finally the JET
| ferson statue OF snOw-white Italian mar
| bic was gotten out with the head broken
| Oft Owing to the height OF the building
| the fire department was at great dis
advantage
| The theory regarding the origin Of the
/ fire is that it started from electric wires
| For half an hour afcer the fire was
| first discovered the hotel patrons mingled
| in social pleasures in the dining room
| and cafes below.
| The entire fire department was called
| out, but it was soon seen that the eight
! streams were of no earthly avail m
| checking the ravages Of TIE roaring
/ flames Starting upon the Top floor, ore
I By one the floors burned, dropping a
! seething mass Of debris into the bea1ti-
| fuI apartments below Flames caught The
/ costly tapestries and btrst in -esistiess
/ fury from every window until the i'm
/ rneuse structur was wrapped in sheets
/ of fire that curled in fantastic shapes
| about the solid walls.
! All night long fremen fought from ad-
/ joining roofs and battled with the invinc-
! fble flames. Two of tFe dren1en. hard
pressed by the smoke and heat were
| compelled 10 fasten their hose to a roof
| and scale down TO the street below, while
| thousands of spectators cheered their
| wild descent The insurance on the buiid-
ing is about $4,000 though the amount of
! insurance upon the handsome furniture
| and splendid collection of statuary and
| paintings is not known
| The damage 10 the surrounding prop
| erty is not great and upon all the dwell
| ings men were stationed with buckets of
| water and extinguished the rapidly fall
/ ing showers of sparks that fell like snow
! fakes for four or FIVE hours
| The beautiful Jefferson Court is a mass
! of ruins. the skyIight fell upon the palms
| and statuary and smashed il into frag-
| ments-
| The Jefferson was constructed of buff
! brick, had granite foundation. and it's
/ builders regarded it as semi-freproof It
was built in the years 1884 and 1895, by
| Major Lewis Ginter, the millionaire
! cigarette manufacturer, the head of the
| Allen * tiinteT branch Of the American
| Tobacco Compan-. Carere & Hastings
! the architects who designed Madison
| Square Garden II New York, md the
! Ponce de Leon in St Augustine. Fla
prepared the plans for the Jefferson
Probably no one save Major Ginter and
those associated with him in the constrrIc-
/ ton and fitting out OF the building ever
/ knew its actual cost. Major Ginter de-
! tested publicity and would never say how
much Of his wealth was consumed in the
erection of the Jefferson It is reported
however, that just prior to his death sey-
! eraI years ago he said he regretted two
/ things in connEection with his life more
| than any other TWO. and those were that
| ne had built the jefferson and had never
married