The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-02-01
BUSINESS BLOCK
BURNED OUT OF
MORE OL.K'S HEART
CONTINUED From First Page.

dent Mckinley's physician, was a. guest
OF the Atlantic Hotel when it burned.
VIM Thorogood. a colored politician.
found her lying on the floor in a hallway
when he was assisting guests to get out
of the burning hotel. Miss RiHey had
been struck upon the head by trunk
some one threw down stairs. she was
stunned, but her hurt was slight. Thoro-
good carried her out, and afterWard re-
turned and saved her trunk and her
room.
The fire started at $40 a. NJ. IN the
cafe of Mr. C. II. Brown on the first
floor of the Columbia office building, on
CRANKY Street. Neddos restaurant is
next door and in the same building.
On the south of the Columbia building
was the Atlantic Hotel, fronting 102 feet
on CRANKY and $50 on Main Street; on
the north was the Virginia Club, corner
ing on CRANKY and Plume Streets. sPo-
lice Officer William Ruddick sent in the
alarm from TIE private box of the At
lantic Hotel, and the department re-
sponded promptly.
Yet by the time they reached the
scene the whole Columbia building was
a mass of seething flame. Chief Shaw
Immediately turned in q second and third
alarm calling all the apparatus In Nor
folk and Portsmouth to the scene. He
uiSO IlOl1ilcu DdFiuSOtl, the IndIiaSeT
of - Atlantic, to awaken his guests
ard them ready to leave at a mo
mon, :, notice.
The flames, running up an elevator
shaft, spread with great rapidity, and the
Atlantic Hotel and Virginia Club were
seen to be doomed. Meantime guests
had been told of their danger and began
to make their exit in various stages OF
dress, some in their haste neglecung to
put on all their clothes.
ALL ESCAPED.
All. however, escaped, though Miss
Rixey, a. sister of the new Surgeon-Gen-
eral of the navy, had to be brought
down. and Mr.. J. O. Ready had to de-
scend by the fire escape, having re-
NAMED In the building packing his eff
fects until other avenues of escape were
closed by fire and smoke.
Shortly after all tad gotten out, Chief
Ryan estimated !, at fifteen minutes af-
ter his arrival, a terrific explosion oc-
CURED in Browns cafe, throwing burn
ing brands skyward and entirely de-
molishing the north wall Of the Atlantic
Hotel Opinion differs as to the cause
of this explosfon-whcther it We're bar
rcIs of whskey or the steam boiler-but
the effect was instantaneous.
Flames scared skyward. and. leaping
the narrow confines Of CRANKY Street.
attacked the china store OF Johnston {,
Co. over which were the Albemarlc
fats. The flames now ate their way
south through a row of buildings on the
east side of CRANKY Street. and not one
is left standing. save that of Watt. Ret
tew & Clay, at the corner of CRANKY
and Main. This caught and was for
time given DER for lost, but was miracu-
lousy saved.
Those present say the wind shifted,
but the Weather Bureau officials say the
breeze was steady from the northeast
and of a good velocity. That alone saved
Norfolk Had the big department store
burned nothing short of dynamite could
have prevented the fire sweeping up Main
Street and cleaning out all in its path.
1t was now that panic seized upon the
business men of Norfolk, ann they gave
up all for loss.
Firms suuaTes away from the fire got
their books together, and some even hired
wagons and actually moved out. Human
effort seemed useless in the struggle
against the fiery element. The window
sins in the great store were cracking ana
smoking in the heat, but the brave fire
ladies were standing gamely to their
llozzles. and their efforts began to tell.
Aided by the stiff breeze that was blowing
scaward they slowly gained the mastery,
and the fiery demon slowly withdrew his
lecions from the attack The victory was
with the flrcmen. and Norfolk was safe.
UNDER CONTROL.
But the battle was not yet over. On the
Nain-Street side the fight had been rag
ing and the operators in the Western
Union Office had been driven reluctantly
from their instruments. All buildings had
been scorched badly and the glasses bro
ken. In the rear OF the hotel and the
Virginia Club the flames had wrought
thoir work On the square bounded by
Main, CRANKY Plume and Randolph Streets
o-.- two small buildings remain-the
Wholesale liquor store Of EIcHugh and
Cor--xany ana the warehouse CT r. "A.
and II. c. Ea>--cc.
This ended the lavc2 ea'G tie fire was
controlled All day. through rain, slush
ana told. crowds visited the scene of des-
o!ation. They were OF all sorts, from the
small. ragged urchin to 1nilady in raglan
and silks.
Volumes of steam commingled with
smoke, arose above a congioHlerate mass
oe bricks. mortar. srlonlderng brands,
tangled ends of wires and unshapely rolls
of lin roof. And the crowd looked, was
interested. and went its way. twisting
and turning amid a myriad of umbrel-
las At the Monticello. where a great
e,lr,,cr Of the burned oUt guests OF the
Atlantic had gone. everything possible
for their comfort was done. Mr. Stokes.
the manager, was kindness itself, and
cave all who had been burned out tenn
rorarv office headquarters in the Mon
ticello lobby.
There the mana cement of The Attain
tic settled themselves and check OF
each guest as he came up and gave an
account of himself.
OWNERS OF THE PROPERTY
The Columbia building. in which the fire
started. was owned by Mr. D IoWenberS.
The Atlantic Hotel and most of the
| burned buildings on Randolph Street be-
| lo,nged to Mr.. c.. NJ. Randolph. One of
| the burned buildings on this street be
! louged 10 the Dodson estate. The double
| building on Plume Street belonged to MI.
| Arthur Morris. The Virginia Club build
! ing was owned by the club. The bulc-
/ ing al the southeast corner OF Granny
| and Plume Streets. occupied by the
/ Johnston China Company. was owned by
Mr.. George Il Arps. The other buildings
| burned on that side OF the street were
! owned by Mrs. Green. Mrs. Almond, AT
7 S. .ames, Mr.. Joseph Salomonsky CD
/ and DR.. VIM. a. Thoms children. They
| ,.ar., occi,pied on the first floor by McSSrS