The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-02-01
AIDED BY VEERING WIND
Atlantic Hotels Proprietor Himself
Aroused His Guests.
NO tlvfs BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN LOST
Buildings Destroyed the Atlantic Hotel, COlum-
bia Building, AIbemarIe Flats and a
Block of Stores. Loss Half
Cover d by insurance.
lBy the Associated Press.)

(By the Associated Press.)
Norfolk, Jan. 31.-A heap of smoking
ruins is all that remains today of the
Atlantic Hotel, the massive Columbia
office building. which adjoined the hotel,
the Albemarle flats and block of
stores in the center of the city.
The confiagration, one of the greatest
in the history of Norfolk, broke out
shortly before o'clock this morning
and when finally subdued over half a
million dcllars worth of property had
been destroyed. The loss is believed to
be fully covered by insurance
The flames started in the Columbia,
which is the largest but one of Nor
folks office buildings. 1t was a struc-
ture six stories high and was built in
1892, by Davis Lowenberg, its owner
The fire was first discovered at l: 80
o'clock this morning and shortly after
wards over 1000 gallons of whiskey
stored in the building exploded with ter
rife force, tearing out the front wall.
The 1iremen We're driven back by the
explosion and before they could get a
stream of water on the flames the entire
building was Attire. Hardly fifteen
miputes later the north wall, which was
over Is feet high, fell in, completely an
Initiating the home of the Virginia
Club which adjoins the building on the
north.
From the outset it was evident that
the immense Atlantic Hotel was doom
ed. j. Hull Davidson, its proprietor,
personally made the rounds of the
rooms and aided by his assistants aroused
every guest in the building. To this is
due the fact that SO far as known no
life was lost, although about 800 people
were asleep in the hotel when the alarm
was sounded
The little army of half dressed men
and women refugees from the flames ell
bowed their way through the crowded
streets. In their hands they carried
such small belongings as they were able
TO save in their flight The flames soon
spread to the five story Albemarle apart
ment house opposite the Virginia Club,
which was quickly destroyed, and then
to the entire block facing the Atlantic
and running from Plume street to Main
street. Within an hour this block was
annihilated,
The flames finally We're subdued
through the hard work of the fire de-
partment and the shifting of the wind,
which Veered to the northeast just as
the fire had gotten grasp on the big
department store of Watt, Rettew &
Clay. Live Goals rained on the Mer7
chant and Miners and Bay Line ware
houses. the piers and the wholesale no.
tion store buildings of Talbot, Dudson
and Brady, and driving the Western
Union operators from their offices in the
Dodson buildings. All these structures
were saved. The fire was subdued at 5
O'Clock this morning.
The origin of the fire is not known
The blaze was first discovered in
Browns Cafe. which occupies half OF
the Columbia building, by a policeman,
who Immediately turned in the alarm
The whiskey which exploded was inthis
cafe. All the Atlantic Hotel guests es-
capped, though J. 3. Ready, of Brook
lyn, n. Y, had a close call. The Watts,
Rettew & Clay building was saved, al
though the stock was damaged by
water.
In the Atlantic Hotel building were
L.
and Ohio and Norfolk and Western rail-
roads. The offices of Nottingham &
Wrenn wood dealers; the Equitable Life
Assurance Company; Dodson's drug
store; Vermillions liquor store, and
Solomonsky's tailoring establishment.
In the Columbia building were the
cafes, office of Brown & Nedds; the Of
fees of d. Lowenberg, the owner, and
of numerous real estate firms, lawyers,
physicians, architects and contractors
In the block destroyed with the Abe
marie were Johnston's china store
Carey & Dean, tailors; Hatch & Dean,
furnishers: Motter Deweitt & Co,
brokers; Stephenson & Taylor, brokers;
the Norfolk and Western foreign freight
department and the offices of the Vir-
ginia, Tennessee and Georgia Air line.
While in most eases valuable private
papers were saved large quantity of
ersonal property of unknown value was
lost The loss TO the owners of the At
lantic Hotel is about $250,000, covered by
insurance, and of the Columbia building
$50, 600, on which there was $4,000 in
surance. The Virginia Club was fash
ionable institution and its quarters were
furnished
LATER ESTIMATE or LOSS.
The loss will approximate 100000
possibly half covered by insurance. The
buildings burned were
The Atlantic Hotel, for which with its