Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-04-03
SWEPT BY FIRE.
Atlantic City Suffers a
100000 Loss,
EIGHT HOTELS BURN
Firemen From Other Cities
Called On.
SIX MEN MISSING
BELIEVED THEY PERISHED IN
THE BERKLEY HOTEL.
After a Heroic Fight of Five Hours
Firemen Finally Had Fire
in Control.
BELIEVED THEY PERISHED IN
THE BERKLEY HOTEL.



ATLANTIC CITY, N. J., April 3-The
mcst disastrous confagration that ever Wis
tied this city ragged for five hours today
along the beach front for a distance of
over three blocks. Eight hotels were either
entirely or partially destroyed. A strong
southwest wind was blowing and the fire
men were unable TO cope with the flames
Assistance was asked from Philadelphia
and Camden. and the former city sent
three engines, the train making the run in
fifty-fve minutes.
There IS an unconfirmed report that six
men have lost their lives in the flames
The fire originated in Brady's bath house
located on the boardwalk between New
York and Kentucky avenues and extended
from Illinois avenue 10 Tennessee avenue,
three blocks The hotels destroyed are:
The Windsor, owned by G. Jason Waters;
the Berkeley, owned by Bew Bros; the
StratfOrd, owned by Bew Bros: the Stick
ney, owned by Myra G.. Stickney; the
Luray, owned by Josiah White; the Tarl-
ton, owned by C. Jason Waters; the
Evard. owned by Richard Binder.
The New Holland Hotel on Kentucky
avenue and Young's Pier caught and
burned tiercely. So far as can be learned
no lives have beer lost among the guests
List of Supposed Dead.
The six men who are supposed to have
been burned to death are two policemen
believed to have been buried in the ruins of
the Berkeley Hotel, two ffremen and two
musicians. members of the Royal Italian
Band. who are said to have been in the
Berkeley.
Practically all Of the burned property was
attached to the boardwalk frame struc-
ture forty feet wide skirting the edge of
the ocean and consisting mainly of fimsy
wooden stores and bath houses Fortu-
nately the brisk wind carried the flames
away from the section of the city in which
the most valuable hotels and cottages are
located.
Three Philadelphia fire companies arrived
here shortly before l O'Clock and imme-
diately began an attack on the flames
Shortly after 80 o'clock assistance be-
gan TO arrive by special train from Cam
den, ffty-siX miles distant. and it is ex-
pected that six fire engines will be added
to the force now fighting the fire The
wind from the west has increased some
what and is blowing the flames eastward
with greater ferceness.
Young's iPer Entirely Gone.
Young's pier and the marine ball room of
the pier is entirely gone, and the inner
portion of the structure is being torn down
10 save the adjacent properties At o'clock
the fire leaped across Tennessee avenue
and threatens the following places with de-
struction: VI. Meyer & Bros fancy store.
j. Williams optician store: CasweITs candy
factory, L. r. Adams baths two fronts.
ChonS, King & Co, auction store of i'm
ported wares; Partisan Diamond Parlors
Victor Fresinger's antique and foreign ware
store. John YOungs new apartment house
The Dunlop Hotel. the Blue Cavern Cafe.
Bleak House and the merry -go-rounds We're
all In the path of the fire.
The Morris Guards a local military or
ganization, placed the use of it's armory at
the disposal Of the sufferers. The drill hall
room looks like big storage house. Chief
of Police Eldrdge ordered out the entire
police force to care for property in the
streets, and in addition hundreds of citizens
volunteered to assist in the work of policing
properly. Several negroes We're arrested
for lOoting property.
Board Walk Burned.
As the fire spread along the beach it
burned the boardwalk, and this placed the
fremen at a disadvantage as they were
compelled to retreat to the beach In some
instances the fire companies We're unable to
get their hose off the boa rdwalk and il
was destroyed, thus hampering their ef-
forts still further The firemen from Phila-
delphia and Camden pumped water direct
from the ocean to the flames wherever this
was practicable.
The Luray Hotel had the greatest number
Of guests, and as this was one of the first
places attacked by the flames there We're
many scenes of excitement as the guests
made hasty exit. 'Fashionably dressed
women helped carry trunks and val ses
while not few people who had not yet lef
bed ran out on the boardwalk in neglige
In most OF the hotels burned there were
comparatively few guests, as the crowd of