The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-02-01
In its Place Will Rise a Giant
Building of Twelve Stories.
DAMAGE NEARLY HALF MILLION
Elock Bounded by Main. Grady, Randolph
and Plume Wiped out, Including His
lore yirglnie Ciub-Fire Crossed
CRANKY Street and Destroyed
Square of Buildings on
the East Side.

Especial from Staff Correspondent.)
NORFOLK. VA, Jan. 6l.-Firc. fierce.
feattiess and unrelentinG. burst out in the
licszrt of Norfolk at 80 O'Clock this morn
ing: destroyed a business block, on which
MAS iiilo largest office building in the city,
tbs Atlantic Hotel and the Virginia Club:
aioed by a terrific explosion it lcaped
CRANKY Street and gutted the opposite
side for a square, with the exception of
a single business house: cntailed a loss
or nearly half a million, and was only
checked by the aid Of The wind, which
llclpcd the heroic work of the tiremen in
staying the spread OF the devouring
flames.
The Atlantic Hotel is a mass Of smould-
c.inS ruins; the Columbia Office building
has nothing to mark its site but a pile Of
bricks and mortar, tangled wires and
mass of wreckage: the historic Virginia
Club has lone wall standing, and the
opposite side of CRANKY Street is a heap
of debris, bricks, mortar, tangled wire and
devastation that beggars description. The
loss aggregates 4 half a million dollars,
aud the first great fire that Norfolk has
suffered falls like a pail upon the lnhap-
iiants. That no one perisbed in the hercc
conflagration seems marvellous, and that
10 one was hurt is past the miraculous.
dor following the fire came an explosion
that caused the failing of the walls OF
The Atlantic Hotel, IN which We're about
$50 guests, and the simultaneous Bursting
out of flames in buildings across the
street Yet was no one killed and no
very serious injury was sustained bS
2ny5 one.
SPREAD kAPlD.
The fire which originated from an un-
known cause in the rear OF, crown S Saie,
in the first story of the Columbia building,
soread with great rapidity to the Atlanuc
Jiote1 on the left, and the Virginia Club
on the right An explosion that followed,
caused either by barrels of whiskey or
else the boiler in the cellar, tarew the
flames across CRANKY Street. where 1heS
gained a firm hold and destroyed the
whole frontage for a block, With inc eA-
coption of the department store Oh W att
Enttew and Clay. which is ON the corner
,r,ne ,yests of the Atlantic Hotel noti-
fed in time by the management, an liiaue
,scir cscape Many saved only the ap-
,,arel they had on and a few got out Win
very little TO shield them from the pi'-
,ar cold and fierce wind that pfeNaiieo
outside.
,Scrfolk threw wide her hospitable doors
and all We're provided Tor eilher al 'iie
otller hotels or at private houses.
Tn, origin Of the fire is a mHs'ers'
aud although the officer who flrst ois-
covered IT says it was in the rear y.
browns Cafe, Brown says II couid iio1
lave started in his place, as he hasi ~
fire whatever. Next door Is Neuuo :
restaurant and some theorzers hoia ti1''
&; started there.
iIou,eve- tnat may Ire. tho flames burst
,,nor an elevator shaft in the rear OF the
columbia building and before the ri'o
department could respond to the alarm
that structure was a SeethlnS MASS oL
flames. Then followed an eXpiosion 'iia'
,l,rcw the fire in every direction and pew
out the entire north enc OF ti'e -A'A'Ais'e
fiotcl.
SUBLIME SPECTACLE
rho scene to an onlooker was maGnlil-
cont and sublime: to an actor IN the
drama 1t was awful and firgh. fui Walis
cru,nhled, tangled mass OF wires NUNS
around like cobwebs and the eiectric
1irhts went out. The lurid glare from VI
FIRE lit the town for a mile arouho Win
thc brilliancy of day, yet with llrldness
- or ~, inferno Great flames shot SKY
v,ra licking out their livid tongues ana
feupbinr, the futile efforts of the flfe.nen
TO scorn- roo,,on
- tho city was threat tencd. for tn" naines-
.,,,,o5 l,y a breeze that blew tWenlS-siA
knots to the hour We're oVerpoWerlhS,
s-d though the tiremen fought the !ieIce
demon with urda united heroism. tneir ei.
~oyts seemed futile The narrow street
nnd utterly inadequate water supply haliiT
pe.ed them, and the city seemed doomed.
T7nally. however. their work began to
tell. and after final effort TO grasp the
large department store Of Watt, Hettew &
r1a~ the fire slowly gave way and fin
slly surrendered. 1t had done its work,
.,s6 a square OF Norfolk's most populous
part lay snoTiderins mass of ruins.
rtjle the rain slowly drizzled down as
A. weeDins over the wreck that had been
wrought.
p.sn,;e the rain, which came in pnffs
md IN every other shape. crowos locked
an sec the great conflagration-the worst
Norfolk has seen since the CiSii Mar
t,mars society girls in raslans. hastily
ssnnned-sand who can say what was be-
r~cath-tiiled the crowd of onlookers. who
Sazed upon the awful and unnatural
s-suidron OF seethinS flame.
The crowd increased as the day ad-
rsnced and though a dismal. dreary
esin fell all day, the thron2s threaded the
streets that penetrated the devastated
saack and peercd' through dense volumes
Of steam and smoke only TO see black-
6sed walls and unshapely ruins
TIE LOSS.
A conservative estimate OF the loss sus-
tGsned by .he fire is 100000 Sotae place the
fsss at FAR above this figure but by the
S,s.sf authorities 1t was thought that THIS
Hpuld cover II.
live wire fell OH William Brimmer.
x,,dve, of Fire Truck No. l. and upon
se,e Of his horses. }6rimmer's front teeth