The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-05-08
ESTIMATED LOSS $0,o
Believed That Property W3
 Fully Insured.
Active Work of 1irsmsn Saved 10S Joining Residence of nicAar6 Tiliis-Dsfsctivs Tlus Caus. <
 q the 1lansA

The handsome residence of Fish2 11 E Merritt. at so South Court Strest. wSS destroyed by ire few minutes after 13 o'clock this morning. The bnildl66
 which cost S7.oo0. was insured for { amount. it Is said. sufficiently IarSe i< cover the loss. Mir. Merritt lost the lav)r1 port of his furniture and that which Vf V
 saved was badly damaged.
 The firemen had desperate nsht 1S rave the me residence of Richard TI1rN next door. which was only ten feet tant from the blazing building.
 When the department arrived on tk8 scene the upper portion of the Msrr1fk home was enveioped in flames and {S& scorching heat was drawing great naluSS of paint from the side of the Tillis hou1S. Both houses were on the Court str6ce hill. one of the highest points in the cilysI and in the locality most dificuIt for IT. nremen to successfully cope with CrSs On the hill the water pressure is nec118 sartly light and q stream from pluS IT ineffective above the first story of | buIId- Ing. #1
 In spite of this drawback. the depart. ment went to work with a vim. Two e4I- stnes were steamed up as soon as poscl- Die and strong streams were thrown in the second story of the two buiidiurS tho one doomed and the other threaten<6. The firemen devoted their first efforts foI lighting back the fire from the TiIll6: residence and in a few minutes all danoor Of the further spread of the frs from (h& Merritt residence was zone.
 Tho Merritt home was almost totallr destroyed. The fire appeared to have started in the second story and eaten ita way downwards. During its prcgress an oppertunity was given the rrsnlen and furnishings. Furniture and va1uablSo from the rooms on the first floor were brought out and carried hurrfedIy to the neighboring residences for safety The furniture in the second story was a total loss. The work of saving the furniture was greatly hampered by the amaxinu rapidity with which the flames spread
 The interior and the upper portion ek the building was destroyed in spite of the most active work of the fircmen. Four streams from the two engines were kept steadily at work on the blazing building. but 1t was fully an hour before the fire men had the blaze under control and then only after . hard fight.
 The origin of the fire is unknown. but it is believed that it had it's beginning in . nue. The first blake WAS seen in a plunder room on the second floor though which, it is said, ran the kitchen fue. The fire was first secn by . num~ Der of children who had been to danes at Highland Park. and who gave the alarm. Several telephone alarms were sent into the department. the first being sent in by Sol Gladden.. whose house Is across the street from the scene of the fire. Mir. Gladden. heard the cries of the young people and notified the depart~ ment.
 Mir. Merritt could not be seen last right and the amount of insurance that he carried is not known. It was said laHt night by friend of Mir. Merritt that the loss of the building and the furniture would be above $s,000.