The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-12-10
BIG FIRE IN ATLANTA
LOSS MAY REACH A RALF A
 MILLION.
For a Time It Seemed That Business Portion of the City Wao Doomed But Good Work Is Done
 by Department.

Atlanta, Ga, Dec. Sire today in the heart of the downtown section of At- ianta wiped out almost a block of busi- ness houses. causing loss estimated be- tween s4Oo. 1000 and s5oO,ooo.
 The fire originated in the furniture store of Shook & Austin, on the White hall Street viaduct, and was first dis covered at 4 o'clock in the morning. It spread with great rapidity' to the Nor ecross building a structure on the corner of Peachtree and Marietta Streets, whose six stories were largely taken up with the offices of physicians, dentists and at torneys. The Norcross building and the Shook building were entirely consumed, only portions of the walls remaining.
 The building occupied by the Jacobs Pharmacy Company, adjoining the Nor cross building on Maristta Street, was completely gutted. and the Jacobs Com pany and the Shook Company sustained the heaviest individual losses of the fire Water did considerable damage to several stores adjoining and across the street.
 The Williams House, 8 small hotel To- cated on the upper floor of the Jacobs Pharmacy building, contained about six ty-hve lodgers, and for some time rumors prevailed that loss of life had occurred among the guests of the hotel; but Fire Chief Joyner declared tonight that all the guests had escaped unharmed.
 The entire street car service of the city was suspended during a period of about four hours, during the fiercest progress of the fire.
 The burned buildings were most of them old and their material value was not great. The Norcross building, the most valuable of those destroyed, was to have been demolished within a year, to make way for a modern office structure. It was built at cost of about $5o.0o0.
 The heaviest monetary loss falls upon the merchants in the various burned buildings who lost their stock and fix- lures. There was considerable apprehen- sion early in the morning that the flames would spread to the Kimball House and Involve the entire central business DOT ton of the city, but the heroic work of the fire deps rtment confined the fire to comparatively narrow area. It Is not be- lieved that the Whitehall Street viaduct is seriously damaged.
 The Shook building was originally the old National Hotel which, during early reconstruction days, was the headouar- ters of Robert Toombs, Benjamin H. Hill, Alexander H. Stephens and other South ern political leaders.
 The heaviest losers. with insurance, so far as ascertalned. are as follows:
 Jacobs's Pharmacy Company, s75,0 in- surance, S50,000.
 P. H. Shook & Austin Furniture Con- pany. S300oO insurance about the same.
 R. M. Rose & Co.,, liquor dealers, $16,- 000: covered by insurance.
 Hammack Drug Company. s2o.ooo: cov- cred by insurance.
 Guarantee Clothing Company. $25, 900: in- suance, $10000.
 Williams Hotel. 1000: insurance, S, 000
 The other losses have not been tabu- lated. but they will swell the aggregate to over $400. OO0 Almost all the plate glass windows were broken in the retail stores across from the Norcross building on Peachtree Street.