Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-04-05
THAN EVER.
Atlantic City Will Profit by
Its Recent Big Fire.
Thousands Of People View Scene Of
Thursday Nights Blaze.
Only Brick or Stone to Be Used in the
Rebuilding.

Atlantic n j.. April 4.-The beach
front between Illinois and New York
avenues, Friday. presented a scene OF
ruin and desolation. OF the many fine
hotels which were situated in the dis
trct visited by Thursdays conhagra-
tion, there remains standing the I'M
burned portion of the Windsor, at the
Board walk and Illinois avenue, the
charred framework of the Rio Grande
on New York avenue. The shell of the
Academy OF Music remains standing
and this is notable, as the theatre was
the only brick building in the burned
area.
All night the beach, Board walk and
avenues near the scene of the fire was
patrolled by the Morris Guards and Co.
l.. of the National Guard. During the
day the soldiers were relieved from
duty by the police force.
While great sympathy is expressed
for the sufferers, the impression pre-
walls that the disastrous visitation will
not be without good results, as it has
opened the way to improvements which
it is conceded were a necessity. The
municipal officers were the first to be-
SIN lIc W bt n VI anu Il crew
of workmen were put to work repair
ing the Board walk. The police and
fire departments have tried in vain so
far to discover the ORIGIN of the fire
1t is said that plans are already be-
ing drawn for new hotels which will be
put up on the sites of those that were
swept away. Thursday. The signing
of the new charter for Atlantic City by
Gov. Murphy at Trenton will result in
The erection of an entirely different
style of buildings, so far, at least, as
the material is concerned. The new
charter prohibits the erection of other
than fireproof hotels and places of
amusement, and the wooden buildings
that have been consumed will have to
be replaced with more suitable struct-
ures in accordance with the law.
Thousands of people gathered on the
beach front, today, near the fire line
to see the ruins, and the click of the
camera was heard on all sides. The
views presented to the photographers
included, besides the ruined structures,
vacant lots and stretches of beach over
which were scattered articles of house
hold furniture and bric-a-brac. On
New York avenue stood a grand piano
sunk about a foot into the mud.
Incoming trains, today, brought
throngs of visitors and the crowds be-
came so great that it was decided to
continue the militia on police duty I'M
til tonight.
Chief of Police Eldridge has received
numerous complaints of lost baggage
and the police are kept busy endeavor-
ing to trace the missing trunks and
grips.
The Insurance underwriters maintain
that their estimate of the loss, last
night, is correct, but the victims assert
that this estimate refers merely to the
realty loss. Many of them say they
carry no insurance and those who are
insured say the damage to personal
property and stock will greatly increase
the total loss.
At a special meeting of the city coun-
Gil, this afternoon, three new fire en-
gines were ordered and 1900 feet of adj
ditional hose. The council also direct
ed the city solicitor to draft a resolu-
ton for special election to adopt the
new city charter which empowers the
municipality to restrict buildings along
the beach front to be only of brick or
stone.