The Birmingham age-herald., 1902-12-10
Loss Ranges from $4OO,OOO to $5OO,OOO With Many
 Heavy Sufferers
EIMBALL HOUSE SAVED BY
 HEROIC WORK OF BREMEN
Ono of the Old Buildings Destroyed Was Formerly Hotel PatronIzed By Bob Toombs and Other
 Southern Statesmen.

Atlanta, Ga, December s.-Fire today in the heart of the downtown section of Atlanta wiped out almost block of bus mess houses, causing a loss estimated between $4Oo,OOO and s5Oo,oOo
 The fire originated in the furniture store of Shook & Austin. on Whitehall street viaduct ,and was first discovered at 1 o'clock in the morning. It spread with great rapidity to the Norcross building. structure on the corner of Peachtree and Marietta streets. whose six stories were largely taken up with the offices of physicians, dentists and attorneys. The Norcross building and the Shook build ing were entirely consumed. only portions of the walls remaining. The building oc- cupied by the Jacobs Pharmacy com pany, adjoining the Norcross building on Marietta street, was completely gutted. and the Jacobs company and the Shook company sustained the heaviest individ- ual losses of the fire. Water did consid- erable damage to several stores adjoining and across the street.
 The ., illiams house. a small hotel locat- ed on the upper floor of the Jacobs Phar- macy building contained about sixty-five lodgers, and for some time rumors pre- vailed that loss of life had occurred among the guests of the hotel but Fire Chief Joiner declared tonight that all the guests had escaped unharmed.
 Street Car Service Suspended.
 The entire street car service of the city was suspended for 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 year, to make way for modern office struc- tire. It was built at a cost of about S5O, ,OC0
 The heaviest monetary loss falls upon the merchants in the various burned buildings, who lost their stock and fix lures.
 There was considerable apprehension 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 or the fire department confined the fire to a comparatively narrow area. It is not believed that the Whitehall street via- duct Is seriously damaged.
 The Shook building was originally the old Ma tional hotel. winch during early reconstruction days was the headquar- ters of Robert ombs, Benjamin H. Hili, Alexander H. Stephens and other south ern political leaders.
 The Loses.
 The heaviest losers with insurance, SO far IS ascertained. are as follows:
 Jacobs Pharmacy company, $75,0OO; in- surapce, yF0,00c
 P. H. Shook a Austin Fuin.tu.c com- pany, S30,000; Insurance about the same.
 R. M. Rose 6 Co.,, liquor dealers. $15.- 900; covered by inst; ance.
 Hammack Drug company, s20.000; cov- cred by insurance.
 Guarantee Clothing company, $25, 900; insurance, $10000.
 Williams hotel, $7OOO; insurance. s5OOo.
 The other losses have not been tabu- lated, but they will swell the aggregate amount to over $400.00D
 Almost all the plate glass windows were broken in the retail stores across from the Norcross building on Peach tree street