The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-02-27

NrarrGISOn D1OCe6uHu through lllt builu-
ing, giving the alarm, until they had
to be helped out of the structure them
selves.
Escape of an Actor.
The escape of viii Jones, the we'll
known Cincinnati actor, just before the
roof of the burning building fell, and
his rescue half dead from the top of
the building, was a thrilling and al
most miraculous one. Jones presence
of mind. which led him to throw his
cuff into the street below and thus
made his whereabouts known, saved
his life.
After a hard rehearsal Jones went
to the Pike building about midnight to
get his valise, which he had left in a
studio of an artist friend on the fourth
floor. After entering he was so tired
he fell asleep in a chair. When he
awoke suddenly he was nearly blinded
and suffocating. He crawled to the
door. Outside in the great airshaft the
flames we're shooting up. How he made
his way he does not know, but some
instinct found him in the stairway lead
ing to the top.
He went up to the roof and in some
manner got through a skylght. He
fell over something and was stunned.
When he recovered the flames were
shooting through the roof. He crawled
to the edge, but the firemen in the
street did not notice him. He shouted
himself hoarse. He took his cuff ana
wrote on it, 81 am on roof. Nearly
dead from gas. Jones'"
He threw it to the ground, and a
reporter picked it UP and located the
figure of a man standing outlined in
the sparks. Jones crept along the edge
of the rear of the building. and there
waited for the firemen, who placed
a ladder across the alley from the
telephone exchange building. Jones
was carried down and taken to the
hospital.
Girls showed Nerve.
The girls in the telephone exchange
building, across an alley from the
burning Pike building. were badly
frightened as the dark clouds of smoke
rolled about the building. The ex-
change rooms are on the top floor of
the six-toly building and the night
force consists of eight exchange girls
and the night manager George Caps.
The girls pluckily stuck to their posts
| from 1:30 a. M. when the flames were
blazing in their windows so that they
| were ordered out. Later they return
ed to their calls" and when the large
| day force of girls came on they fear
| lessly went to the sixth floor for duty,
although the fire ragged all around
| them.
The Losses and Insurance.
The Pike theater building was total
| ly destroyed by fire in 1866, and it
| narrowly escaped total destruction on
March 80, 1902.
The American Book Company lost
1915, 900 on their publishing house and
| stock and machinery. The plates OF
| the Eclectic system of school books
were all stored in the building, which,
with presses and electrical appliances,
were lost. They are insured for $780,
| 900.
Robert Clark & Co, place their loss
| at s45O,OO0, including $l75,000 in plates
Of law books and other works, with
| $50, 900 insurance. st
Among the other losses are the fol-
| lowing: Pike building, $475,O00 insur-
ance, $4,000; Seasongood building.
$25, 900; Harrison building, $125,000;
! Fosdyk building, $4,000; Dhume
| Philips, jewelers.. $4,000; Miss Broth
ers, milliner, $4,000; Joffees' grocery,
| SIS, 1000; Strauss, wholesale cigar store
SIS, 0OO
The scenery and costumes used by
! the Pike Stock Company during the
season which closed last Saturday
| night, valued at about $4,000 were
| stored in 1.-THE opera house. Included
| in this was a good portion of the ex-
pensive costumes used in the presenta-
ton of cinderella" during Christmas
| week.
The loss of the Henrietta Crossman
| Company, which has been at the Pike
! this week, is over double that of the
| Pike Stock Company. Henrietta
| Crossman was called up with other
guests at the Burnet House and wit
messed the burning of her compapy's eff
| fects.
The Pike building belonged to the
Pike estate, and Powell Crossley is the
| general lesses, sub-letting it to over
| 200 tenants.