The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-02-28
NEW DECATUR HAS THE PROPER SPIRIT Mass Meeting Held to Talk
 Over Fire Loss MANY TO REBUILD AT ONCE Prospects Are That the Burned Block Will Be Built Up on
 Larger Scale Than
 Before.
MANY TO REBUILD AT ONCE

New Decatur, February 2I--(Special)- large and enthusiastic mass meeting of citizens was held in the Commercial club rooms in New Decatur last night for the purpose of making some arrange ments for the rebuilding and talking over the situation of the business district which was recently destroyed by fire, en- tailing a loss of $150.Q00.
 Although this fire was one of the sever est blows New Decatur has ever had in her past brilliant career of only about fifteen years, yet her people are not dis couraged. as was shown at the mass meeting last night, and the prospects now are that the burned district will rise from her charred and blackened walls into business blocks which will surpass the ones which were wiped out by fire so suddenly on Tuesday night.
 Due to Rush and Energy.
 It was the push and energy of her peo- pie that built city here of 1000 people in comparative brief space of time and this same energy prevails today, and will be the means of making the city greater in the future than she has ever been in the past. notwithstanding the disastrous fire of last Tuesday night
 Mayor Sam Blackwell presided at the meeting held last night and upon taking the chair MT Blackwell said in part: We are all familiar with the facts and cir cumstances that bring us here. We are here to exchange ideas for the rebuilding of the burned district we were so unfor- tunate as to loose on Tuesday night. The business men who occupied this block were among our best people All these men were doing well in business and we need them and they need the town,
 q feel sure that the people of New Decatur are as progressive and enter prising as any people in any other part of the land. New Decatur is full of life, full of promise, full of hope. Our recent fire in proportion to population is as large as the fire of Baltimore. We want to set on foot a plan toarebuild what has been burned and also much more"
 Several Ready to Rebuild.
 E. H. Allison, who lost building in the block burned, said last night that he was ready to rebuild and that there would soon be three other twenty-five foot, two- story, buildings erected on the lots.
 Messrs. Charles Bassett and F.. Vas sault. the other parties who owned the remainder of the burnt block, were not in a position to say last night whether they would rebuild or not, but 1t Is be- lieved that they will.
 There is now a movement on foot look ing forward to the building of Masonic temple and opera house on lots near the burned district.
 At the meeting last night primary steps were taken looking forward to the organ ization and maintainence of a paid fire department and there is but little doubt but what the city will have an up-to-date fire company, with all paid men, within the next few months.
 A subscription was started at the meet ing last night for the benefit of the volun- teer firemen who fought the fire so brave ly on Tuesday night. Nearly S10O was raised at this meeting and the subscrip- tion will be carried farther.
 In the report of the fire in the Casa Grande block which appeared in the daily press H. Cartwright's loss was given at $10,00O His loss should have been given at $1600O.