The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-01-12
FIRE DESTROYS FOUR
 HIGHLAND HOUSES
Flames at an Early Hour Cause
 $20,OO0 Loss
STARTED IN NEW HOUSE
Residences of pr. Snedeeor, John Lew is, c. B. RatIiff, and South High
 lands Kindergarten Are De.
 stroyed-DeIay In Alarm.

Fire. discovered about 1:3o o'clock this morning destroyed three buildings and partially destroyed a fourth at the corner of Eleventh avenue and Nineteenth street, south.
 The residence of Dr. F. F. Snedecor on the corner, the adjoining house which was the property of c. B. Ratlff of Bes- semer, and which was just being complet- ed, and the kindergarten of Miss Williams on Nineteenth street, were totally de- stroyed, and the residence or John Lewis was badly damaged.
 The total loss will amount to nearly s2O GOO. covered by about 12,OOo insurance.
 The losses and insurance are as follows:
 Dr. Snedecor-Value of house, s6Oo0; in- surance. $3O00; value of furniture, $500, no insurance. Total loss.
 c. B. Ratlff-Cost of house about 5000, said to be covered by a builders risk of $500. Total loss.
 John Lewis--Value of house s7So0, insur- ance 5000; value of furniture 5000; in- surance. $500 Four-fifths loss.
 Miss Williams kindergarten-Val of building about $500; no insurance. Total loss. The kindergarten building was the property of Miss Allen, a sister of Vassar Allen.
 The fire originated in the Ratliff house, which was nearly complete. It is sup posed to have started from a nre which was built on one of the hearths for the purpose of drying the clustering on the walls. although this is not positively known to be a fact
 When fhp hlaze was discovered A vounR R man fired four shots which alarmed the entire nelghborhood. There was some de- lay in sending in the alarm, and when the f1remen reached the place the flames were bursting from the roof of the Rat Tiff house in many places and had spread fo the adjoining buildings the residences of pr. Snedecor and Mir. Lewis.
 At the first alarm the Five Points and Southside apparatus went to the fire, but as soon as Chief Mullin arrived he sent for the apparatus from East End and West End. Two engines were used. The flames were confined to the buildings which were on fire when the department arrived.
 A fresh wind was blowing and the flames were famed. At one time 1t was feared that the residence of T. " Board- man on Eleventh avenue and that of w. P. McCrossin, which Is on Twelfth ave- nue and immediately in the rear of the buildings on fire, would be burned Among those who lost in the fire were Joe Thompson, Tom and Wyatt Hefin and Fillmore Anderson, who occupied rooms on the second floor of Mir. Lewis l building.
 There was some complaint about the delay in the fire department last night. but this was not the department fault, but of those turning in the alarm. The 1 fire was not discovered until 1t had gained headway, and then there was delay in l turning in the alarm
 Captain Summers, of the Southside de- 1 partment, said last night: There was no delay on the part of the | fremen that l know of. Five Points had stream when we arrived They only l had two blocks to go. When we went out of the door of the engine house the whole | sky was lit up and the flames were burst ing through the roof. When we arrived at the building the fire had spread to the l adjoining houses Chief Mullen sent in a call for the other two companies as soon as he arrived. We had no trouble about water. and the only thing that went wrong was the fact that the flames had spread long before we arrived