The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-02-06
SPECIAL AGENTS WILL
 MEET HERE TOMORROW
Will Duscuss Fire Insurance Rates in Mississippi and Lousiana-Bir-
 mingham Bremen Praised.

Special agents of fire insurance com panies doing business in the states of Mississippi and Louisiana will meet at the Hotel Hillman at 1O:3J o'clock tomor- row morning to discuss conditions and consider the question of fire insurance rates in both those states.
 The meeting of these agents is to be held in Birmingham for t.-e reason that the laws of Louisiana and Mississippi tend to forbid the joint discussion of such questions by representatives of sev- eral corporations in either state. The agents, therefore, resolved to meet in neutral territory. They also agree that Birmingham Is a pleasant place to come to for convention purposes.
 From thirty to fifty special agents are expected to attend the meeting.
 Already some of the agents have ar rived here, among them being G. H. Collins, representative of the Scottish Union of Hartford and c. M. Benjamin of the Teutonia of New Orleans.
 
 at the Hillman last night on the Birming- ham Sunday morning fire, highly praised the skill and endurance of the Birming- ham fire department.
 We were awakened at 1 o'clock said MT. Benjamin. and 15 minutes later we were watching the fire from a point on Twenty-first street, near irst alley. As the flames spread and grew in intensity, we feared that Birmingham would be the scene of another conhagration like that at Jacksonville.
 ''The wind was blowing stiff from the south at 1:30 o'clock, and the flames in the Earle building were literally white. They poured out of the front of the build ing in solid sheets 1GO feet in height and 70 feet in width, and reached out for the buildings on the north side of First avenue
 At that hour it seemed certain that the whole block where the fire started would be swept clean, and that the block ac1 oss First avenue would likely be destroyed. The buildings there would have been levelled to the ground but for the sl1illful and heroic work done by the Birmingham firemen.
 "I have seen a great many fires but never saw one where the heat was so terrific as it was there this morning. It was almost impossible for one to stand within half a block of the flames. But somehow or other the Birmin sham fire men crept up within few yards of them and fought them doggedly at close range. It was an unequal contest especially as the water mains were none too large. "At 1:45 it seemed that the firemen were remember, the wind shifted trifle and Flew mora toward the northwest than it lad been bio wing. This had the effect of driving the flames directly against the walls of the Tomlnson building, thereby putting tEe buildings across First avenue out of immediate danger.
 "The firemen recognized the change in the situation and reckoned with it prompt ly They drew nearer the flames and to bottle up the flames in the Tomlinson and the Earle buildings. Tn doing this they trusted that the western wall of the Harrison building would withstand the attacks of the flames until they could get them in check.
 Ut seemed to me that their confidence was illnlaeed, as I expected the Harrison building to go precisely as the Tomlinson building had gone. Luckily, however, a steady rainfall set in about this time, the wind died down somewhat and the 1f fxA, Ern hose overcame the flames.
 "All the fire insurance men who were there agreed that the city was exceed ingly fortunate in escaping with so little property damage. and iall of them attri- buted the escape, in large measure, to the remarkably effective work done by the fire department"