The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-11-20
Blaze Tn Bank.

street.
 Blaze Tn Bank. The blaze had almost eaten out the third floor of the bank before it gained a good hold on the telephone exchange. While the firemen were directing nearly all streams of water on these two struc- lures, they kept an eye on the one-story department of the stable, in which the fire started, to keep it from getting be- yond control in the three-story part of the stable. The aerial truck was raised on Eighteenth street and a steady stream played about the costly switch board of the telephone exchange, but 1t was prac- tically destroyed. Most of the damage to the telephone people by fire was on the third floor, the other two floors being thoroughly drenched with water. The company occupied the entire building ex- cept one or two offices used by the Gen. | tral Telephone and Construction com pany, which has charge of the erection of long distance line to Bowling Green, Ky.
 Two floors of the Penny bank were prac- tically destroyed and the ground floor.
 
 scorched. The furniture and fixtures were | damaged considerably.
 | By this time the firemen had to give more attention to the three-story part of | the stable, the flames having eaten their l way to the top floor, which had been used | for a long time as negro danes hall. | The fire damage to one-half of this struc- | ture was confined to the rear and DOT l tions or the second and third floors. By the time the old stable was burning well in the rear the fire department was | augmented somewhat by three streams | from the top of the big Loveman. Joseph i & Loeb department store. Several mern- bers of the firm had been summoned and | they ordered lights turned on throughout | the building. Men were sent to the top of the house to throw streams of water l on the east side of the stable. or th' portion nearest their buildings, which | was separated from the fire by a solid
 brick wall, and would hardly have caught | had the flames made their way to 1t.
 Interest centered. From the beginning of the fire interest
 were centeied in the mammoth store Of Loveman, Joseph & Loeb. Every effor! was made by the fire department to check | the flames in that direction.
 1 The fire-proof walls, the work of the 1 firemen and the well equipped fire fight ing apparatus of Loveman, Joseph & Loeb's were all in a measure responsible for saving that building from any injury l by the flames. The wall between tht
 old stable building and the stores Is about l twenty-six inches thick and fire-proof.
 The old Jackson Gilreath building formerly occupied by the Damon-Lee Liv- cry company, adjoining Loveman, Joseph
 & Loeb, was badly gutted by the fire. Ii is still standing but the brunt of the fight | waged by the firemen was to confine tht flames to that building.
 The building was recently purchased b,
 Loveman, Joseph & Loeb from T. H Motion & Go. It Is valued at $2O,ooo. The amount of insurance could not be ascer
 tained last night. A member of the firm of Loveman. Joseph & Loeb stated tha' he did not think they carried over Sl0OO
 or s15,OO0 on the building.
 The first floor of the Damon-Lee build ing was occupied by the Birmingham
 Gun and Key company. R. l. Johnston is manager of the company. His losse
 will probably be heavier than that of an,
 other occupant of the building It is es
 timated at s7O0 or $500. Asdrew Oden rai a negro barber shop in one of the stores He. estimates his loss at $500, which |
 covered by insurance. A pressing ant
 tailoring shop and plumbing establish
 men were run in the other stores.
 The second story of the building wa
 used for lodging purposes and the thir'
 floor was used as a negro dancing hall
 The losses on these two floors were yer!
 slight.
 The Alabama Penny Savings bank build
 ing is a three-story structure and wal