The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-10-18
ALABAMA PRINTING CO.
 ON MORRIS AVENUE WILL
 BE ALMOST TOTAL LOSS
challfoux Building Is Slightly Dam- aged, But Determined Bremen, Rain and High Wind From East Save
 lt-Dixle Restaurant Under
 Mass of Debris.

Fire last night destroyed the six-story building on the southside of First avenue, near Nineteenth street. occupied by the Prowell Hardware company and the three story building on the corner of Nineteenth street and Morris avenue. The total loss Is estimated at about $SOoOOO. Four fire men were injured
 ing on Morris avenue. On the first floor was Berts cafe, owned by w. B. Stern berger. The Alabama Paper and Print ing company, where the Birmingham Courier was published occupied the second floor, and the Birmingham Dry Goods company occupied the third floor.
 The Chalifoux building fivo stories high at the corner of First avenue and Nineteenth street was in the thick of the ccnflagration but was only slightly dam aged.
 Origin of Fire Unknown.
 The alarm was turned in about 12.3O o'clock At that time the Prowell store was in blaze. The origin of the fire is unkrowJ. a. Seveval theories arc ada vanced. It may have been that the fire was started by an electric wire in the Prowell store or a fire in the kitchen of the restaurant may have been the cause. The building occupied by the Prowel company was owned by H. H. Mayberry. 1t was valued at something like $50 900. The Prowell company's stock was valued at $l7O.000 and fixtures were valued at s35,o0O.
 Sternberger's loss in the cafe was $S000. The Paper companys loss was about $10,- GOO, and the dry goods company's stock loss was about $150O0. The three-story building was owned by the Birmingham Dry Goods company, and was valued at about $25,oOO Both the Prowell store and the three-story building on Morris ave nue were burned to the ground.
 Rapid Explosions.
 The ProwelI company's stock was in- sured for about three-quarters of it's value. The risk was carried chiefly by the Jemi- son Real Estate and Insurance company. Mayberry carried good line of insurance 
 on his building.
 The fire was under brisk headway, when discovered, and in an indescribably short time the entire six-story building was enveloped in flame.
 The Prowell company's stock comprised everything in the hardware line and guns and cartridges. Heavy explosions were heard. Amid the occasional deeper detor- ations there was an almost incessant rat tie of exploding cartridges, like battle fusilade The flames, blown by providen- tia1 wind from the south, mounted high and waved across the street in livid plumes almost touching the roof of the Gayety theatre.
 Bremen under this spray of fire were plying a dozen nozels when the front wall of the burning building bulged forward and fell with a crash. The firemen at work there were unhurt. but they had to disentangle themselves from a net work of fallen wires that came down with the debris. The electric current had been shut off at the power house. Streams of water were thrown from the top of the Morris hotel across Nineteenth street, and the fight was vigorously waged from Morris avenue. All that the Hremen could do was to save the $100,GO0 Chalifoux office building, which on the two lower stories contained a stock of clothing val ued at $70,O00. The building is owned by J. L. Cha1ifoux.
 The Prowell Hardware company was one of the largest concerns of the kind in the south, doing an extensive whole sale and retail business.
 Although at. the hour of going to press the fire had not been extinguished, it was well under control.