The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-07-03
CONDER SCHOOL
 BUILDING BURNS Loss to Building and Furnish
 ings About $12,500 SOME NARROW ESCAPES A4
l: NARROW ESCAPES
The Insurance Amounts to About S4OOO-Structure Was a Land Mark In Huntsville-Once
 Calhoun Residence.

Huntsville, July .-(SpeciaI)-The old Calhoun residence, one of the historic landmarks of the old south in this city and during the fast few years the home of the Conder Training school, burned this morning from 2:S0 to o'clock. Prof J. E. Conder, principal, and several of the students of the school were asleep in the building and narrowly escaped with their lives. The blaze gutted the main part of the building and caused practically com- pete ruin.
 The loss is estimated at S10,000 on the building, insured for 5000. and s25o0 on the school furniture, insurance being $500. The building was owned by Captain Mil ton Humes
 All of the students were aroused in time to make their escape with part of their personal belongings. The sweeping de- struction wrought by the fire leaves the Conder school without d home.
 The Calhoun building was one of the most interesting structures in Huntsville It was many years old and it's history is interwoven with that of this section It was built by a member of the cele- brated Calhoun family many years before the civil war and for time it was con- ducted with feudal magnificence, the gar den which surrounded it occupying a city block The cost of the building alone was $450OO to $5O,00o. The magnificent old place was despoiled by soldiers during the civil war and it was never afterwards restored to its original beauty. After the war it was used as headquarters by the provost guard and later was altered to suit the requirements of a federal court building During recent years it has been the home of several different schools.
 Dr. B. J. Duckett of Dallas, who was arrested yesterday afternoon on peace warrants, was given a hearing yesterday evening in Justice c. N. Vaughts court. One charge was dismissed but in the oth- CT he was required to give bond in the sum of $500 to keep the peace for period of six months. Sureties were found and Dr. Duckett was released from custody.
 Representative William Richardson of the Eighth congressional district, has ap- pointed Robert Lily Spragins of this city to a cadetship in the United States tary academy at West Point. The nomi- nee is r years old and is a son of State Senator Robert E. Spragins. His grand father is William H. Echols graduate of West Point, and former engineer in the United States army, now president of the First National bank of Huntsville. Lieu tenant Colonel Echols, instructor of math- cmatics in the West Point academy, is an uncle, as is Prof William H. Echols of the chair of mathematics in the UniVer sity of Virginia.
 E. w Pierce, aged 50 years, dropped dead at his home in Merrimack yester- day afternoon. The cause of death was heart failure. His widow and six chill dren survive him.
 Judge Oscar R. Hundey of the United States court convened court here yester day and will hear cases without jures here several weeks, as there will be nu- merous hearings in chambers and he will decide many cases that were subml.. to him in Birmingham.
 All of the hotels of the city are now supplied with natural gas and the city hall is connected also. For the present the pressure is being obtained from the natural pressure of the wells. The system of pipes is being extended gradually through the business section of the city.