Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-05-08
ATLANTA HAS
A GREAT FIRE
---------------------
Two Solid Business Blocks Are
Reduced to Ruins in
Short Order.
ESTIMATED LOSS, S1,5oO,Ooo.
AZ One Time Feared Entire Down
Town District Would Go
Up in Smoke.

Atlanta, Ga, May S.Two solid bust
day as the result of fire which threat
ened for n time to carry its destruc-
ton through the business section of
the city and perhaps wipe out the en-
tire downtown district.
The fire loss may be conservatlvely
estimated at si,5OOOOO.
The Terminal hotel, one of the arg-
est in the city is mass of bricks.
II had on its register 200 guests when
the fire started a block away. Every
one escaped.
hotels, but in these there was no loss
of life.
WHERE FIRE STARTED.
The fire started in the Schlessinger-
Meyer Baking company, Madison and
Nelson streets, early this morning. The
wagons had just started away with
their early morning load of bake stuff
when the alarm was given and an at
tempt was made to start the electric
elevator in the Schlessinger building
to awaken the employees asleep there.
The elevator failed to respond to the
starting mechanism, and the fire au-
thorlties believe the fire may have been
due to some defect in the electric ele-
vator. When the first fire company
arrived the building was mass of
flames. Chief Cummings Immediately
turned in a general alarm. Flames
We're shooting from every window of
the big building that ran the entire
block from Nelson TO Mitchell street
on Madison, and We're leaping high in
the air from the middle of the build
| ing. The water pressure was poor
and try as they could, the firemen
| could not get a stream that would
| carry above the second floor
Half an hour after the fire started
| threatening the walls and IT was ne
cessary to remove engines on the
| Mitchell street side of the Schlessing-
| er building and so fremen with
! streams of water playing upon them
| dragged the machines TO place of
safety Meanwhile high power troll
| ley and electric light wires were fall
ing everywhere. parts of walls were
| dropping out and with the high vino
| prevailing, the flames were shot
| across the street TO the Terminal ho-
| tel, which acted as sort of a fiue fol
! the fire.
| FLAMES SPREAD.
Floor after floor of the Terminal
| hotel was soon ablaZe. The firemer
We're fought back until they were In
| the reSr of the Terminal hotel, where
| lack of water again retarded any ef'
| fort to check the fire. Within hall
| an hour the walls and the roof of the
hotel had fallen in Spreading from
| Madison street to Nelson street, tbs
| fire ate its way to the Liquid Carbon
| ic company structure, n five-storS
! building to the east and within q
short space of time there were tive
terrific explosions which seemed IL
! carry all retaining walls. and the
| roof of this building to the basement
Next to the Carbonic company's build.
ing was the Mann block. which faced
| on Fotsythe street. This buildint
was a three-story building eNtendint
| from Nelson street on Forsythe NORTH
! to Mitchell and contained nine or II
business concers. A narrow alley
separated the Imam block from
| the fire and 1t was soon
| pany after fire company was drawn
| away from other spots and their com
bined force applied here for 1t was al
this point the fire was to be stopped
| from crossing Mitchell and Forsyth
streets and burning further into th'
city. East of the Terminal ho,el, OF
| Mitchell. was the Marion hotel annea
| and Childs, hotel. The fire stopped
after running the latter hotel. Across
| the street the postoffice station ID, the
most important sub-station in the city
the Southern Suspender company ans
the Southern Handkerchief Manufac
turing company. the Georgia Vehicle
company. the Piedmont Hat COMPANY
and McClure's 10 cent store, all fal
away like so many cigar boxes.
Mitchell street from Madison avenue
to Forsythe was one great furnace
flames shooting across the street IRON
either side with railing walls every
where and danger to life and limb i'm
mInent but the fremen stuck 10 thei
work and did not draw back until the!
finally had to drop their hose and rui
for their lives as the last wall OF IN
Piedmont Hat company came GOVT
leaving a clear space across whol
busiest blocks of the city