Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-05-08
ESTIMATED LOSS $1,000, 600
Entire Business Section Threatened
for a Time.
TERMINAL HOTEL DESTROYED
200 Guests Escaped From Flames.
Childs Hotel Also Burned.
Water Pressure Poor.

A great fire ragged for over three
hours early this morning in the
terminal station district of At
lanta, Ga. 1t had by 7:I5 o'clock
swept the entire block bounded
by Madison avenue, Mitchell.
Forsyth and Nelson streets. The
damage is estimated at nearly
S., 100000.
ATLANTA, Ga, May S.-Two solid busl-
ness blocks of Atlanta are i'm ruins today
as the result of fire which threatened
for a time to carry its destruction through
the business section of the city and per-
haps wipe out the entire downtown dis
| trict. The property loss may be con-
| servatively estimated at nearly *2.voooVo.
| The Terminal Hotel, one OF the largest
| in the city. is mass of bricks. III had
on its register 100 guests when the fre
started block away. Every one escaped.
Nearby were several other small hotels.
but i'm these there was no loss OF life. nor
was there any in the Terminal Hotel
| The fire started i'm the Schlessinger-
Meyer Baking Company. Madison and
Nelson streets at $50 this morning. ana
within few minutes the building was IN
| away with their early morning load OF
bakestuff when the alarm was given and
an attempt was made TO start the cleo
trio elevator in the Schlessinger building
to awaken the employees asleep there.
Elevator Failed to Respond.
The elevator failed to respond to the
| starting mechanism, and fire department
officials believe the fire may have been
due to some defect in this electric eleva-
/ tor.
When the first fire company arrived
the building was a mass Of flames. Chief
| Cummings Immediately turned In a gen
eral alarm. Flames were shooting from
| every window of the big building. thas
ran the entire block from Nelson to
Mitchell ssseet an Madison, ana were ieap-
ing high in the air from the middle OF the
buildings The water pressure was poor.
and the fremen could not get a stream
that would carry above the second floor.
Half an hour after the fire started
| threatening walls made IL necessary to
| remove engines on the Mitchell street
| side OF the Schlessinger building. and fifty
| fremen with streams of water playing
upon them dragged the machines to a.
| place of safety. Meanwhile high power
! trolley and electric light wires were fall
| ing everywhere. parts OF walls were drop
| ping out. and with the high wind prevail
| ing the flames were shot across the streer
| to the Terminal Hotel, which acted as
a sort Of fiue for the fire.
1 Floor after floor of the Terminal Hotel
was soon ablaze. The firemen were
fought back until they were i'm the rear
of the Terminal Hotel. where lack of
| water again retarded any effort to check
the fire. Within half an hour the wallis
and roof of the hotel had fallen in.
Spreading from Madison street to Nelson
street. the fire ate its way into the
| Liquid Carbonic Company structure.
| five-story building to the east. and within
| a short space of time there were two ter
l L.
retaining walls and the roof OF this build
ing to the basement.
Efforts to Stop Fire Sweep.
Next to the Carbonic company's building
| was the Inman block which faced on
FORSYTH street. This building was three
story building extending from Nelson
street on Forsyth north to Mitchell. and
contained nine or ten business concerns
| A narrow alley separated the lnman block
| from the fire. and IL was soon mars
of flames. and fire company after hre
company was drawn away from other
spots and their combined forces applied
| here, for it was at this point the flre was
| to be stopped from crossing Mitchell ana
Forsyth and burning further into the
city.
street were the Marion Hitel annex and
Chflds Hotel The fire stopped after
running the latter hotel. Across the street
post Office station Il, the most important
substation in the city. the Southern Sus-
pender Company and the Southern hanu-
karcbief Manufacturing Company. the
Georgia Vehicle Company, the Piedmont
Hat Company and McClure's Ten-Cent
Store all fell away like SO many cigar
boxes. -
Mitchell street from Madison avenue I"
Forsyth was one great furnace. names
shooting across the street from either side.
with falling walls everywhere ana aaneer
70 life and limb imminent. but the firemen
stuck to their work and did not draw back
until they had finally TO drop their hose
and run for their lives as the last wall o.
the Piedmont Hat Company came doWh'
Ioax-inp a clear space across a whole block.
where once was one of the business