The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-05-08
Atlanta, GeOrgia.Is Visited by
Disastrous Fire.
Starts Near Terminal at $3.50
O'clock This Morning.
THE LOSS is S1,5OO,OOO
Firemen Handicapped by
Light Water. Pressure.
Burned Section in Heart ,
Business District.

Atlanta, Ga, May S.-Two solid busi-
ness blocks of Atlanta are in ruins to-
day as the result of a fire which threat
ened for time to carry its destruction
through the business section of the
city and perhaps wipe out the entire
downtown district.
The fire loss may be conservatively
estimatd at $1,500.000. The Terminal
hotel. one Of the largest in the city. is
mass Of bricks. 1t had on it's register
zoo guests when the fire started a block
away. Everyone escaped.
Nearby were several other small
hotels but in these there was no loss of
life.
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 attempt was made to start the cleo
trical elevator in the Schlessinger
building to awaken the employees asleep
there. The elevator failed to respond
to the starting mechanism and the fire
authorities believe the fire may have
been due to some defect in this electric
elevator. When the first fire company
arrived the building was a mass of
flames. Chief Cummings Immediately
turned in a general alarm. Flames
y
the big building that ran the entire
block from Nelson to Mitchell streets
on Madison and were leaping high in
the air from the middle OF the building.
The water pressure was poor and try
as they would, the efiremen could not
get a stream that would carry above
the second story. Half an hour after
the fire started threatening walls made
it necessary to remove engines on the
Mitchell street side of the Schlessinger
1~.x{ NJ Gro xryfff q
water playing upon them dragged the
machines to a place of safety. Mean
while high power trolley and electric
light wires were falling everywhere,
parts Of walls were dropping out ana ana
with the high wind prevailing the
flames were shot across the street to
the Terminal hotel which acted as
sort of fiue for the fire.
Floor after floor of the Terminal
hotel was soon siSE.e The hremen
the rear of the Terminal hotel, where
lack of water again retarded. any eff
fort to check the fire. Within half an
hour the walls and roof OF the motel
had fallen in. Spreading from Mad1-
son street to Nelson street, the fire ate
its way into the Liquid Carbonic COM
pany structure, a five story building TO
the east and within a short space of
time there were two terrific explosions
| which seemed to carry all retaining
walls ana the rOOI OIL tHlS DuIldlIIS "
| the basement.
Next to the Carbonic company's
| building was the Inman block. which
| faced on Forsyth street. This build
| ing was a three story building ex-
| tending from Nelson street on Forsyth
| north to Mitchell and contained nine
! or ten business concerns. A narrow
alley separated the Inman block from
| the fire and it was soon mass of
| flames and fire company after fire
| company was drawn away from other
spots and their combined forces ap-
! piled here, for it was at this point the
| Mitchell and Forsyth streets and
| burning further into the city.
East of the Terminal hotel on
| Mitchell was the Marion hotel annex
and Childs hotel. The fire was
stopped after running the latter hotel.
Across the street postoffice station D,
| the most important supsration In the
| city, the Southern Suspender company
and the Southern Handkerchief
Vehicle company, the Piedmont Hat
| company and McClure's ten cent store
all fell away like so many cigar boxes.
Mitchell street from Madison ave.
nue. to Forsyth was one great fur
mace, flames shooting across the
street from either side with falling
walls everywhere and danger to lie
and limb imminent, but the firemen
stuck to their work and did not draw
| back until they finally had to drop
their hose and run for their lives as
company came down, leaving a clear
space across a whole block where
| once was one of the busiest blocks of
the city.