The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-05-09
Business District Is Damaged to Amount of Over a MiI-
 lion Dollars
FLAMES RAGE FOUR HOURS
 BEFORE THEY ARE STOPPED
Fire Is Supposed To Have Originated From Crossed Wires-Police Dyna- mite Ruined Walls To
 Prevent Accidents.

Atlanta, May s.-Thlrty-one buildings destroyed, 42 business concerns burned out, 1000 persons thrown out of employ ment and a financial loss conservatively estimated tonight at s1,25o,0oo, is the re- suit of a fire about 3:30 o'clock this morn ing that ragged for four hours in the busi- ness district of this city.
 Tonight the fire is under control with ruined buildings in the district bounded by Forsyth, Nelson, Madison and Hunter streets.
 Late today the police and fire depart ments dynamited what was left of the ragged walls. Tonight half Atlanta's fire fighting force is playing water into dozen razed structures.
 How the fire started is a mystery. It was discovered in the building occupied by the Schlessinger- Meyer Co., bakery. From there it ran it's way in all direc- tons until it struck the Terminal hotel, one of the largest in the city, and gutted that.
 During the early morning hours every one in the Terminal hotel and in numer- ous other smaller hotels in the district had warning There was no loss of life and no injury.
 Insurance $750,oo0. The insurance on the property destroyed is placed by insurance men at s7500oO. One of the heaviest losers is S. M. ln- man, who owned the whole block bound- ed by Forsyth, Mitchell and Nelson streets and Madison avenue, in which were To- cated the Schlessinger- Meyer bakery, Branch of the city postoffioe, the Li- quid Carbonlc company, branch of the Central Trust and Banking company and many smaller concerns. The fire was discovered in the elevator shaft of the Schlessinger building and is supposed to have originated from crossed wires running to the motor which oper- ated the elevator. By the time the fire men had arrived the flames had broken through the roof of this building and owing to light water pressure it was impossible to check their progress. h a short time this structure was como pletely gutted and the fire was eating it's way through to station "B of the At lanta postoffice, where mails received from the terminal station just across from the postoffice are distributed. The employees of the postoffice, however, man
 
 of the equipment.
 Jumping across Mitchell street. the flames made short work of the Termi- nal hotel, the Terminal annex, Childs cafe and hotel and Child's annex at which point the firemen succeeded in oh hecking the onslaught on the north side of Mitchell street. Many Stores Burned. On the south, however, the flames continued to sweep everything in their path until Forsyth street was reached, gutting the buildings occupied by Me Clure's 10 cent store, the branch bank of the Central Bank and Trust corpor- ation the Paragon Suspender company, Moons shoe store and the Liquid Car bonic company. The Schlesinger build ing extended half a block on Nelson street and the flames soon jumped to numerous small store houses on For syth street, destroying the places oc- cupied by Alverson Bros Grocery company, the Binders Frame Manufac turing company, and the Walker Cooley Furniture company.
 strong west wind famed the flames and scattered burning embers over the whole business section of the city and threatening for a time even greater loss.
 The firemen had many narrow es- capes from falling walls, but no in- juries of serious nature are reported.
 The guests from the hotels and room- ing houses in the burned section sue ceeded in saving most of their effects, having been warned in time to remove their trunks. which were piled on the plaza in front of the Terminal station, from which point their owners and ma ny early risers watched the progress of the fire.