The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-12-21
MANY VISIT SCENE
FIRE AT MOBILE WAS 4 MOST
 SPECTACULAR ONE.
Fourteen Car Loads of Fireworks Ex- Dloded During BHaae Which Cauaed Damage of Over
 g1O0.O00 ln Leading
 Business Block.

Mobile. Dec. 2o.-(Special. l-Thous. ands of people today visited the ruins wrought by the spectacular fire of hauer Candy Company. wholesale store and the building occupied by the Og- burn Griffin Grocery Company. both on Water between Dauphin and St. Fran- els Streets. were destroyed, together with their contents. The loss amount ed to about sf00.000.
 The fire was one of the most spec tacuiar ever witnessed in this city. and made so by the explosion of four. teen carloads of fireworks which were stored in the Baumhauer store. the noise of bursting cannon crackers and other explosives being heard through out the city and attracting many hun dreds of people to the scene.
 Though the alarm calling the fire trucks to the scene was not sent in until 12:s0 o'clock. the fire had been burning some time. and the smell of burning powder first attracted atten- tion to night watchmen and police. Making an investigation they found the place in flames. All apparatus am swered calls from the downtown dis trict
 The fire was an exceptionally hard one to fight, and as the flames were HQfItAuk III DOtA UutiOAnNH sEItG UIeNuG0 for & time confined their attention to saving adjoining property in the block the most valuable property and estab- lishments in any block Of the city. The Battle House. Merchants Bank, Leinkauf Bank. a wholesale whiskey house. besides other numerous fine structures were in the fnenaced block and the hremen realized that their only hope was to coniine the flames to the two buildings. By hard work the firemen succeeded and the fire reached only si00 900 from point of damage and may not have reached this had the de- partment been favored with a good water pressure. as the streams from a plug were exceedingiy slow and with out force 10 do great good. At o'clock the department announced the flames under control. ?
 Two Ffremen HmFss
 While the fire was burning at itg sfeEN Ah tl1s ffont wall Of tlIs Baum haner building fell in. crashing into the aerial truck of the department. which was standing In the street. com iiremen were not seriously Injured or killed is a mystery as the falling bricks scattered in every direction and only one received injuries. Capt. James Anderson of Truck No. (. He was struck by 8 few scattered frag- nentS Of brick ana only HAVod ms Nto by jumping from the way tn which the wall was falling into the flames. He was pulled out and only slightly hurt. Fireman George Smith of No. 5 fell through an elevator shaft of the build ing and suffered slight injuries. and after being attended by Ambulance Steward DaIr. he refused to leave the scene but went on lighting the flames. as did Captain Anderson,
 Fireworks Explode.
 The explosion of the fireworks caus- ed by far the most spectacular fire scene that has ever been witnessed here. At first they were popping and exploding in singles or small groups but as the fire grew hotter they be- gan exploding in all parts. of the build ing until the explosions followed with such regularity that 1t resembled a pitched battle. Hundreds of people were attracted to the scene by tho ex- plosion of the fireworks, and a touch of humor was added to the situation when flremen were kept continually lodging balls from Roman candies. It is said that fourteen car loads of flre- works of all description were lost. to- gether with the candy in the Baum hauer building and the grocery stock of the Ogburn Griffin Company.