The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-12-10
DORM|TORY BURNS | ON OWENTCN HILL | WITH S1O,OOO LOSS Birmingham College Boys Work Heroicaly to Save Fin- est Building on Campus WILL L PROBABLY REBUILD
 UN SITE OF THE RUINS Auto Engine Makes Run From City
 Hall in Six Minutes After Be- ing caIIed-chief Bennett Praises the Boys.

Sparks from a defective flue started a fire yesterday at West hall. the new S7OO0 boys dormitory at Birmingham college at l2 O clock and destroyed the building and furniture. The loss on the building and contents is estimated at s10,0OO It is largely covered by insur- ance.
 Chief Bennett said the flue was cracked fully two inches. When the fire was discovered the telephone was out of order and one of the students ran to the Graymont fire department, which has been newly organized. The com pany soon arrived with line of hose and a ladder truck, but the pressure was so low on the college hill that the as far as saving the new building was concerned. West hall was abandoned to it's fate and the ffremen wave their attention to the surrounding college buildings. The several buildings of the college do not average more than 9 or 30 feet apart and the fire was threat ening the entire college.
 In the meantime N11t1 DtnUctt been called and he arrived about this time. He took in the situation at a glance and ordered the men to return to the burning building and reattack the fire. Chief Bennett then telephoned to town for the automobile fire engine. Six minutes after the chief hung up the telephone receiver the big red monster rushed mp the hill and almost seemed to enter the burning building large stream of.water was playing on the fire in few seconds
 Those in charge felt that the first floor and the basement of the building must be saved at all costs The entire group of college buildings is heated by the one furnace, that in West hall, anu if the furnace was destroyed the whole school would have been out of com mission probably for months.
 The fire was headed off at the first story and the basement containing the furnace is intact There was no ire in the furnace last night, however. and the boys had to sleep in cold rooms. The boys from the burned dormitory went to the college building to sleep and some of them were invited to private homes.
 The Rev. Dr. J. H. Mccoy, president of the college, said last night: ''The fire was a DIE icSs lO uS dS ehS pN4iN''-S was not only the best on the campus. but it was built just one year ago and contained the best kind of furniture with everything modern. There were t- boys in the building but all were dis missed in order and came out of the building with no injuries to anyone. have rented a large house In the neign- borhood and the boys will make this their home until we rebuild West hall.
 q judge that a building very sim liar to the burned one will be erect ed on the foundations, which remain unharmed It was the slowest burning fire that I ever saw. It burned at least three hours and 1t was due to this that there was anything left to save when the auto engine arrived.
 Chief Bennett said: 'The run of the auto engine was one more sure proof of her real efficiency. It would have been practically useless to have called the horsepower engine on this occa- sion The auto went Into place when she arrived that no horse-drawn engine could have entered.
 q desire to congratulate the college boys on the spirit of willingness to help fight the fire which they showed some of them, wet to the skin, clothes torn and soiled, lugged lines and helped in many ways"
 Chief Bennett was wet for four hours and chilled through and through when he came in. He received a slight wound on the forehead.