The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-06-22

this morning on the second floor OF the
Louis Saks clothing establishment, at the
corner of First avenue and Nineteenth
street. caused an estimated damage to
the building and contents of s25o,eOo.f The
fire was beyond control when the iire
department arrived and the entire ish'
of the department was to confine tue
flames to the one building. The cause
of the fire is unknown
At exactly 1:s0 o'clock the east wall Oh
the Saks building fell in and went crash
ing through the two-story building oc-
cupied by the Spelberger Bros. clothins
company. The loss to the Speiloerser
building and contents was estimated at
$4,000.
The insurance on the Saks establish
ment could not be ascertained last nlght
but it is understood that the loss is
largely covered by insurance Herman
Saks was SO affected by the horrlpie
spectacle of his business going UP IN
flames and black smoke that he couio
not talk. At one time Mr.. Saks got SO
excited that he broke from the circle OF
friends and relatives who surrounded MIN
and started In a run down Nineteenth
street He was almost hystericai.
Policeman Turns in Alarm
Policeman McGeever first discovered
the fire and turned in the alarm
moment after the alarm sounded the en-
tire row of windows on the second story
on Nineteenth street burst out from the
sorca ~ the heat and the flames snot
halfwav across Nineteenth street. The
fire appear red to start on the second moor
near the corner at First alley and Nine
teenth street 1t spread like wild through
the piles of clothing and in few min
utes the entire second floor was apihAe'
The first two lines were thrown on rom
the Nineteenth street side Then II Drohe
out behind and several lines were plaeeu
IN the alley and we're operated from ,is
tons Of the buildings across the alley.
THE next minute the front windows On
the second floor fell crashing TO liF
street. and the entire front OF the puno
trr was abIaxe, Soon after the tniri
and ton floor caught and for blocks about
the shooting flames lighted up 'he
streets. ,a,,+
rvarv company of the fire department,
,v4tb the exception of Company No ~
81 AvondaIe. was called out and braver
Are lighting was never witnessed IN Bir,
rinuham. At one time there We're 10
streams of water playing on the purnins
buudinr. FIVE steam engines anos the
aijtomobile engine were In operation sou
sitter tise~z zfreenwns seen 10 nave sosesn =.
hevond control On account OF two ies. ns ~
~ ~ hose at the corner Of Nineteenth
streat and Second avenue and because
ALSO at times the water pressure seeilieu
~ .tactxen there was some dlnlculty III
letting enough force to throw the en-
t,ra 1S streams on to the building.
r,~bt From Aerial Ladder
A. tho corner of Nineteenth street ana
rr,rst avenue a standing ladder was
niaced IN the air and from the top OIL
this a fireman directed hard stream
sfraiRht into the corner window ms was
a very effective stream ana was one u
the most spectacular leats oi lno a.
Tha entire contents of the second floor
~ the building was evidently ablaze De-
core the flames burst out of the WINDOWS
II Is believed that the conf1agration orisi-
nated near the northwest corner OF the
huild,nr on the second floor as the names
we're most intense here during the carrier
periods of the fire. a..
1t was possibly 80 seconds pe1ore the
engine companies from NO. STATION y,
t,,s Are department arrived when signal
~ the violence OF the fire was given by
the almost simultaneous shatterlng Oh
virtually every window glass on the west
aide Of the second floor Of the, building.
When the glass gave way the angry
tongues of flame shot out haiI way
across Nineteenth street. Within ano.ner
minute the second story of the buiidlng
was a veritable inferno and the nre
lighters, who by this time had laid out
their hose. were practically helpless
A Hopeless Fight
When the water was first thrown on the
fire it was apparently somewhat checkeo.
However, great volumes OF ugly piaIA
smoke began to crowd its way out OF the
windows and presently the wild flames
broke out again with increased violence.
The confagration was, apparently.
copnned to the second floor or the
building for thirty minutes or more.
The deInon-like blazes, though, event
ually ate their way through the moor Oh
the third story and WITHIN nVe MN
utes the fire had reached Its height.
The smoke In the third story seeme1
to smother. the flames for few mo-
ments: then 1t burst out through the
windows, followed by the great tongues
| of flame and 1t became evident that the
building was doomed to complete de-
struction.
The battle against the fire was con-
fined to the Nineteenth street side OF
the building for some time, but the
flames, In q veritable fash rolled them
selves along the outer side of the walls
and as II by spontaneous combustion
the whole front of the three-story
building was enveloped In a mass OF
| flames.
Unable to staRd Heat
The windows gave the appearance OF
great fire e-spouting dragons. The flames
were shot forward with great violence
and when an effort was made to raise
the aerial ladder near the building it
was badly scorched and came neal
burning before 1t could be lowered
The intenseness OF the heat was ex-
emplinied by the fact that spectators
were unable to stand on opposite sides
of the street for many min nutes, avn
ings along First avenue and along
Nineteenth street were scorched and
telephone or telegraph wire snap
| ped occasionally.
When the blaze had finally eaten its
way through the roof and the tar coat
ing began to burn the spectacular stage
| OF the fire was reached. Every win.
dow was still a veritable furnace and
the firemen found their ladders vir-
| tually useless owing to the fact thai
they were unable to stand the intense
heat when they mounted them. This
condition gave the flames practically
| free reign and their violence never
waned until they had completed theil
disastrous work. W
Spectacular Connagration
When the treacherous flames shot
| through the roof of the building Q
miriad OF sparks. tiny and great were
| raised heavenWard and hundreds o1
spectators who lined the streets stood
laronnd In awe OF the terrible beauty
OF the scene. Little PARTICLES of molter
tar, which had formed part of the
roofs coating, became ablaze and were
cq rr'ed aioft by the intense heat. They
a.t.k>A Y,o~ord courao dr0pr,of