Jefferson jimplecute. (Jefferson, Tex.) 1907-1926, 1912-02-22
THE BATEMAN WHITE BLOCK DE-
STR0YED AN OLD LAND MARK
FOR FORTY YEARS
SWEPT away BY FLAMES.
Seven Firms Burned Out with Total
Loss OF StoCk-Partly Covered
by Insurance Block on West
Side had Narrow Escape.

jefferson was tire-swept again
last Sunday morning and one Of
the oldest and finest business
blocks destroyed. The well
known Bateman White Block on
Polk street was discovered on
fire at about 2:40 a. m. by night
Waterman Robert Walden. The
fire was in the confectionery
store of S, Oppenheim, and he
said is he had had help at once
could have undoubtedly been put
out or confined to that store. He
gave the alarm, bul by the time
the hose cart was brought to the
scene the fire was burning fierce
~ and beyond control. The fire
fighters soon saw that the block
was doomed and all they could
do was to try and protect and
save the property across the
street, the wood work of some
of the windows on the upper
floors was then on fire from the
fierce heat of the burning build
ing.
A large section of a bill board
was put out lin the street for the
men who held the nozzle of the
fire hose, SO they could get be-
hind it and turn the water on the
block in danger. The furniture
store Of G. II. Haggard caught
in the roof and it took two hours
of hard fighting to extinguish it
and save the block. The iron
shutters to his upper windows
were closed and there was no
way for the water to reach the
interior except through the roof.
The building was flooded by wa
ter by the time the fire was un-
| der control ana tina block saved,
but every door on the lower floor
was badly charred from the
fierce heat and all door and win
dow glass broken out in the
block, and the stores of G. II.
Haggard, furniture, VIM. Clark,
dry goods, Rosenfelds, dry
goods and millinery, A. Rosen
thai q Sons, gents furnishings,
| badly damaged by water that
had come in frombroken windows
on the upper and lower floors.
The White Block was total
loss Of stock, only books in the
safes being left to the firms, ex-
cept =. Eldridge, who got out
his books and Office desk before
the flames reached his store.
The fire burned SO fercely that
it was not safe to to try to enter
the buildings that were on fire
The black was owned and occu-
pied by the following and their
estimate loss and insurance given
w. p. Schluter, two stores,
loss $4,000, insured for 1900;
occupied by Z. Eldridge, general
merchandise, loss S25, 900, in
sured for So, 900.
b. f. Sherrell, two stores, loss
$4,000, insured for $4,000; occu-
pied by G. c. Thomas, jeweler,
loss 81, 900. no insurance; K. w.
Vinson, notions, loss 5000, in
surance S425; f. G. Palmer, va.
riety store, loss So, 500, insurance
$4,000.
Rives estate, one store, loss
Isl, 500, insurance 81, 800; occu.
pied by Alexander, Vaughan q
| Co., groceries, loss $4,000, in.
surance SD, 500
Miss Stump and j. II. Rowen,
one store, loss 81, 500, insurance
3, ZOO; occupied by s. Open
helm, confectionery, loss 81 200,
insurance 5000; DR.. T. f.. Speed,
Icolored, up stairs, loss 80, 500,
insurance.
j. A. Dunlop, jeweler, was in
| the corner at the alley Of the
block damaged by water and fire
land moved out in time 10 save
/ his stock from getting water
! soaked, also "a lot of rugs Of Hag.
CARDS We're saved from damage
/ by water. The Citizens Drug
Co, that occupies the store on
/ the corner Of Polk and Lafayette
We're not greatly damaged by the
water cor glass broken from the
f. heat OF the fire; they moved out
some OF their goods
7 The young boys and men who
fought the hre In Haggard's are
. deserving of the thanks of all
. citizens for saving the block.
They worked under great diff
] entities and al Eav.aI ga~ ovpr.