The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1913-09-12
STARTED IN SMALL
/ CABIN FIRE DESTROYS
HOT SPRINGS, ARK.
MORE THAN THIRTY BLOCKS
COMPLETELY DEVASTATED
BY FLAMES.
Wind FORTY MILES An HOUR
Firemen Have Narrow Escapes and
the Estimated Losses React, Into
the NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. and Bust.
ness Sections Alike Suffer.

! HOT SPRINGS, Ark, Sept. g.
More than thirty square blocks on the
eastern edge Of the business district
of Hot Springs had been swept clean
at o'clock Friday night by a fire
which, at that hour, threatened to eat
its way toward Central avenue, the
main business thoroughfare. A high
wind was blowing and the Hot
Springs and Little Rock fire depart
ments, the latter hurried to this city
aboard special trains, had made but
little Roadway in checking the
flames. At o'clock Sydney Dillon,
commissioner of public utilities, esti-
mated that at least $4,000,OOO of prop
erty had been destroyed.
The fire originated in negro cabin
on Church street, near Malvern ave-
nue., just east of the army and navy
hospital, shortly after 3 o'clock and
spread quickly to the south and east.
A number of small dwellings,, dry as
finder, as result of an extended
drouth, were easy prey for the
flames which within a few minutes
were beyond control of the local fire
department. From this region fire
spread to manufacturing section,
then to a more pretentious ersidence
and hotel district, and at o'clock
the shifting wind threatened to carry
the flames to the west and the main
business section. A supreme effort
was made to divert the fire towrad
the suburb of South Hot Springs
when it was apparent that efforts to
conrol it would be unavailing.
At 9 o'clock this effort apparently
was meeting with some success
Among the buildings destroyed were
the city's light, water and power
plants, the county court house, the
Park, Jefferson, Princess and Moody
hotels, the city high school, Iron
Railroad station and shops,
Ozark sanitarium, Peoples laundry,
Crystal theater and Bijou rink, be-
sides a hundred or more smaller
business buildings and many resi-
dences, including some Of the best in
the city.
No fatalities have been reported.
Fifteen minutes after the. fire start
ed it was beyond the contorl of the
Hot Springs fire-fghtfng force and aid
was asked of Little Rock. Special
trains brought additional apparatus
from that city, but water, dynamite
and every available means Of fight |
ing fire has failed to check the flames
six hours after the fire started. The
firemen many times endeavored to
destroy buildings yet untouched, but
the flames swept over them and
broke out in half dozen ether
places.
Shifting wind currents changed the
course of the fire three times.
At times early in the night the gale
reached velocity Of 40 miles an hour
and three times the shifting wind cur
rents changed the course Of the fire.
Twice it was headed for the main bus
mess district, the last time shortly
before o'clock when, by the free use
Of dynamite the combined freight
Ing force succeeded in diverting the
course of the fire toward South Hot
Springs.
At 10 o'clock indications were that
the fire would burn itself out at the
foot of West mountain, after destroy
ing the greater part Of the South Hot
Springs residence district. Various
estimates Of the probable monetary
loss range from six to ten million
dollars.