Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1916-03-24
FIRE-SWEPT AREA
COVERS 80 BLOCKS
IN HEART OF CITY
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bank, Augusta Trunk factory building.
I Commercial club, Y. w. c. A. building,
Postal Telegraph company, Western
| Union Telegraph company, John j.
Evans, wholesale and retail hardware.
Tubman High school building and Hor-
/ ton Grammar school building.
The loss to the Empire Life In
surance building. a partially completed
structure was estimated at $4,000 to
500, 900. 1t however, was not de-
stroyed.
Fire fighting equipment was brought
! from half a dozen other cities, but 1t
! necessarily came late and in the mean
time high winds had rendered the local
companies helpless.
$4,000, 900 LOSS.
Twenty blocks in the residence sec
tion of Augusta today presented the APP
pearance of a wind-swept prairie anC
the abre walls of six business blocks
bear silent testimony of Augustus most
serious disaster of recent years.
The fire, which ragged for more than
nine hours last night, causing loss es-
timated at from S5,00O,000 to 100000,
was brought. to a halt early this MORN
ing after it had crossed Greene street.
An area of about l IA square miles
was ravaged by the flames, which were
driven ny ~ hSdNy AldASA 6eAN' AAAN
Augusta firemen were powerless and APP
paratus had to be sent from Columbia,
Charleston, Atlanta. Macon, Savannah
and Waynesboro. The wind stopped
blowing just after / o'clock and it was
then that the tiremen checked the
flames.
Estimates today placed the number
of residences destroyed at between SEQ
and 700, including some of the finest
old homes in Augusta. No estimate can
| be placed on the value of the contents
| of the home. The owners saved prac-
| tically nothing. Today over 5000 per-
| sons were homeless. Many spent the
night walking the streets. while others
slept in the halls of the large hotels.
RELIEF MEASURE PLANNED.
Leading citizens of Augusta early this
| morning began to lay plans for the re-
! lief of the situation. City council met
at 10 o'clock to consider steps for re-
| lieving the situation. A general mass
meeting of the citizens was called for
noon.
Cotton factors today estimated that
the fire destroyed about 100000 worth
] of cotton, which was stored in the ware
! houses along the river front. 1t was
/ said that not more than $4,000 bales had
| been destroyed.
| Three companies of the national
| guard of Georgia were patrOlling the
streets during the entire night and
strict watch was kept today on the
| deastated district. No report of footing
has been reported to the officers. An
| attempt was made early today to steal
' an automobile. One piano was reported
missing.
! There have been many narrow escapes,
| but no one has been seriously injured.
Several fremen have been sent to the
hospitals suffering from burns and
bruises.
INVESTIGATION STARTED.
officials of the fire department today
ibegan an investigation into the cause
of the fire and as yet no explanation has
been offered. The only thing developed
| is that the fire started yesterday after
II noon at 6:15 o'clock near an elevator
shaft in the Kelly Dry Goods store in
the Dyer building at the corner of Eighth
and Broad streets.
| The twelve-stOry building occupied by
the Augusta Chronicle was practically
destroyed by fire. The loss to this build
| ing is $3.50 900. The Empire Life build
| ing. several doors away, was damaged
to the extent of about 100000, it is
estimated.
The losses on the 500 block of Broad
street are approximately as follows:
dyer building. $3.50, 900; Richards Sta
COIupdAys YSOJVVVs w a. ACAi DOAiN
| ings and contents, $4,000.
The losses on the 700 block OF Broad
street are:
Union Savings Bank building, $50, 900;
Postal Telegraph plant, $4,000; Empire
Life Insurance building, 100000; Au-
gusta Chronicle building, $4,000; John
J. Evans company, $4,000; Western I'm
| ion Telegraph plant, $4,000: Schneider
buildng-were not destroyed, although
fa1 oil
Masonic temple, 100000, and the Irish
| American building, $4,000.
1 Three buildings IN the 700 block fac
ling Broad street.-the Citizens Southern
Bank building, the Planters Loan and
Savings and the Georgia Railroad Bank
Ibuilding-were not destroyed, although
badly damaged.
ONE BLOCK SKIPPED.
The 600 block of Broad street proved
| to be the miracle block of the fire. The
flames leaped over this block and not
Zone building was damaged until 5:SO
O'Clock this morning, when fire was dis
covered in a small warehouse. This
blaze was extinguished by the Columbia
fire team, the loss being small.
Quick work on the part of
the fremen stopped a threatening
blaze in the southern section of the city
/ at $3.50 O'Clock this morning. Several
small houses were destroyed.
10Th of the newspaper plants were
completely destroyed by the fire. How
| ever The Chronicle established an office
| lin a job printing plant and was issued
| tins morning. The Herald will be is
| sued this afternoon.
The Tubman high school building on
! Reynolds street, between Seventh and
| Eighth streets, was completely destroy
\ ed The Horton grammar school build
| ing on Ellis street, between Fourth and
! Fifth streets, was swept away.
w T. Elrod, an automobile driver,
rescued two young girls from the Dyer
| builiing. He made two trips to the
, fifth floor, and was painfully burned.
FIFE SPREAD RAPIDLY.
Starting in the Dyer building, at the
corner of Eighth and Broad streets, the