The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1916-03-25
AUGUSTA SWEPT By FLAMES
Twenty-one Blocks of City Wiped Out
With Loss Estimated at $lO.OOO,OO0.
Swept Down Broad Street Causing Terribls Devastatio
Other Cities of South Carolina and Geoeg Rushed Aid
to Stricken City-Three Thousand Left Homeless. a.

" 0SX1CASU A1Ly- uIeS ~
Augusta. Ga, March 23.-A con.
fiagration which has already resulted
in an estimated loss of $4,000, 900 to
$10,ooo.00o is sweeping Augusta and
at 1 o'clock in the morning is still
burning fiercely. Famed by a wind
blowing in q southeasterly direction
the flames swept through between 20
and Is city blocks destroying dozens
Of business buildings and rendering
thousands homeless. The fire started
about 6:1s p. m. In the rear Of q store
on the first floor Of the Dyer building,
one Of the city's principal office build
inga. TenAnts-of the building barely
escaped with their lives and a dozen
young women who attended q bus
ness college on the NTH floor were
forced to come down fire escapes at
peril OF their lives. --.:- =
The Augusta fire department, with
every available engine. was on the
scene within less than three minutes
after the alarm was turned in and
seeing that the. Dyer building was
doomed. directed its efforts toward
saving the Union Savings Bank build
Ing across the street. The fire. In the
meantime, had swept across, Eighth
street from the rear or the Dyer build
Ing and began burning Cotton row
where thousands Of bales were stor-
cd. The aaines began to eat their
way through the warehouses, attack
ed the Tubman high school and then
swept toward Broad street. The nre-
men had kept the flames from the
Union Savings bank building from the
Eighth street aide but when the build
|ins was .attacksd from the rear they
|eegls sst a1hs "a as4ss g. tse@ si.ss
l.:,Ca thss 100 Block 81 Bread street
the Union Savings bank building, ths
Postal telegraph building. the Augusta
Herald building. the Commercial club
building and The Chronicle and EN-
pire buildings. the latter two modern
ONCE buildings were gutted.
As the flames were uncomfortable at
O'Clock, an appeal was sent to other
cities Tor aid Atlanta; Macon. sa-
vannah. Columbia. and waynesboro
were called on. waynesboro arrived
at 10 O'Clock and Columbia one
hour later. Nothing seemed to
be able to check the flames in
the path which the wind direct
cd them and they destroyed ap-
proximately $4,000 bales of cot
ton valued at nearly $1,000. 900. The
Tubman high school building was a
total loss. as was the Southern railway
freight depot The IRE burning the
north side OF Broad on the TOO block
down TO the Citizens & Southern bank
building. this granite structure acted
as a barrier to the further progress
Of the flames and they swept behind
1t. The Citizens & Southern, Planters
Loan & Savings and Georgia Railroad
banks were saved on the 100 block.
The entire section Of the city north
Of Broad and east of Eighth streets
seemed to be doomed though the fire.
men fought valiantly to save many
Of the buildings and succeeded in
saving some.
On the 400 and 800 blocks of Broad,
Reynolds and Bay streets, practically
all the residences were destroyed.
Lower Broad is one Of the most ex.
elusive residence sections of the city.
The flames crossed Broad on the 400
block and swept down Ellis and then
to Green. burning both sides of lower
Green. Thousands Of people were
made homeless and many other thou.
sands are sleeping with their house
holds furniture piled in the street,
keeping vigil over their property.
SO far as is known the fire has
caused the loss Of no lives though
numerous firemen have been burned
and had to so to the hospital. It is
reported, however. that the little child
OF Fireman Meredith was burned to
death just as her father rushed in the
house to save her.
The fire is practically under con-
troll at 1880 so far as the business
and principal residential sections are
concerned. though 1t is now raging
near the city limits. It 10 bsinx con.
trolled because it has about burned
out.
1t was estimated at 2 o'clock that