The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1917-05-25


most with the force OF a gale. l knew
at 3 O'Clock this afternoon that we
we're going to lose great many
houses
City Equal to Occasion.
Mayor Gambler declared that Allan
ia could take care of its homeless and
that while the many offers of outside
help were appreciated that it would
be unnecessary to take advantage OF
them. In this he was joined by lead
ing members of the Chamber of Com
merce.
All officials agreed that a great deal
Of relief work would have to be done
tomorrow.
An emergency fund was started to-
night and it wal ann ounced that a
meeting would be held tomorrow to
further the relief work. One of the
first subscriptions reported to the
mayor was $1,000 from Ernest Wood
ruff, local capitalist.
The fire started in an obscure ne
gro section of the city at Decatur
street just east Of Fort street this
afternoon, burned several blocks OF
small houses clean. jumped over five
low brick buildings aid a row OF
small shacEs and swept on nearly a
mile unobstructed until it reached
better residence section. At 8 o'clock
tonight it was two blocks beyond
Ponce de Leon avenue and not under
control The FIRE fighters who includ-
ed hundreds OF soldiers, were aided
by an abatement Of the wind, but by
10 means had mastered the flames,
which many feared would not be con-
Quered until they burned themselves
out at the edge OF ! Iiedmont Park,
a large open space in the northeastern
section Of the city.
Thousands Homeless.
Thousands OF persons tonight were
homeless and are being fed and quar-
tered in public buildings by the Red
Cross and a committee of Atlanta
men
The less at 8 o'clock was estimated
at from $2,eeo,e9e to 100000, but
persons familiar with real estate val
ues stated that any estimate at this
time was nothing more than guess
work. The flames did not attack the
more exclusive residence sections, but
a large part Of the devastation was
in neighborhcods composed largely of
homes ranging in value from $1,000 to
$4,000.
Scores of pretty homes in a COM
paratively new section OF the city to-
night were being blown up with dy-
Mantle to stop the blaze, but four
hours of this work had not resulted
in much good The confagration was
eating up home after home, more
slowly than in the afternoon when
driven by high wind, but moving
forward relentlessly.
Driven Back Two Blocks
The dynamiting began at Boulevard
Place at about o'clock. but the
fighters soon were driven back two
blocks to Ponce de Leon avenue,
where the greatest effort was made.
Aided by the whie avenue and the
slowly dying wind, soldiers, iremen,
and private citizens blew up blocks
of houses. Once or twice a house On
the north side OF the street would
catch fire, but for almost two hours
these sporadic outbreaks were stop
ped.
Later, however, the flames gained a
foothold across the street, swept on
a block to vedo Way and moved on
in a northeasterly direction.
Between Edgewoo0 avenue and De-
catur street. at the start OF the Are,
the flames confined themselves to the
i section between Boulevard Place and
Hilliard street. At Edgewood they
moved eastward as far as Prospect
Place in spots, wiping out block
; now and then. Practically the entire
section bounded by Hilliard street on
the west, Prospect Place on the east,
Edgewood avenue on the south and
North avenue on the north was laid
waste.
Peachtree Street Threatened.
At North avenue North Jackson
street became the western boundary
and, with slight change in the wind,
the fire moved steadily on in a north
ea.sterly direction. It never got near
er Peachtree street, the main thor
oughfare of the city, than seven
blocks, although at times a moment
ary change OF wind threatened In that
direction.
Firemen had been fighting small
blaze in the big Atlanta cotton ware
house. where a great deal Of military
supplies are stored, and at the same
time six. residences in West End were
burning, when the alarm came in
! from the Decatur street box. As many
as could be spared were sent to this
section, but IT is doubtful II the en-
tire department could have checked
| the flames that, driven bv high wind
| fairly ate up the small houses, On
which rain had not fallen in many
days.
Where Rlaze Started.
The blaze started In the Skinner
| Storage company's plant, which is al
| r,o,t errro,,p5od nv Yoany small frame