Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-05-25
Burned Section Was One
Of the Oldest in City
CONTINUED from Page one.)

fire in house a hundred yards ahead
of the rest of the blaze.
After wiping out the negro section
from Auburn avenue to Old Wheat
street. it was hoped that the broad Cir
Gus grounds, between Old Wheat and
Irwin streets, would serve as a check.
The fire roared over them as if they
had not been there.
In the next block on the east side of
North Boulevard. are Boulevard school
and Morris Brown university. a negro
institution. The fire missed them, rag
ing along on the other side and on
North Jackson street The old home of
w NJ Slaton, on North Jackson street,
went. as did many other fine old resi-
dences on this street and North Boule-
ward, as far north as Highland avenue.
At Highland avenue the flames spread
both ways. To the east they stopped
short of Prospect place, but they RACED
the beautiful Grace Methodist church at
the corner of North Boulevard and
Highland avenue. A drug store opposite
the church and several houses here
were spared. but homes on Highland
as far west as Fort street went.
NELSON PLACE LOST.
The old Nelson place went next. This
was at one time a show place of At
lanta a magnificent house at East ave-
nue. and North Boulevard set far back
among giant oak trees with a great
sweep of lawn. 1t was destroyed. Two
brick apartment houses on East avenue
went. So did the home of r. L. Cooney
which was the old Lewis place on North
Jackson street near East avenue. The
Jackson Hill Baptist church, corner of
East avenue and Jackson, went and the
beautiful Westminster Presbyterian
-, n
Boulevard.
Long before the fire reached tins
point. the streets were aswarm with
people II had been moving so fast
that most of the residents so far saw
their houses crumble into ruins with
out a chance 10 get anything out at
all. Now the streets began to fill with
trucks and automobiles, in which every
thing in the way OF household goods
from a shoe brush to an upright piano
were piled higglety-pigglety.
Women ran up and down, ringing their
hands wailing and crying that their lost
children had persisted I'm the flames.
People ran painting ahead of the fire.
making for homes farther north. House
hold chattels were scattered promiscu-
ously over lawn and pavements. Over
all shone the hot May sun, with the
fire a raging wall of flame, gnawing,
gnawing its way northward.
Soon the soldiers began to put i'm their
appearance. The Georgia field hospital
and recruits of the Fifth regiment ar
rived. And Colonel c. r. Noyes, teIe-
phoned at the fort, responded wonder
fully by sending in the entire 1000 men
in the officers training camp. and the
companies of the Seventeenth infantry.
LANDMARKS CRUMPLED.
By o'clock the fire had passed three
blocks north of Forrest avenue, and had
reached Pine street. 1t spread east
along Forrest almost to the greenhouse
of the Dahl Floral company, and
stopped. 1t began to beat west along
Forrest, crumpling block after block of
residences. The home of Thomas Peters,
corner of Forrest avenue and Jackson,
an Atlanta landmark, was burned On
Jackson. between Forrest and Angler
avenue. the homes included the old Cur
tbs place. the old Reinhardt place, rne
Redwine property. occupied by DR.. Muir
ply and family. Several drug stores and
groceries in the path of the fire went
by the boards. On North Boulevard, be-
tween Forrest avenue and Angler ave-
nue.. like number of fine homes were
burning-the Mitchell place, Massey.
Dobbs Davidson, Carroll. Berry, every
house on both sides of the two blocks.
DYNAMITTNG BEGINS.
shortly after o'clock. dynamiting
began, about a. Pine street But though
house after house was blown 10 at
oms. the explosions proved futile until
about six other blocks had been denud-
ed. AT this hour. the fire had reached
its northermost point on North Jackson
street. at Linden, where the Loeb home
on the corner was the first to GO 1T
was keeping pace with itself a block
away on North Boulevard. and spread
ing east along the side streets, Boule-
ward terrace and Boulevard place
Both of these pretty residence streets
were burned for blocks, every house. to
their termination. Each runs off into a
stretch Of woods an da valley, with a
little stream on the city side of the spur
track of the Southern railroad.