The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1917-05-23
100 BLOCKS BURN
At ATLANTA, GA.;
MANY HOMELESS
Men From Officers Training
Camp Aid Firemen.
FIRE HALTED By DYNAMITE
Fine Residences Destroyed-Blaze
Starts in Warehouse and Negro
District and Soon Gets Beyond
Control-Property Loss Put g.
at Many Millions.

al NilfiiSiS.
Atlanta, Ga, May 22.-Fire starting
in q negro and warehouse district here
destroyed all structures on more than
100 blocks. The fashionable residence
district about Ponce de Leon avenue
has been destroyed and the total prop
erty loss has already reached many
millions of dollars.
A high wind whipped the flames I'M
til they were beyond control because Il
part of the fire department was at an
other fire which destroyed many fine
residences in the West end, several
miles away, while yet another detach-
ment Of tiremen was busy at a third
confiagratiOn which burned 10 small
negro houses in the Woodward avenue
district.
Troops Use Dynamite.
Aid was summoned from Macon, Au-
gusta, Chattanooga, Newman and Grit
fin and 1000 men were rushed here
from the United States army officers
training camp at Fort Mcpherson.
The dramatic struggle with the
flames reached climax at nightfall,
when the fire fighters made q stand
at Boulevard place and began dyna-
hitting a wide area to protect the
Ponce de Leon section. The effort
was only partially successful, and an
hour later the dynamiters had to be-
gin their work over again two blocks
beyond the avenue. A lull in the wind
favored their work, and by night they
were about holding their own, though
many still fear that before morning the
flames again will gain Roadway and
burn their way through to the edge Of
the city.
Thousands Are Homeless.
The thousands of homeless were
cared for last night by a citizens com
mittee and by the Atlanta Red Cross
chapter. Most of them were quartered
in public buildings. Many minor in
there had been few persons badly hurt
The fire started two blocks east of
Edgewood avenue at Fort street and
was swept nOrtheastward by the
wind and went rapidly into the white
residence section.
Automobile trucks by the score
were Communicated to gather every
foot Of hose in the city, but block
after block was burned without any
thing whatever being done to check
the flames.
AS the conf1agration continued 1t
became increasingly difficult to get
accurate reports from the burned
area. Wires were cut promiscuously
and streets were choked with debris,
street cars that did not get out of the
area in time and vehicles of all sorts.
Up to 5:15 p. m. only one death,
that of Miss Bessie Hodges, who died
from shock, had been reported.
Fine Homes Dynamited.
Some of the most serious losses
were in the section where dynamite
was used, scores Of pretty homes in a
comparatively new district of the city
being blown up. The dynamiting
began at Boulevard place at about four
o'clock, but the fighters were soon
driven back.
Aided by wide Ponce de Leon ave-
nue. and the slowly dying wind,
soldiers, fremen and private citizens
blew up whole blocks of houses. Now
and then a home on the north side
Of the avenue would catch fire. but
for almost two hours these outbreaks
were stopped. Then the flames gained
a foothold across the street, swept
on block to Vedo way, moved slow
~ on in a nOrtheasterly direction.
Huge Section Laid Waste.
Between EdgewoOd avenue and De
catur street, at the start of the fire,
the flames confined themselves to tn
section between Boulevard place and
billiard street. At Edge God they
moved eastward as far as Prospect
place in spots, wiping out a 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.
At North avenue North Jackson
street became the western boundary,
and with a slight change in the wind
the fire moved steadily on in north
easterly direction. 1t never got
nearer Peachtree street, the main thor
oughfare Of the city, than seven blocks,
although at times momentary change
Of wind threat ened In that direction