The Palatka news and advertiser., 1917-06-01
PA[ATKA BOYS IN
GREAT ATLANTA FIRE
AS Seen by Mrs. Louis Kalb-
field, Who Was a
Spectator.

Mrs. Louis Kalbfield of this cit,
than whom there is no more Iowa
Palatkan living, was a spectator O
the great Atlanta fire of last wee1
when over three and half millions O
property was destroyed. Mrs. Kalb
held only arrived in Atlanta th
morning of the fire; she had gone t,
her old home for a much needed rest
but the awful scene of that conflagra
ton, when no one could tell where i
would end, the homeless wanderer
gong about the streets, mothers sep
arated from little children, the aget
and lntim needing care and men an,
women wild with fright and in an
gulsh OF spirit over loss of home,
and all worldly possessions, thest
things she saw and seeing suffered as
only woman of heart can uffer. :.
The News was glad to get the fol-
lowing letter from this good woman
1T reads like-so like Mrs. Kalbfelc
talks when she is moved:
Editor Palatka News:
never got the chance because OF
the fire and the convention to write
you, and then to l wanted to try and
see the Palatka boys at Fort Nc
Pherson before | wrote.
mat fire was something | never
shall forget. | never saw BIG fire
like that in all my life, and to say
1t was terrifying won't half express
1t. Why, people rushed into the big
hotels and deliberately took posses
sion of rooms already occupied, and
men let them retain them; that made
me glad and proud of the race. I'm
agine if you can, Mr.. Russell, taking
cut corpse to places of safety! Not
people who had been killed, but bodies
waiting for burial. Atlanta papers
tell only half of the horrors of that
awful night.
But, Oh, how the Red Cross people
did work to relieve the suffering!
While standing on the walk in front
of the Piedmont Hotel the boys from
Fort Mcpherson went by, and who
should | see but Tom Russell with
his company, then Bill Walton with
his company, and then Berry Wilkin-
son with his company. | cried as l
stood there and thought of dear old
oalatka and how precious their lives
we're to the dear ones at home. Then
thought how brave these young fell
1Na.I Il oh, i
orming brigades to fight that awful
ire! They were glad to see me,
NOW from their looks, but they
ouIdn't stop an instant.
Later in the day as | was standing
N the steps of the Piedmont up
ONES Jack Merriam, and how glad he
vas to see us. When | looked him
ver l saw he was drenching wet and |
muddy as could be. said: Jack
Ierriam! If your mother could see
ou now" He had been on duty |
With the rest of the Teck boys the
rst half of the night guarding the
over house, and the balance Of the
light at the fire. They were going
O the Piedmont to go to bed if they
OuIu S6U IL IoUlll. llCll L lttll Iilto |
Iarlan Hickenlooper, but did not have
ime only to say Hello" and tell him
would come out to the school to see
i'm and Jack.
We went to Fort Mcpherson yester-
av to see the officers Training
amp, where they are training young
len to officer the great selective con-
crpt army America is raising to
ght for liberty. | saw Tom Russell;
e was not on duty as he had just re-
aived his second innoculation of ty-
hold serum. But he was looking
ne in uniform. also met the boy
ho used to work for Jimmy Ray;
lost people in Palatka will know
no | mean when I remind them of
lie boy who rode off the Lemon street
1ck one time on Il bicycle into the
yer.
We have booked some wonderful
cture productions, and | am having
fine time.
Tom Russell, Will Walton and the
st of the Palatka boys have been in S
ted this coming Sunday to take din s
" with my friends, Mr. and Mrs. I
oddard, at their country home on {
cdmont Drive. But they couldn't s
V whether they could come or not. g
MRS. KALBFIELD. T