Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-08-23
FLAMES TAKE MANY LIVES
AS OLD MACON HOTEL BURNS

u Inc peace, 0lSu vi IuS way ~
the Macon hospital shortly after he
leaped from the top OF the plant OF
the Collier Manufacturing company,
adjoining the hotel. He fell head.
foremost on pile of iron.
Harry Swansburg, Of Atlanta, engi-
neer of the Central of Georgia rail.
way, died at II o'clock this morning.
He was with Mr.. Hays when he
crawled from a second story window
to the roof Of the manufacturing
plant, and leaped soon after he did,
Two charred bodies have been TAX.
en- from the second floor of the
building. 1t is believed they are H
A. Turnipseed, of Hampton, and his
roommate, B. A. White, Of Melford
Ga. Both were flagmen employed
by the Central of Georgia railway.
1t is believed there are at least
eight other bodies in the ruins. Sur.
vivors told today of seeing a mother
with baby in her arms franticalls
Streaming for help, but they were I'm.
able to reach her, and it is believed
both persisted in the flames.
Property Loss 5000, 900
The property loss is estimated a.
100000, the Brown house being val.
ued at 100000, and the hotel fur
nishings at $4,000. Others who sui
fered financial losses are the Brun
ner Drug company, Rogers cash gro
Gerry, Glenns Restaurant, Garfield
Oil company and Collier Knitting
mills. Clay Murphey, head of the
company owning the Brown house
property, said that their $4,000 los,
was covered by insurance.
OF the seven injured at hospital
it is believed all will recover.
Probe Leaking Pipe Rumors
Officials are investigating reports
that a leaking gas pipe caused tn
explosion. 1t was reported that tbs
pipe had been leaking for some time
w. A. Jordan, fire inspector of Ma
con, declared if evidence of criminai
negligence is found, the facts will
be laid before the grand jury in No,
vember.
While streams of water still were
being poured on to the ruins, tn :
search for bodies is continuing un
der hazardous conditions. The pile,
Of brick and other debris are in
tensely hot and soles of shoes an
boots are quickly burned away. Sea-
ed walls are expected to collapse a;
any time and fireman are playing
strong streams on them in an effort
to raze them.
The Injured
A partial list of the injured as
checked early today includes:
R. M. Smith, Terre Haute, Ind,
burned about the body.
E. A. Tinsley. Macon, burned about
the body.
Henry Floyd, Albany. Ca, body
burned.
E. c. Walton, Macon, body burned.
r. r. Tippins, Round Oak, Ca,
badly burned, and injured as re-
suit of jumping from the hotel.
d. o. Crutchfield. Round Oak, Ga,
right leg broken.
Robert Smith, Macon, body burns.
r. M. Smith, 81, of 91S Austell
building, Atlanta, fractured right
wrist; fractured right leg, Iacera-
lions.
C. J. Bailey. Y. M. C. A., minor
injuries.
Jesse Lee Jolly. negro waiter,
bruised and lacerated. =
The missing include:
w. L. Williamson, engineer on the
Central of Georgia railroad, who was
to be called at 2 O'Clock this morn
ing to go on his run.
Collins.
Sergeant Oscar knight, Columbus.
Georgia. -
Private Henry Moore, Camp Epson.
New York.
B. A. White, Melford, Ga.
One of the charred bodies taken
from the ruins this morning was
partly identified as H. A. Turnipseed.
Of Hampton, Ga. He was a fiagmam
employed by the Central of Georgia
railway.
Two bodies were found on the
second floor Of the Brown House
at 10 a. m. Efforts are being made
to identify them.
Awakened by Failing Plaster
In two minutes after the explosion
the whole building was a mass of
flames. according to J. G. Cash.
fireman on the Central of Georgia
railway between Macon and Savan-
nah, who had a miraculous escape
from the burning structure.
Il was asleep in my room on the
second floor" cash said, when sud-
denly I was aroused and found my
self lying on the floor in the middle
of the room. The ceiling to my room
had partly fallen in and I was almost
covered with falling plaster and
debris. The walls of the room near
the ceiling were bent over.
AS quickly as L could, I grabbed
my coat and trousers and rushed to
the window. I heard the roaring
flames and my room was rapidly
the window to the ground twenty
feet below and fortunately escaped.
without even so little as a sprained'
ankle.
1T seemed to me that almost i'm
the whole building was
ablaze. L do not believe that it was
over two minutes. Immediately fol-
lowing the explosion, the whole place
was lighted up by the flames.
Heard People Screaming
IT did not look out into the hall
by my room, but could bear the
screams of people. When 1 got out
on Plum street, L saw man hanging
out of a window calling for help, and
saw that it was G. c. Wilder, a flag
man on the Savannah division of the
Central of Georgia railway. He hung
there for a few minutes, when some
one got a Ladder for him and he des-
cended.
H. A. Turnipseed, flagman of
the Macon division of the Central
was in room 312. I have looked for
him since and have been unable to