The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1921-02-08
BIG AUGUSTA HOTEL.
DESTROYED BY z''l.2s. z'l=s.zs
BON AIR, FAVORlTE OF WRITER
TOURISTS, WIPED CUT
Flames Get Start IN Dining Room,
Possibly as Eesu:t of Damaged
: Insulation Of Electric Wires.
Loss Reaches One Million,
Dollars With I.1s=--,
ance fer Half

Augusta, Ga, Feb. 4.-Tae Bon
Air, one of the leading winter resort
hotels in the south, was destroyed by
fire early this morning. The flames
originated in the dining room'and are
attributed to some fault with the
electric lighting equipment. There
were 26o guests in the hotel. No one
was injured though many guests lost
much Of their personal belongings.
Two mec, Frank A. Lawrance of New
York. and N. T. Wing Of st. JOINS
] burg, VT, who were i'll at the hotci,
we're removed to the University .hos-
pital. and statements from there are
that they are none the worse physi-
cally for Their experience,
Z The fire started in the dining room
ard is attributed TO damaged insula-
.tio1a wires. The guests have found &C
con1noaaticns at a nearby hotel, at
homes of residents on the H.n, the
suburb in which the hotel was iocat-
ed, while others .left~this afternoon
for thsir homes or other winter re-
sorts.
The loss IS s1,oco.o0o. The insu1-
ance is $3.50 ooo. Tnere i5a tact
understanding that reoonstnction
will be begun at once, though thcre
is.no formal decision by the stock
holders as yet. The hotel was frame
structure and while it burned rapid
ly, the guests Jeff it in orderly naa1a-
ner $nd there was remarkable 40
sence of hysteria. The owning com-
pany is capitalized at s3oe,ooo ard
an the stock ssheld IN Augusta.
While the fire was III progress, 1es-
idents in surrounding homes made
most hospitable cvertures to the Zee
ing guests to become guests n thelr
homes. Those citizens who had 20
rooms to offer we're using a4tono-
biles to get the half clad visitors to
places Of refuge. Mr.. and hrs. Nathan
strsus, who have cottage ca the all
took in as their guests Sir Eshi@y
Sparks, of the Cunard line, and Lady
Sparks. Judge +. c. Lovett p2sSi-
dent os The Southern Psci4lc a2a
Union Pacific, who lost r.sS5 O. h,s
personal effects, proceeded to tow2
hotel and left during the afternoon
in MS private car for>New York. jean
C. White, former lord mayor CT Be-
fast. saved his personal belongings
and IS at a downtown hotel. Those OF
the visitors who did not secure &C
commodaticns are leaving the clsy
principally for foreign points, Senator
Frelinghuygen, CT New Jersey, o.
whose housaboat Mr. Harding IS now
6 guest, he's fer years hesa winter
guest at the Bon Aair, ard there w@S
the belief, if not the definite under
standing that, wien tie Florida W.
cation is over the New Jersey senator
and his distinguished guests "sEe 70
top eff Mr.. Harding's recreation UP
with a weeks stay at the Ben AZ
with golf or the country clab links.
which resort the hotel COMPANY pr2c-
ticaIy owns. While Nathan St4::1s
does not offer tb finance a new aotel,
he offers to become stockho!d@r. he
declares that he is not the rich :1s.2
he is supposed by so many 70 Be =:
that he has exhausted much o1 is
means in the charities III wh;ca re
had been engaged, especially @uE.ns
the last two years.