The Monroe journal., 1922-12-19
SUNDAY FIRE IN CHARLOTTE
DESTROYS TRUST BUILDING
Keith Theatre and More Than Forty
Business Concerns Suffer Dam
age of 100000


Business Concerns Suffer Dam
age of 100000
ONLY WET WEATHER SAVED
CITY FROM CATASTROPHE
Brockman Book Store and Other
Well Known Concerns Included in
Loss-Firs Supposed to Have
Started in Boiler Room Where Oil
Was Used
Charlotte, Dec. 1.-THE six story
Trust building on South Tryon
street here containing the Keith
Vaudeville theatre, and large num-
Der of offices was destroyed and two
other structures seriously damaged
by fire early today with a total loss
estimated at more than $4,000.
The roof was burned off an adjoin-
ing three-story muilding occupied by
Brpckman's Retail and Mail Order
Book and Stationary store and a num-
Der Of offices and practically all the
contents of the structure were a to-
tai loss due to fire and water. The
Piedmont building on the other side
of the Trust building was water soak
ed from roof to cellar. 1t was head
quarters for the Piedmont Fire In
surance Company, the Morris Plan
Bank and contained numbers of 9TH
er offices.
No Serious Injuries
The fire was believed to have or
iginated in the furnace room of the
Trust building and had gained great
headway before it was discovered.
| Save for one or two minor injuries
to firemen, there were no casualties
in the fire which attracted hundreds
Of persons. One of the heaviest down.
pours of rain Charlotte has had this
year began to fall about the time the
fire was under control
Fad it not been for the heavy rains
Of the last week which left nearby
buildings soaked and the aid given
by The torrents of rain water that fell
this morning. Fire Chief Wallace said
the blaze might have proven as dis
astrous as the recent fire at New
Bern.
Street Traffic Blocked
Tons of water were thrown into
the smoking ruins throughout the
day and South Tryon street was
blocked to traffic until the late after
noon as part of the structure of the
Trust building fell into the street.
TIE scene of the fire was between
fhird and Fourth streets on the west
side of South Tryon, within a block
lAt xxfk hn So r1Ax k,.x-
Declaration of Independence is said
to have been signed.
| In addition to the losses to bust
ness men and others whose offices
and equipment was destroyed, the
lodge rooms of the Dramatic Order
Knights of Khorassan, which were in
the Piedmont building, were water
soaked. The Trust building, which
also was known rs the Academy of
Music had nothing left tonight but
tottering walls, the front part of
which had partly fallen out. 1t was
erected Is years ago and was the
| first office building in Charlotte to
be equipped with electric elevators.
Within recent months it had been pur-
chased by c. w. Johnston at a price
sad to be $253,000.
Total loss in the building occupied
by Brockman's store and offices was
!placed at more than 100000, while
thousands of dollars of damage was
/ done by water in the Piedmont
building. Other nearby, structures
escaped with few panes of broken
glass or scorched awnings, from the
flames which were discovered about
1880 a. m. The losses generally were
said to be well covered by insurance,
although there were numerous indi-
y.duals who had no such protection
Lagainst fire.
More than forty businesses suffered
losses as a result of the fire. These
included bank, theatre, book
store, and several real estate and
insurance firms as well as firms in
other lines. The entire stock of
Christmas goods of the Brockman
Book Store was destroyed. When the
north wall of the Trust building col
lapsed tons of wreckage were hurl-
ed onto and through the roof of the
book sore and carried away its three
floors.
Mayor Walker announced today
that he would turn the city auditor
ium over to those whose offices were
destroyed and would erect tempo
rary partitions in the main hall of
the building.
A check up of injuries tonight
showed that Capt. AL Moody of the
fire department, suffered painful
cuts from falling glass and that R.
w. Stokes was Knocked down appar-
emily by contact with an electric
wire but not seriously hurt. Electric
light and power was turned off in
downtown Charlotte for several hours
during the fire.
The third floor of the Brockman
building was to have been occupied
shortly by the sixth district office of
the State Highway Commission. Re-
modelling of this floor had just been
completed during last week.