Hickory daily record., 1922-12-18
NG SUNDAY FIRE
CAUSES MUCH
0ll|l.l!Ss2;zI'
.ho j. ,o,.atcd Press.

D., thp il.1nt IIlVN iNS''
"clorl,nc. Pee. lS.--The siX-story
r.,.t building on South Tryon street
,a,,ininr the Keith vaudeville thea
", and large number of officers was
h.tyoycd arl two other structures
',,io,,sly damaged by fire early Sun
r,v with q fatal loss estimated at ap-
neyimataly 100000
The roof was burned off an adjoin-
mo threc-s,ory building occupied by
gmelmans retail and mail order
nook and stationery store, and a num-
hr Of officers and practically all the
,,rtents OF the structure were a total
h,s due to fire and water. The Pied
mont building on the south side of
-te Trust building was water-soaked
from roof to cellar. 1t was head
martqls for the Piedmont Fire Insur-
mcc company and the Morris Plan
bank. and contained numbers oil
other offices.
The fire was believed to have origi
mated in the furnace room of the
|rnt building and had gained great |
|Malway before it was discovered. |
Save for one or two minor injuries to
|aemen, there were no casualties in
|Ae fire which attracted hundreds OF
persons. One Of the heaviet down.
oms Of rain Charlotte has had this
Hn began Is fall about the time the
fire was andyl control.
Had il not been for the heavy rains
d The last week which Jcft nearby
bindings soaked and the aid given by
The torrents Of rainwater that fell
Sunday morning, Fire Chief Wallace
ah the blaze might have proved as
DISASTROUS as the recent one at New
Bern,
Tons ot water were thrown into the
smoking ruin, throughout the day and
South Tryon street was blocked to
tal'is until the late afternoon as parts
Of The front wall Of the Trust building
dI into :te street. TIE scene of "a
fire ~a bct~ecn Th rd and Fourth
streets on the west side of Tryon,
within block Of where the famous
NcsIenburg Declaration of Independ-
@cc is said to have been signed.
In addition to the losses to business
men and others whose offices and
Equipment were destroyed, the lodge
0oms Of the Dramatic Order Knights .
y khorassan, which were in the Pied
nO9t building, were water soaked. The !.
!iu't building, which also was known
\ the Academy Of Music, had nothing
H. but tottering walls, the front part
y which had PARTLY fallen out. It ,
vas erected rs years ago and was a
reE structure. Within recent months
mad been purchased by G. w. John =,
'O' at a price said to be $253,000.
Total loss in the building occupied !.
v bfoekman's store and offices was 6
paced at more than 100000, while
%%ands Of dollars Of damage was .
@'e by water in the Piedmont build
%' Other nearby structures es- ,
@po1 with q few pancs Of broken =,
.N sor scorchcd awnings, from the /;
names, which were discovered about
'@9 a. m, Tho losses generally were
@q 10 be wen covered by insurance
a,oough there were numerous indi-
'@'aIs who had no such protection
against fire.
mayor Walker announced that he
'oa'd turn the city auditorium over to
"se whose offices were destroyed
'' would erect temporary partitions
" we main hall Of the building.
cneck-up of injuries showed that
''p'aln AL Moody of the fire depart
'Eo' suffered painful cuts from falling
sd ''''s and that K. w. Stokes was knock
" uo"n' apparently by contact with
y, wire, but not seriously hurt.
Nsc'rlc Light and power was turned
W. VI downtown Charlotte for several
"''' during the fire.