Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1922-12-18
CHARLOTTE LOSES
S440,O00 BY FIRE
North Carolina City Has Bus.
mess District Swept
by Fire.
L II L A TER DESTROYED
Reports Say That Those Hurt
Suffered Only Minor
Injuries.
/ II L A TIE r DESTROYED
tNv Assncintcd rres.l

CHARLOTTE. y. G.. Dec. l7-.rh.
slN-siory Trms, BuildIuu on South
Try"n street here" containing IN,
Keith Naudcvill. Thcat.r ana q large
hhmL"r "f offices. was DESTROYED and
wv" other structures seriously dam
"Eed Icy fire carly today with a total
loss estimated at approximately
tiiO.0uu.
The roof VAS burned ur an aiioin.
ing thr""-Siory building, occupied by
Brock mans retail and mail or,,.-
hook and stationery stor. ANA !,
nnmh"r OF Offices and prncticaIlv all
IN" contents ~ the structure. we're
a total loss du" I" fir" aud water.
me Piedmont Building o, IN. south
S'h" OF The Trust Building was water
soaked from roof to cellar I, w,.
headquarters for the Piedmont Fire
Insurance Company and the Morris
ran Bank. and contained numbers
OF other Offices.
stnrt, In Trust building.
The fire was believed to have oriui-
noted ia the furnace room of the
Trust Building and gained great head
way before II WAS discovered Save
Tor one or tw" minor injuries To hre-
mon there were Ia" casualties in
the fire. which attracted hundreds
p"uTs Of rain Charlotte has had this
year began 10 fall about the time
the fire was under control
Had i, not hecn for the heavy rains
Of last week which left nearby
buildings soaked. and the aid given
hy the torrents OF rainwater that
fell this morning. Fire CHIEF Wat
lace SAID the blaze might have been
as disastrous as the recent one at
New Bern. y. c.
Tons of water We're thrown into
The smnkNS ruins throughout the
day and South Tryun Street was
blocked Ia traffic until the late after
noon, as parts OF the front wall OF
the Trust building fell into the
street The scene "f the fir. was
tttwcen Third and Fourth Streets on
me west side OF South Tryon. with
in block of where tho famous
cklenburg Declaration Of Indepen-
Gence is said To have been signed
Lodge Rnoms Destroyed.
In addition to the losses to husl-
ness men and others whose Offices
lodge rooms OF the Dramatic Order
knights Of khorassau. which were
IN the Piedmont building. were wa
t"r-soakcd. The Trust building
which also was known az the Acad-
emv OF music. had nothing left to-
night but tottrrinG walls. the front
part OF which had partly fallen out
II was erected eighteen. years ago
and was a brick structure Within
recent months IL had hcen purchased
by G. w. Johnston at price said
t" he $4,000.
Total loss in the building occupied
by Rrockmdn'S store and offices was
placed at more than SiG0.0T0. while
thousands "f dollars If damage was
don" by water in the Piedmont RuiId-
inr other nearby structures .sCaprd
with few pancs of broken glass
or Scorchcd awnings. from tn,
flames which we're discovered about
too y. NJ The losses were scncr-
ally said to be covered by insurance
although there we're numerous in
div!duals who had no such protection
against fire.
Mayor Walker announced today
that lie would turn the city audi
torium over tn those whose offices
were destroyed and erect temporary
partitions In the main hall OF the
building.
check-up OF injuries tonight show
ed that Captain Al Moody. of the IRE
department. suffered painful cuts
from falling glass. and that X. w.
stokes was knocked down apparent
ly by contact with an electric wire.
hut not seriously hurt. Electric light
and power WAS turned off in down
town Charlotte for several hours
during the fire.