The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1922-05-29
MCCORMICK FEELS
LOSS BY FLAMES
DAMAGES PLACED AT ONE
HUNDRED THOUSAND PEO-
PILES BANK BUILDING AND
POST OFFICE SAVED BY
STRENUOUS EFFORT

Mccormick, May 2S.-McCor-
mick was visited last night by one
of the most disastrous fires the
town has ever had. At 11:45 last
night fire was discovered in the
second story of the large furniture
store of J. T. Fooshe which was
practically new brick building,
having been erected in 1917. This
store is located on the principal
business block of the town and
was an L shaped building with en-
frances on Augusta and Pine
streets and adjoining the Peoples
/ bank building on two sides. The
Peoples Bank building was also
erected in 1917, and is a three
story brick structure, with the bot
tom floor used by the bank, a store
used by Faulkner Brothers for gro
ceies and the postofice is also To-
Gated in this building. The second
story is used for offices while the
third is used as a Masonic Hall. In
the construction of this building the
architect planned it to be fireproof
and but for the boxing or coping
around the top of the building it
would not have caught.
The origin of the fire is unknown.
, Those reaching the fire first discov-
cred a rear door to the Fooshe fur
niture store open and Mr.. Fooshe is
positive that he fastened this door
the afternoon before with a large
bar used for that purpose. No one is
known to have been in the building
after $50 o'clock when the store
was closed.
When the fire was first discover
ed it had reached the stage where 1T
was impossible to enter this store
and it was completely burned and
the loss of the large stock of furni-
ture carried by Mr.. Fooshe falls
very heavily upon him with very
little insurance. Mr.. Fooshe carried
a complete stock of furniture which
would have been a credit to a fur
niture store in any city, and the
store was a pride of the town.
By the time Greenwood men
reached Mccormick considerable
headway had been made by the fire
in the third story of the Peoples
Bank building and for a while the
building seemed to be doomed and
but for the heroic efforts of the To-
cal volunteer fighters the building
would have been destroyed before
the firemen from Greenwood reach
ed Mccormick, but by the aid of
the fighters using for the most
part small chemical fire extinguish-
ers, the progress of the flames was
retarded, saving the bank, the larg-
er number of Offices on the second
floor and the Masonic hall on the
third floor, Faulkner Brothers
grocery store and the postoffice part
of the building.
Besides the heavy loss, J. T.
Fooshe in the destruction of his
furniture store, the Peoples Bank
building has been badly damaged by
fire and water and the grocery
store of Faulkner Brothers was also
badly damaged by fire and water
and the grocery store of Faulkner
Brothers was also badly damaged
by water. The offices of DR.. J. Carl
Harmon and that of DR.. R. G.
Killingsworth on the second floor
were burned with little saved and
no insurance. The offices of F. A.
Wise, Ross & Owens and Joseph
Murray attorneys, were damaged by
water and their furniture and
books badly damaged, those suffer
ing the greatest damage being
without insurance. It is estimated
that the loss from this fire will
reach upwards Of 100000 with lit