The Bamberg herald. (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, March 30, 1916, Page 3, Image 3
, AUGUSTA RAVAGED BY FIRE
SUSTAINS LOSS OF FIVE TO TEX
MILLIONS.
Thirty Blocks, Covering 118 Acres,
Swept by Flames.?34.000 Ba?es
of Cotton Burned. '
Augusta, Ga., March 23.?Aueusta
turned bravely about today and began
to plan for replacing the ravages
of the fire which last night caused a
loss estimated at from $5,000,000 to
$7,000,000. There are many, how'Jk
ever, who are inclined to place the
estimate at $10,000,000. The total
loss is a mere guess and nothing definite
will be known until a final
checking up of accounts. This is the
second disaster to Augusta within the
last half dozen years. It had just
overcome the loss caused by the disastrous
flood of several years ago
and was fast developing?and now
comes the great fire.
The business men today began
marshaling their resources to meet
the losses. Relief plans for the thou
sands of homeless people were given
t; early consideration. The first event
of the day was a meeting of city
T i
council when ample provision was
made for the destitute/ At noon
hundreds of business men met at a
mass meeting and it was determined
that Augusta must rebuild at once
~ on an even larger scale. The people
are undaunted and have displayed
the veryJfinest kind of spirit. 'There
has been no shirking and every man
| is doing his duty. The losses will
touch AVPfV plasc of .Qoniotv in fhics
city. There is a kindred feeling
among all.
Much for Relief.
At. a conference today a movement
ft was set going to raise a fund of $50,000
to prosecute relief work. It was
announced late tonight that $15,00^0
had already heen subscribed. The
ruling sentiment at a series of con
ferences was that Augusta will be
- ablb to care for the destitute, alar
though gifts from other sources will
not be rejected.
^ 1 \ Acting upon the suggestion of
bankers, Mayor J. R. Littleton declared
a moratorium for today, because
many citizens were unable to
meet their financial obligations. The
moratorium may be extended for several
days.
A careful survey shows that 30
blocks,. covering 118 acres, were
swept bare by the fire of yesterday.
An unofficial count gives the number
I- V : . V ' - ' ' " * . v * .
of homes destroyed at 526. Over 130
I ... \ .
business houses were burned. The
t total value of the houses was about
$2,250,000.
The three companies of State mili$
tia were withdrawn from service today
and the police have the situation
under control.
V* I. -rThis
afternoon several hxmdred
: > j
workmen were put to work clearing
,up the debris about the burned buildings.
Dynamite was used to blow up
several walls on Broad street. A
large number of convicts will , be
, brought in from the roads to assist
L in cleaning up the streets. \
*' Many Visitors Arrive.
Thousands of visitors from many
" sections of Georgia and South Carolina
poured into Augusta today to
, view the ruins and all hotels were
? crowded tonight. The near-beer saloons
were closed today and all unoccupied
buildings, including the old
federal building, were thrown open
Jtonight for the cccommodation of
the homeless families.
Only four firemen were injured
; v during the fire. They were resting
well at local hospitals tonight and
all will recover, it is said.
- Final figures would indicate that
about 34,000 bales of cotton were
destroyed, causing a loss of approximately
$1,800,000.
No figures are obtainable as to the
amount of insurance carried on the
properties destroyed. The insurance
adjusters began to arrive in Augusta
today. The adjustment will be made
as rapidly as possible, it was said.
f> * : '
Like Cyclone Belt.
Twenty blocks in the residence
section of Augusta today presented
the appearance of a windswept prairie
and the bare walls of six business
blocks bear silent testimony of Augusta's
most serious disaster of recent
years.
The fire which raged for more than
nine hours last night, causing a loss
estimated at from $5,000,000 to $7,000,000,
was brought to a halt early
this morning after it had crossed
Green street.
An area of about one and one
* * M 3 1
fourtn square nines was ravageu uy
the flames which were driven by a
heavy March gale. The Augusta
firemen were powerless and appara/
tus had to be sent from Columbia,
Atlanta, Macon, Savannah and
Waynesboro. The wind stopped blowing
just after 1 o'clock and it was
then that the firemen checked the
flames.
Estimates today placed the number
of residences destroyed at between
600 and 700, including some of
the finest old homes in Augusta. No
V 'V"
i'.
! estimate can te placed on the value
| of the contents of the homes. The
] owners saved practically i othing. To- >J
| day over 3,000 persons were liome;
less. Many spent the i:i sht walking
| the streets, while others slept in the
I halls of large hotels.
Leading citizens of Augusta early v
| this morning began to lay plans for y
i the relie of the homeless. City conn- d
cil met at 10 o'clock to consider si
steps for relieving .the situation. A w
general mass meeting of the citizens ci
was called for noon. n
Cotton factors today estimated that tl
the fire destroyed about $2,000,000 p
worth of cotton, which was stored in p
the warehouses along the river front, ci
It was said that not more than 35,- t<
000 bales had been destroyed. u
Troops Called Out. a
Three companies of the National ^
Guard of Georgia were patrolling the ^
streets during the entire night and a ^
strict watch was kept today on the
devastated district. No report of
looting has been reported to the officers.
An attempt was made early
today to steal an automobile. One
piano was reported missing.
There have been many narrow es- ^
capes, but no one has been seriously '
injured. Several firemen have been
si
sent to the hospitals suffering from
burns and bruises.
SJ
Officials of the fire department toa
day began an investigation into the
cause of the fire, but as yet no explanation
has been offered. The only
thing developed is that the fire start- ~
ed yesterday afternoon at 6:15 s<
o'clock near an elevator shaft in the
w
Kelly dry goods store in the Dyer
building at the corner of Eighth and n<
Broad streets. ^
The ten story building occupied by s<
the Augusta Chronicle was practicallv
destroyed by the fire. The loss on ^
this building is $180,000. The Em- ^
pire Life building, several doors
away, was damaged to the extent of ^
about $200,000, it is estimated.
The losses on the 800 block of s
Broad street are approximately as
follows: Dyer building, $750,000; p
Richards stationery company, $25,- ^
000; Warren building and contents, r<
$150,000. The losses on the Broad s(
street frontage are: Union Savings
bank,building, $60,000; Postal Telegraph
plant, $17,000; Empire Life
Insurance building, $200,000; Chron- ^
icle building, $180,000; John J. a:
Evans company, $20,000; Western ^
Union Telegraph plant, $15,000; 0
Schneider building, $15,000; Herald
building, $15,000; Commercial club, w
$35,000; Masonic temple, $30,000, ^
and the Irish-American building, 1)1
$25,000. w
Three buildings in the .700 block, ^
facing BToad street, the Citizens and o:
Southern bank building, the Jfianters
Loan and Savings bank building and
the Georgia Railroad bank building, sl
were not destroyed, although badly a
damaged. ^
* i E
One Block Escaped. g<
The 600 block of Broad street e:
proved to be the miracle block of the
fire. The flames leaped over this
block and not one building was dam- g
aged until 5:30 this morning, when
the fire was discovered in a small tl
warehouse. This blaze was ektinguished
by the Columbia fire team, t(
the loss being small. g
Quick work on ,the part of the fire- w
men stopped a threatening blaze in
the southern section of the city at
3:30 o'clock this morning. Several n
small houses were destroyed.
Both of the newspaper plants were
completely destroyed by the fire. SJ
However, the Chronicle established sj
an office in a job printing plant and ^
was issnpri .this mornine. The Herald
- 1JL
was issued this afternoon.
The Tubman high school building a]
on Reynolds street, between Seventh
and Eighth streets, was completely
destroyed. The Houghton grammar
school building on Ellis street, between
Fourth and Fifth streets, was ^
swept away.
W. T. Elrod, an automobile driver, ^
rescued -two young girls from the ^
Dyer building. He made two trips to g?
the fifth floor and was painfully ^
burned.
Starting in the Dyer building, at
the corner of Eighth and Broad A
streets, the fire spread rapidly to Cotton
row in the rear, whipped around ^
the giant Empire Life building, firing
CvJ
the building occupied by .the Western
Union Telegraph company, and then
by leaps and bounds destroying all ^
blocks, except the Sixth, on Broad
street: The flames cut a swath from
a
two to three blocks wide for eight j.
blocks on Broad street down to east
Rnnndarv. the end of the city. The
flames leaped across Broad street to
the south side at Elbert and cut their
way through to Green street. Many
of the residences destroyed were of
brick construction. . ^
Freak of the Fire. q(
On the south side of Broad street to
a substantial brick building was com- fc
pletely destroyed, while a flimsy fii
wooden house next door was not dam- cl
aged. w
The street railway company and st
the telephone company and the electric
lighting company suffered heavy a
losses and service has been crippled. tt
Year's Work Lost. cl
"There is my little home?I work- m
"SAFETY ALWAYS" CLOCK.
[otto oil Dial is Constant Reminder
to Machinists. i
i
In many places the stock phrase'
Safety First," which has been uni-|
ersally used during the last few j
ears in an attempt to minimize in-'
ustrial accidents, is coming to be
LippJanted by the term "Safety Al- j
ays," which is even more signifi-,
ant than the predecessor. A large
lanufacturing company, going on i
le theory that the psychology of im-!
ression is worthy of recognition, has
laced in its plant a "Safety Always"
lock. The dial of this bears the letsrs
of the two words in lieu of the
sual figures. It is 'assumed the
verage workman looks at a clock
"equentlv during the course of a
ay and that this motto will make
im constantly cautious.? Popular
lechanics.
INDIAN SPEECH.
row the Government is Preserving
Red Men's Language.
We are already beginning to regret
lat no phonographic records could
ave been made of the voices of great
ingers of the last generation, says
opular Science Monthly, while we
hall be handing down our Carusos
nd Melbas to those who come long
flter us. Not long ago the departlent
of the interior in Washington
woke to the fact that there was
Dmething else to be preserved for
le future, namely the speech and
ar songs of our native Indians. The
2w generation of Carlisle-bred chiefs
o not take the ancient rituals venomously,
and it is probable that af;r
the oldest of the living warriors
ave died, the Indian war songs will
e practically forgotten.
It was the feeling which prompted
le government to make the phonoraphic
records of the voices of the
reatest of the living chiefs tor the
les of the nation. For some time
ast, now, these warriors on their
eriodic visits to Washington have
scorded on the phonograph their
)ngs and their legends for the .files
f the nation.
i so many years to pay for it/' sobed
an old man at the break of day,
s he gazed upon the ruins of his
ome. He was led away by a kindly
fficer and given a warm breakfast.
The loss to .the Augusta Chronicle
ill total more than $180,000. The
andsome new 10-story home has
een practically destroyed. All the
oodwork has been burned out and
ie structure presents the appearance
f a brick kiln after the fire has died
way. v ;
The flames from this building,
looting more than 200 feet into the
ir .last night presented a lurid scene
) the visitor entering Augusta. The
mpire Life building, an 18-story
:ructure, has been damaged to the
stent of about $200,000.
Prominent Augustans said today
lat rebuilding operations are to bein
at once.
Coffee was a much so'Ught beverage
lis morning. Thousands of Augusids
after an all night vigil flocked
) the cafes and there was also a
reat demand for sandwiches. It
as impossible to secure milk.
Today thousands of people viewed
le ruins of the houses destroyed last
ight.
Sudden?Almost Impossible.
"It was all so sudden," said a
3ectator, "and it did not seem posble."
A high wind was blowing
om the west. Once the Dyer buildLg
was aflame, burning brands were
mt flying in all directions. House
Eter house flared up and disappeared
3 if by magic. The fire was no re- 1
)ector of brick houses. They seemI
to crumble away like snow houses
nder the rays of the sun. Many of
ie finest houses in Augusta have
sen destroyed and the loss will run
l to the millions. The dying out of
ie wind was the only thing that
tved the entire town from destrucon.
There were many unusual features I
> the fire last night. One well known
ugustan, seeing that his home was
oomed, removed several thousand
hilars worth of cut glass, silverware
ad jewelry to a relative's home sev-al
blocks away. On swept the
imes, finally destroying the arcles.
Augusta professional men began
serious hunt today for offices. More
tan 400 lawyers, real estate dealers,
actors and others found themselves
ithout a place of business.
The Southern railway freight deat,
although in the path of the fire,!
scaped without injury.
Among the Columbians to make
te trip to Augusta last night was
ol. O. K. LaRoque, private secretary
i Gov. Manning. Col. LaRoque was "
>r many years chief of the Marion j
re department. He was placed in j
large of a Columbia squad and j
1 3 1 3 tliQ niffllt tn
OTKeU Iia.ru <1111 UU&iiuuc (
op the ravages of the flames.
The best of order has prevailed in'
ugusta during the disaster. All of i
le near-beer saloons have been i
osed and few arrests have been'
ade by the police. |
y
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1 1 P
22 Augus
W.S. ELKIN, JR. ate
T Charle
a prominent druggist of Atlanta, Ga.f ais
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PREMIER CARRIER OF THE SOUTH. i .
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ASSENGER TRAINS SCHEDULES ^ |
EFFECTIVE JANUARY 23, 1916.
All Trains Ron Daily.
rive Bamberg From No. Leave Bamberg For ^5^
ta and intermedi- 24 Branchville, Charleston
stations 5:05 a. m. and intermediate staiston,
Branchville tions 5:05 a.m. \
intermediate sta- 25 Augusta and intermes
6:25 a. m. diate stations 6:25 a. m.
ta and intermedi- 18 Branchville, Charleston
stations 8:43 a.m. and intermediate sta- '
iston and inter- tions .... --- --- --- ---8:43 a. mv -V 'I J
liate stations ....10:57 a.m. 35 Augusta and intermedi.
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ta and intermedi- 22 Branchville, Charleston
stations 6:37 P- m- and intermediate staston,
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intermediate sta- 17 Augusta and intermedins
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Nos. 17 and 24?Through sleeping car service between Bamberg , V"*S?
* ^*39
-Schedules published as information only. Not guaranteed. j . '--ifem
For information, tickets, etc., call on \
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