Patrolman Bruce White's Heroic Role Remembered

Dear Mr. Goodwin,
My father, B. B. White was an Atlanta policeman on duty the night of the Winecoff Hotel fire. Since the Winecoff was within his beat, he was one of the first respondents. He worked his way up the stairs to alert guests to get out of the hotel before it became impossible for him to stay inside.

At 71 years of age my memory will be sketchy at best. He went with the firemen into Davison's (across the street) and up on the roof to aim water over to the fire. In 1946 they did not have ladders to reach the upper floors.

On the ground he assisted the firemen with the fire nets to catch the jumpers. It was while holding the net to catch someone, a woman (unseen by firemen) jumped from about the 10th floor and landed on my dad's shoulders and it was believed she survived. Unknown to my dad at the time he had suffered a back injury crushing five vertebra, but continued working through the early morning.

The fact that Bruce White was a policeman and a professional wrestler (aka: B.B., Hugh Winn and The Phantom) was what saved his life. However, his careers as a patrolman and a wrestler were ended.

We listened to him tell about going into the hotel rooms after the fire and when a Bible was laying open, it was untouched by the fire. I will never forget this.

The Atlanta Constitution and The Atlanta Journal had many articles on "Bruce White, Hero of Winecoff Hotel Fire" through the years. Coronet Magazine recognized him as a "Hero of the Year" and featured his story. I remember him being interviewed by a radio commentator each year on the anniversary of the Winecoff fire until his death in August, 1977.
Thank you for preserving the story of this historic hotel fire in Atlanta, GA.

Patricia White Attaway
Townsend, GA

Dear Patricia,
Thanks for remembering B.B. White for our readers.
Sadly, ladders still won't reach the upper floors of high rise buildings.
All best, Allen

Head Swelling Mail!

Dear Mr. Goodwin,
Received the book today... already re-read half of it.
I am actually replacing a copy I purchased at a now closed bookstore in Atlanta (right next door to the former Winecoff), and then foolishly lent to an as yet unknown friend. Your book on the Winecoff Fire was a mesmerizing read.
My old copy was autographed by Mr. Heys, so should it ever find its way back to me, I will have copies with both your signatures.
I hold your book in high esteem as one of the most in-depth, touching, and complete tales of any tragedy. You should be very proud of your work.

Sincerely,
Daniel Musher
Pittsburgh, Pa.

Hey Dan,
Thanks for the kind words. It really helps to hook up with the right co-author!
Best wishes and be safe, Allen

Suddenly Tested: With Lives In The Balance

Mr. Goodwin,

Can you please tell me if there is a list anywhere of all the firefighters who were at this fire. My daughter and I have found much interest in this history and would like to know if my husband's grandfather was there that night. His name was Albert Lamar Fain. He lived in Austell Georgia until his death. Thank you.
God Bless,
Darla Fain

Dear Ms. Fain,

I am sad to read of the passing of Albert Fain. Yes, he was one of the Winecoff firefighters. I interviewed him in the middle 1980s. He humbly told me this story:

He and the others had fought their way up the stairwell dousing fire as they went. He was ordered to vent the roof, a procedure used in fighting any structure fire. Unlike most fires, the hotel's roof could not be reached from the outside so he was forced to make a heroic run for the roof up the remaining flights of stairs through heavy smoke.

As his energy was waining he reached the door and burst through it. He told me of the relief that came with his first gasp of fresh air as he arrived. He also told me when he got there, there was a small group of survivors who had migrated to the roof earlier.

I vividly recall leaving that interview content that I had just talked to a genuine hero, a man with more courage than me. He escorted me to my car and watched as I drove away. He was, I think, a little pleased that someone had come to ask.

Be proud, he earned it for you,
Allen B. Goodwin


Mr. Goodwin,

Thank you so much for your response. This brought tears to my eyes. The short time I knew him, I loved him. We have talked about this over time and I just did not know how I would get this information. My daughters, Kylie and Kelsey will be so thrilled to hear this news. I sure wish he were still here so we could ask him so many questions. He did live a great life.

That night was so long ago, however when you read the book, you feel as if you are there... and you feel their pain and fear.

I am so glad that you took the time to make this information available to us. God bless you. We as a family were proud of Granddaddy before.. but now this just makes us feel like we know more of him.
Thanks,
Darla Fain

An Atlanta Reader Writes:

Allen,
I got your book on Monday and finished it this afternoon. I'm fascinated by tragedies like the Winecoff fire. At a young age, I was reading books on the Titanic and Kennedy assassination. I found, however, that not even the Titanic is as horrifying as parts of this disaster.

Your book was fantastically researched and written--truly a pleasure to read. Your work is indeed an honorable tribute to those who lost their lives so long ago.

I long to see the building now as I, like so many others, have ignorantly ignored it and its significance since moving to Atlanta. Perhaps I'll even talk my way inside as it may still be somewhat exposed as reconstruction appears to be incomplete.

I assume you've been inside on many occasions, and I would be curious to hear your account of the building as it stood vacant.

I'm pleased to see that it has been preserved (somewhat) and will continue to stand as a monument to heroism, love, and sadly negligence and corruption.
I hope others will, in turn, read your book as this building and the souls it entombs should be preserved in Atlanta history.
Thanks again, Eric Lauer


Gee Eric,
Thanks for the kind words about our book. I never could have done it without my co-author, Sam Heys.

Yes, we were inside the building many times. The place was already trashed. The remnants were of an assisted living home that was run by the Baptist Convention until 1981.

First, I was struck by the old time bathroom fixtures: huge bathtubs, push button flushers and duel sink spigots. The fixtures were familiar to me because my grandmother lived in and was employed by the Ponce de Leon Apartments, another William Stoddart building built in 1913.

Next, I was struck by the size of the rooms. They were very small by today's standards, long and narrow. One would want a suite in order to live there. Many did.

Next, I was struck powerfully by the view of the streets below. Even from the lower floors, the streets look far far away. Looking down I sensed an inkling of the fear and the thought progressions that the victims must have endured: progressions beginning with curiosity turning to casual concern, then to creeping fear and from there to a slowly building excruciating terror. This, all while trying to reason out a viable escape method. It made me shudder.

I toured every room, already familiar with the fates of the individual guests who had stayed in each one. I tried to picture the whole event playing out.

The most important visit to the building was with Bill Dodd, arson man. We located the areas of the fifth and third floors that had been damaged by intense heat. Despite efforts to repair the damage during subsequent refurbishments, we could clearly discern "pour patterns" and "spalling" in the concrete floors. Bingo! There it was: evidence of heat too hot and in places too many. I remain convinced that the Winecoff fire was intentionally set.

I too am pleased the building will remain standing, a monument to lots of things, the very advances in fire safety science that the fire inspired, among them. Funny, I never thought of the Winecoff Hotel building as a monument to love.
Now I see it is that too.
Allen


Allen, Wow!
How I wish I had read your book sooner! I worry that the current renovation, "adaptive reuse" they call it, will rob the building of most of its past. I figured you did some investigating. When you described the "spalling" in your book, I immediately wondered if, under the existing finishes that undoubtedly masked it, evidence of the 1500 degree heat was still there. To think what modern forensics could prove today given all the evidence hasn't been completely removed at this point.

I chose the word "love" carefully in fact. When you described families who chose not to jump but to lay together and, sadly die together, instead, that said "love" to me.
Eric

Nice, Eric.
Another inkling: I sense the words of a father.
Allen

Handed Down Memories

Hi Mr. Goodwin!

I received your book a few days ago. I apologize for not letting you know sooner but I have been busy. I was a history major in college and have been very interested in all history.
As for a family connection to the fire, not really, however my aunt, Pat Harper Parker, worked in a coffee shop somewhere around there and was on duty that night. She remembered serving coffee and cold drinks to not only workers fighting the fire and tending to the wounded but also onlookers. She brought my mother and uncle to see the aftermath several days after the fire.
I wish I could remember where she said she worked but as she died several years ago I can't ask her and my mother was only 12 and she doesn't remember where my aunt worked. She does remember going to see the ruins and remembers being affected because several people around her age died there.

Have you any information on the big Atlanta fire that happened around 1917 or so? I saw a reference to it somewhere but I have never seen a lot of info on it.
I really enjoyed your book and thanks!
Nikki

Dear Nikki,

Thanks for the kind words about our book. That's a very interesting story about your aunt Pat. Thanks for sharing it with me.
Hamburger Heaven was very near the Winecoff Hotel. That is where Alice Edmonds (the night maid) bought hamburgers and coffee shortly before the fire and brought them back to the third floor linen closet.

Yes, I am familiar with the 1917 fire. It started on Fort street and burned northward all the way to Ponce de Leon Ave. Homes along Ponce de Leon had to be dynamited to create a fire break. I have a family connection to that one.
My grandmother was an eyewitness to the Great Fire of 1917. She watched it from atop the Ponce de Leon Apartments (now The Ponce Condominiums) where she worked for more than sixty years. You can read the basic facts of that fire here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Atlanta_fire_of_1917

Best wishes and be safe, Allen

Ella Sue Mitchum Remembered

Dear Mr. Goodwin,
I ordered your book for my daughter, she is our family historian. My grandmother Alma Mitcham Smith had a brother his name was John Thomas Mitchum (for some reason he spelled his name differently than the rest of the family). He had a daughter whose name was Ella Sue Mitchum. I believe she was with a youth group when this fire happened. Sadly enough she was one of the many casualties.

You may already have this information, but I will send it to you anyway, if I can locate it quickly enough... It is a newspaper article on my great uncle's search for several days trying to find his daughter's remains. I know back then that adults were sort of hush-hush about things that they thought would upset children, so all that was really said around us was that Sue had died in the Winecoff Hotel fire and little was said about how bad it really was. It has only been very recently that I have learned how tragic this fire really was.

They say that the divorce rate after the loss of a child is extremely high...my great aunt blamed my uncle for Sue's death and they ended up divorcing. From what I understand she was not in favor of her going on this trip and he let her go anyway. They ended up divorced because of it.

I think I have the article in my documents. I will email it to you if I can find it. Thanks so much for your interest in this, telling the story and being a voice for the victims of this tragedy.

Best Regards-
Carol Hicks


Dear Carol,

This is a doubly sad story indeed. I have read your second e-mail and yes, I do remember the article, "Grim Hunt". I read it in the Atlanta Public Library in the middle 1980s.

Re-reading it brought back the solemn mood that enveloped me throughout much of our original book research. Suddenly and automatically I began reading again to myself in a voice reserved for an adult breaking bad news to a child. I remember the gentle cadence well. I relied on it often during the saddest parts of our research.

Thank you for writing to me and thank you for remembering Ella Sue Mitchum.

Best wishes and be safe,
Allen

New Information on Arson Investigator Found

Reader Bill Baker reports that a family history book reveals new information on the life and career of Winecoff Fire arson investigator Asa Nuckolls. Nuckolls was a premier arson investigator of his time, a veteran of at least twenty seven major probes of fires and explosions including the Texas Grain Ship Fire. His testimony (given by deposition due to his failing health) to the jury in the civil trial two years following the Winecoff Fire asserted that the fire was intentionally set.
Here is what Mr. Baker reports:

AS PART OF HIS CAREER RECORD WE SHOW HIM BEING A CHEMIST WITH
ILLINOIS STEEL CO 1905/1906.

THEN A CHEMICAL ENGINEER, UNDERWRITERS LAB INC.FOR
CHEMISTRY AND HIGH EXPLOSIVES FROM 1909-1946

FINALLY AS A CONSULTING CHEMICAL ENGINEER, UNDERWRITERS
LAB FROM 1946-1950.

THERE IS A NOTE ON ASA IN THE NUCKOLLS BOOK THAT AT HIS DEATH
A NOTICE WAS WRITTEN UP IN THE NEW YORK TIMES AS A FAMOUS
ATOMIC SCIENTIST.

Personal information:
THE TWO REFERENCES ON THESE DATES COME FROM THE FOLLOWING:

THE FIRST VIRGINIA NUCKOLLS AND KINDRED BOOK II
PUBLISHED BY THE NUCKOLLS WORLDWIDE KINDRED ASSOCIATION

E-MAIL DATA BASE ON BRITISH CHEMICAL COMMUNITY 1880-1970

ASA HOPKINS NUCKOLLS WAS THE SON OF DR. JOHN WALTON NUCKOLLS
AND LAURA BUNCH HOPKINS WHO WERE MARRIED 06-05-1878.

ASA WAS BORN 1880 IN SPRINGFIELD, TN
HE DIED IN 1951 IN WHEATON, IL

ASA WAS MARRIED TWICE

1ST TO MYRTLE MONTGOMERY IN 1910. THEY HAD ONE CHILD
HAROLD HARRELL NUCKOLLS.

WE DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO MYRTLE OR HIS SON

2ND MARRIAGE WAS TO HELEN GATES ON 02-03-1928
TWO CHILDREN FROM THIS MARRIAGE
MARY ELIZABETH BORN 05/03/1929
JOHN HOPKINS NUCKOLLS 11/17/1930


Mr. Baker also reports he is himself an eyewitness to to the fire scene:

MANY YEARS HAVE PASSED, BUT HERE IS MY BEST MEMORY OF THAT DATE.

I HAD JUST TURNED 15 YEARS OF AGE (NOV. 10TH). WE WERE LIVING IN THE
TECHWOOD HOMES PUBLIC HOUSING COMPLEX. WE WERE ABOUT A MILE OR
SO FROM THE HOTEL. I WAS ATTENDING O'KEEFE SCHOOL WHICH WAS
LOCATED AT THE INTERSECTION OF TECHWOOD DRIVE AND 5TH STREET.
I BELIEVE I WAS IN THE 10 TH GRADE AT THIS TIME, BUT COULD HAVE BEEN
IN THE 9TH.

MY DAD WAS WORKING IN THE PARTS DEPT. OF JOHN SMITH CHEVROLET CO.
ON WEST PEACHTREE STREET. HE NORMALLY DID GO IN ON SATURDAYS
BUT A LITTLE LATER THAN ON NORMAL WEEK DAYS. I DON'T THINK WE HAD
A TELEPHONE THEN, AND OF COURSE NO TV. WE DID HAVE A SMALL RADIO
WHICH SAT ON TOP OF THE FRIGERATOR. THAT MORNING WHEN WE TURNED
ON THE RADIO ALL THE NEWS WAS ABOUT THE FIRE.

DAD HAD A YOUNGER SISTER WHO HAD BEEN WORKING AS A FRONT DESK
CLERK AT THE WINECOFF, BUT A SHORT TIME BEFORE THE FIRE SHE HAD
MOVED OVER TO THE BILTMORE HOTEL IN THE SAME CAPACITY. AT THIS TIME
I CAN NOT REMEMBER WHEN SHE MADE THE MOVE. SHE WAS LIVING IN AN
APT SOME WHERE BETWEEN THE TWO HOTELS.

AT THE TIME OF THE FIRE MY DAD WAS 43 YEARS OF AGE. WHICH AT THAT TIME
MAY HAVE BEEN THE START OF THE SENIOR YEARS, NOT LIKE TODAY.
THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME I CAN REMEMBER SOMEONE HAVING A "SENIOR
MOMENT". DAD FORGET THAT HIS SISTER HAD CHANGED HOTELS AND TOOK
OFF LIKE A SHOT TO CHECK ON HER.

WE DID NOT SEE HIM AGAIN UNTIL MUCH LATER IN THE DAY, AND HE SAID THAT
HE WAS HALF WAY TO THE WINECOFF BEFORE HE REMEMBERED HER CHANGE.
HE DID A COURSE CHANGE AND DID FIND HIS BABY SISTER. CAN NOT REMEMBER
IF HE FOUND HER AT THE BILTMORE OR AT HER APT. A BIG RELIEF FOR ALL OF
US.

AS FOR ME, ALONG WITH ABOUT 3 OR 4 OTHER BOYS IN OUR MID TEENS GOT
TOGETHER AND WE WALKED UP TO SEE THE HOTEL. OUR FIRST EFFORT
WHICH WAS TOWARD THE BACK OF THE HOTEL WE GOT STOPPED BY THE
POLICE AND HAD TO BACK ANOTHER WAY. THIS TIME WE WENT DOWN TO
BAKER STREET AND WENT UP TO PEACHTREE ST. THAT WAY.

WE STOOD ON THE EAST SIDE OF P'TREE (ACROSS FROM THE OLD ROXIE THEATER)
FOR SOME TIME, AT LEAST I TH INK THAT WAS THE NAME OF THE THEATER,
I CAN STILL REMEMBER SEEING SOME SMOKE AND MANY HOSES. FOR THE LIFE OF
ME I CAN NOT REMEMBER SEEING ANY SHEETS OR BLANKETS HANGING FROM
THE WINDOWS AS SOME CAN.

SORRY THAT I CAN NOT GO INTO GREATER DETAIL, BUT TIME HAS NOT HELPED
MY MEMORY.

THANKS,
BILL BAKER

An Atlanta Native Writes:

GOOD MORNING, MR. GOODWIN.
I RECEIVED YOUR BOOK YESTERDAY, 01-16-07. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SWIFT AND COURTEOUS RESPONSE TO MY PURCHASE. I HAVE AN OLDER COPY, MISSING THE DUST COVER, AND WORN FROM MY READING IT EVERY COUPLE OF YEARS. NOW I HAVE A BEAUTIFUL, SIGNED COPY TO DISPLAY.
ALTHOUGH I DO NOT KNOW ANYONE INVOLVED OR AFFECTED BY THIS TERRIBLE FIRE, I AM, HOWEVER, A 53 YEAR OLD NATIVE ATLANTAN, BORN AT CRAWFORD LONG AND RAISED IN BUCKHEAD. I LOVE SOUTHERN HISTORY, AND ESPECIALLY ATLANTA'S HISTORY. YOUR BOOK IS ONE OF MANY SPANNING FROM THE CIVIL WAR TO THE PRESENT.
I AM DELIGHTED TO GLEAN THAT THE WINECOFF IS UNDERGOING A RESTORATION. IT IS A BEAUTIFUL BUILDING, AND UNFORTUNATELY BECAUSE OF IT'S TRAGIC HISTORY, ONE THAT SHOULD REMAIN A LANDMARK. SO MUCH OF ATLANTA'S BEAUTIFUL ARCHITECTURE HAS BEEN DESTROYED AND REPLACED WITH CONCRETE AND GLASS. I WALKED AROUND THE WINECOFF A FEW YEARS AGO, WHEN IT WAS BOARDED AND NEGLECTED, AND FELT SADNESS. I DON'T KNOW IF IT WAS BECAUSE OF THE TRAGEDY, OR THE ABANDONMENT OF THE BUILDING, OR MAYBE A COMBINATION, BUT I HOPE NEW LIFE IN THE OLD BUILDING WILL CHANGE IT'S AURA. I PLAN TO VISIT IT AGAIN THIS SPRING.
AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR YOUR PROMPTNESS IN SENDING THIS SIGNED EDITION, AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED INTEREST IN THE WINECOFF. I WILL BE CHECKING WINECOFF.ORG FOR UPDATES.

SINCERELY,

SHERRY CANE SHAVER

A Reader in California Writes:

Hello Allen - Hope you remember me. I purchased your book a few weeks back and you sent me an autographed copy asking me to let you know how I liked it. I have finished it and found it very compelling. I think you and your co-author did an amazing job of research.

I have always been fascinated by the fates that placed people where they were when tragedy strikes ie the Ringling Bros. Hartford fire, Iroquois Theatre etc. and how they coped with the circumstances. You and Sam Heys (interesting variation on the spelling of my last name) captured much of that drama. Thanks for an interesting read. Best wishes for your continued success...... Tom Hays

Tom Hays is retired from the Los Angeles Police Department. Thanks for the kind words, Tom.

A Reader In Virginia Writes:

Your book was interesting to read and excellently researched.
Larnce Hopkins, Fairfax

A Reader in Rockmart, Georgia Writes:

Mr. Goodwin,

I have just finished reading your book about the Winecoff Hotel fire. Once I had a chance to really settle down and read it I couldn't put it down. So I've spent most of my day today reading it.
I have so many emotions running through my mind right now. I wish I could remember specific names of some of the victims but I'm sure you'll know who I'm talking about when I mention them shortly.
It's hard for me to believe that even back in those days there wasn't a fire escape on the building. That one thing could have changed the course of history that night. I'm so sorry it wasn't available to these victims. At times I found myself breathing shallow just as if I was in the smoke filled rooms with these people. Or wondering how they must have felt standing out on an 8'' ledge high above the ground. And then the poor souls who jumped, some lived, some died. But even the survivors were so badly injured from the fall that I'm sure they had problems from that for the rest of their lives.
I really felt a connection to the young men from Rome that was in the hotel that night. I live 20 miles from there and I know the mill village that you must be talking about in the book. Those young men would be in their mid to late 70's if they are still alive today.
Probably one of the most touching moments was when the Mother realized that she and her children were not going to survive she took them to the bed and laid down with them on each side of her and I'm sure tried to calm them as only a mother can do until they passed out of this world and in to Heaven. I hope it was quick.
Also the young high school girls who died along with their teacher. That was hard to read.
I wanted this book to end. I had read enough. I'm very concerned about how this fire started. Why it seemed no one would dig deep enough to find out for sure what happened. If that happened in this day and time the news media wouldn't stop until they had exposed everyone involved or even suspected.
I think it was arson. I think there was something underhanded going on in the hotel and that some of the staff was in on it. The Hotel Detective knew more than he ever told. I believe that. And the dirty cops were covering something up as well.
Thank you for answering all the questions I've wondered about for several years. People tend to want to put these tragedies out of their minds and move on...sometimes you have to get to the bottom of things before putting things to rest. I don't think the City of Atlanta done that in this case.
Sincerely,
Johnny K. Woods

Dear Johnny,

Thanks for your kind e-mail about our book!
Couldn't put it down? Mixed emotions? Wanted it to end? I know just what you mean.
The Winecoff fire: few studies can grip ones interest so tightly until you are too amazed, appalled, saddened, thankful or sickened to think about it anymore.
I wish you could have been at the remembrance ceremony hosted on December 3rd by the Atlanta Fire Department. Richard Hamil spoke. He and his father survived the fire, though just barely. His dad was the chaperone for the Rome boys. He never got over loosing them.
I have met and interviewed Richard on several occasions but when he got up to
briefly tell his story a few Sundays ago my back stiffened. I was on the edge of
my chair as he spoke. I know you would have been too.
Here is a link to a sixtieth anniversary story form the Rome News-Tribune:
http://news.mywebpal.com/partners/680/public/news767568.html
It tells about the boys from Rome, their brief lives, their accomplishments and
their hopes for the future.
Thanks for writing to me, Johnny. Be safe,
Allen