Augusta Chronicle April 18, 1925

TWO MEN KILLED IN SWAINSBORO BLAZE. KNOWN IN AUGUSTA
Clifford T. Berry and G.H. Bailey, Two of Three Men Crushed by Falling Wall Well Known Here
BOTH FUNERALS WILL BE HELD SATURDAY
Fireman And Policeman Fatally Hurt While Pouring Water On Doomed Building

Clifford E. Berry and G.H. Bailey, two of the three men killed when a brick wall fell during the disastrous fire at Swainsboro, Ga., late Thursday night have relatives in Augusta and were well known throughout this section. Mr. Berry was a grandson of Jesse Thompson, former Augusta businessman, and a nephew of Mrs. Owen O. Moore of 257 Telfair Street. Patrolman Bailey was a brother of M.R. Bailey, a member of the Augusta Fire Department, who left for Swainsboro immediately after being informed of his brother’s death.
The funeral of Clifford T. Berry will be held from the Swainsboro Methodist church tomorrow morning at 11 o’clock and the Bailey funeral will be held from the same church tomorrow afternoon at 3:30 o’clock.
Mrs. O. O. Moore left for Swainsboro early yesterday morning and Mr. Moore will leave for that place this afternoon. Harry Thompson, also of Augusta, and a cousin of Clifford T. Berry, left for Swainsboro immediately after hearing of the tragedy.

SWAINSBORO, GA., APRIL 17—Three people met death here in a fire that destroyed the Swainsboro Grocery Company. The dead are Clifford Berry, member of the volunteer fire department, G. H. Bailey, night policeman, and Cleve Cowart, also a volunteer fireman.
The fire broke out last night at 10 o’clock in the brick structure occupied by the Swainsboro Grocery Co., the fireman succeeded in keeping it confined to the building. The three persons met their death when one of the brick walls fell, pinning them underneath. Their bodies have been removed.
The fire loss has not yet been estimated. The building occupied by the grocery was one of the largest here.


ALARM SOUNDED

When the fire broke out a call was sounded and volunteer firemen responded. At one o’clock this morning the fire was under control. A few men were left at the scene to see that the blaze did not spread and to continue to pour water on it.
The three men killed by the falling wall were pouring water on the flames when the wall collapsed. C.T. Berry was one of the most prominent young business men here, a son of W.M. Berry, a prominent merchant. Gus Bailey had been night patrolman for some time, and Cleve Cowart was a well known turpentine dealer. He leaves a wife and several children.
The fire was under control when the three men were killed. Many of the town’s citizens had joined in to save the building, and when the flames died down, had returned to their homes. The three men were beginning to recover the fire equipment when the brick wall, under which they were standing, collapsed. This was about 2 o’clock. The fire started at 10 o’clock last night.
Berry, aged 25 and Bailey, 40, were killed instantly. Cowart's body was badly mangled but he lived until this morning. Owners of the store are at a loss to understand how the building fired. One of the members of the firm stated he had a gang of negroes packing flour in the building yesterday afternoon and it was possible some of them may have been smoking and cast aside a burning cigarette.
An odd feature of the blaze was the burning of the brick structure and saving the wooden part of the building. The building was quite a large one, being operated as a wholesale concern.
The loss is place at $50, 000.
All three of the dead men were married and had families. Their funerals will take place Sunday.