The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1856-03-12
CHEAT FIRE m AsHLANDi..-THE
WOODEN FACTORY IN RUINsii


Our town wal visited with the most
destructive IRE on Saturday night last,
that has ever occurred in our midst.
The Ashland Wooden Factory-that
which every citizen of our place was
wont to hook upon with pride, and to
FIRST point out to the stranger as the best
evidence of the enterprise and industry
Of our town-in less than q hour was
reduce8to q blackened mass of ruins, by
the ~devouring element. About 81 o.
clock a bright fame was discovered in
the basement of the Factory, immediate
ly over the engine. The alarm was i'm
mediate!y given, and our citizens aud
fremeu rushed manfully to the rescue,
The FIRE engine was instantly mann
ed, but unfortunately the valves were
frozen up, and the engine could not be
worked. Some time elapsed before the
u of the difficulty was discovered,
and, in the meantime, the flames had
spread so rapidly that nearly the whole
building was enveloped in flames. Had
the engine been in working order when
it first arrived on the ground, there can
be but little doubt that the building
might have been sayed.-Seeing that it
was impossible to say the Factory, as
soon as the engine was set to work every
effort was concentrated at ono point.
viz: to save the Touring Mill adjoin-
iug-separated from the Factory by a
space of about ten feeti For nearly an
hour were the breaks" worked without
any cessation, and two streams of water,
one on each side of the buildings, poured
into the open space, or the roofs and
against the walls, and strange as it. may
seem, the Gouring Mill came off almost
unscathedi For this gallant feat, too
much praise cannot be awarded to the
fremen of Ashland. Never did an en-
CINE work better-never did iremen ex-
hibit such o determination to conquer.
Their efforts on that night will never be
forgotten By our citizens.
AS we have stated, when the fire was
first discovered, all present supposed that
the flames would soon be by the engine
extinguished, and no effort was made to
remove any thing from the Factory.
Had the spectators wen to work at re-
moving the machinery, cloths and other
valuable articles that were easy of &C
cess, a large amount of property might
have been saved. We can look for a
great deal from u engine and iremen,
bat let this be a warning to u citizens
not to depend solely on their exertions.
The confagration when at its height,
was a grand sight. Large quantities of
grease and oil were in the building, and
when the floors and roof fell in, the
the sight vas grand beyond description.
Bright sheets of fame mounted up to
the height of a hundred feet. Then a
vast cloud Of smoke arising from the
burning oil and wool rolledl up, follow
ed By another sheet of fame. The fall
ing timbers opened the valves of the
engine below and also broke off steam
pipes; the steam rushed out and blew
up a vast cloud of sparks and burning
timbers, scattering them far and vide.
1t was q grand but terrific sight-we
trust we may never gaze upon its like
again, in u W village especially.
The loss is set down at about $4,000.
Mono of the machinery, some of which
it is said was very valuable, was saved.
A thousand yards of unfinished cloths
and a large quantity of wool, was also
consumed. All the finished cloths, we
understand, which were kept in an ad-
building, were saved. There
was also $4,000 of insurance in the Stark
Mutual which, if paid, will reduce the
loss to $4,000. This loss will
fall heavily upon the principal stock
holders-Messrs. P. s. j RIssER-who
are almost, if not entirely ruined. They
have been in embarrassed circumstances
for some time, and we're laboring with
a degree of energy that would have freed
them from their indebtedness in a short
time, when they have been again pros
trated by this unlocked for calamity.
Mr.. s. NJ. SMITH, the Superintendent,
whose energy and thorough knowledge
of the business had long since been
manifested, and under whose charge the
business was daily becoming more profit
able, had every dollar of his means in
vested in the stock of the company, and
is q second time left almost penniless-
he having Suffered q similar calamity
some three years ago. Verify, "mis-
fortunes never come singly." We need
not assure the sufferers of the deep
sympathy felt for them by their fellow
citizens-their charity they do not ask.