The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1863-05-16
LOCAL MATTERS.

| Destructive Tor observation-disclosures Of the
| Crenshaw Wooiiea WiN and a PorEoa IF The
| Iredegar Itorks.-About 2 O'Clock Yesterday
| morning fire broke out in the Crershaw
Woolen Mill, Of this city, resulting in one Of
the most destructive and disastrous c0Lnsgra.
lions w hich the city has ever been called upon
to gutter. The fire originated, aud was first
difcovsred. in the picking room of tae-Cfen-
shaw WO0llen Mill situated on the canal, and
although it had made but little headway when
discovered, such wac the combustitie nature
OF the material in the room that the flames
spread with q rapldlty that soon envelOped the
whole building. aud prevented anything from
being rescued from the DE- struc'ive element
The splendid machinery of the faetory-the
loes Of which ut the present time is irrepar
ble-is involved in the ruin, besides heavy
stock Of material used io the manufacture Of
cloths. This material includes over 80 900
pounds of wool, in the various stages of pre-.
parat'0n for manufacturing purposes. In ad.
dition to this there were in the building and
destroy ed. with everything else, some forty
pieces of fui<hed gooos, double width, amonnt-
ing in all to about 900 yards, and come 600
to o00 yards Of the same goods woven, but
not completed.
This mill was the most extensive and vslua,
bic of it's character in the CoDfederacy and its
loss will be ssriously felt. Since tie com.
mencement of tke war it has be en- supplying
large amounts Of tie most servicsabIe cloths
for our soldiers. besides finer as&ic.e Of goods
for citizens wear and officers uniforms AT
the time OF its destruction it was making abont
, 600 yards of double width goods per week,
with a capacity to manufacture annually goods
sufficient 10 cl0ths ffom10, 900 to 50, 900 men.
BY this difaster about $50 operatives are
thrown out Of employ Ths Insurance on
the buiiGiax, machinery stock &c amounted
10 something over $4,000. 1t is Impossible
at present to form anything spp-oximating All
accurate estimate of the loss sls.ained
From the woOilen mill the ire rapidly spread
to the valuable shops Of the Trsdegar works,
aud before the flames could be arrested the
machlne shGpa, boring mills pattern shops,
blacksmith aad carpenter shops of that exten-
sive and valuable establishment were destroy
ed. The extant Of damage done TO the machi-
merry in these shops could not be ascertained
yesterday, as much of the machinery was of
an indestrqctible character. and may possibly
not have received any serious injury. The
rolling mills and casting departments Of the e.
tablishment were not injured, and it was the
opinion Of the superintendent of tbs works
tnat in few weeks operations might be re-
suned in the boring department There was
a large number Of heavy guns en- hand, ready
for Service, v hioh, va are gladtO sa.e, receivs
ed little or no in juTy. 1hs loss in the pa,,srn
shops, it is presumed will be rather heavy, ew-
ing 10 The difficulty III replacing patterns A
large number of hands were yesterday at work
clearing away the rubbish, and rescuing the
machinery from the ruirs. The loss to the
proprietors of the works will be very heavy,
aud the delay in manufacturing guna will, to
soma extent, be fe't by the Government; Lu.,
as stated, it ia not thought that this delay will
BE- pTotracted beyond few wSAks The works
TeIe partially insured 10 the following oIices
viz Mutual ASSURANCE Society, Il chmoLd
Eirs Association, Virginia Fire and Marine In
sur;.nce Company, Old Dominion Insurance.
Company. Merchants Insurance Company and
Alabama Insurance Company of Montgomery.
Yesterday morning, when the news spread
through the city that these establishments had
been burned, the conjecture was general thas
quities satisfy US tia: the origin If TIE Ii ie was
entirely acc;dental.