New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-03-24
The Ohio Falls Car COmpany's shops De-
s.rOyed by Fire-S20O,OOO Worth OF
Property Destroyed in an Hour.

The Ohio Falls Car Company's shops De-
s:royed by Fire-S20O,OOO Worth Of
Property Destroyed in an Hour.
The Louisville Commercial of Thursday
reports the following:
Yesterday afternoon, about two. O'clock,
when the vast works of the Ohio Falls Car
COMPANY, in Jacksonville. were in full
operation. smoke was discovered issuing
fro,u beneath the floor of the woodwork
machine SHOP about 100 feet south OF the
cnciaehouse. The alarm was at once
sounded in the yards and several OF the
officers and men rushed to the spot and
tore up the floor to eXtingUlsh the ire
Dense and irresistible volumes of smoke
poured out Immediately and drove them
back. and in less than three minutes the
whole building was wrapped in the fiery
embrace of the flames.
The wind, WHICH had been rising since
early in the morning, was now blowing
nertpct hurricane, and the broad expanse OF
omen country west of the works gave that
dangerous element enormous strength 10 ;uu
its destructive ally in the business of ami
hilation The e,istible power with which
the flames grappied with the wood work
shop NAV be Ini4gined when it is known
that no use could he Iuade of the fire pug
and hose in he space between the boilers
and the building, nor of the large fire plug
a few feet east OF the north end OF the struc-
ture In this shop were stored quantities OF
hard and soft wood used for the various
purposes OF car building, and second
story over the south end was devoted to the
pattern making of the establishment. This,
of course. was total loss with the engine,
boilers and valuable planning, tonguing and
growing, mortising and renonlng machines,
all of which were OF the most approved
work manSEip.
From the woodwork shop the flames
leaped to the passenger car shops. located
north of the main works, both OF which
were consumed. In the passenger ear shop
were several coaches, of which the men sue
ceeGed in saving the following: Two Mis-
souri, and Pacific passenger cars, two North
Canada passenger cars. and one Milwaukee
and Northern car.
Several box cars in the freight car shop.
were gotten out with much difficulty, and
about fifty, which stood on the yard track
west of the burning buildings, were saved
by a switch engine The number Of cars
consumed we are unable to learn. although.
there must have been many left in the
shops. About twenty new Jetfersonvllle.
Madison and indianapolis railroad cars
were also saved
! From these buildings the flames flashed
over to the iron machine shop, which was,
full of valuable machinery, and large
leaving them in a white heat; thence to
the blacksmith shop, full OF machinery,
FORCES and a large quantity OF iron. Ihis
shop contained two superb new bolt-head-
ing machines, just put in at an expense OF
$4,000.
The foundry, which was next attacked,
adjoined the blacksmith shop, the foundry,
iron machine and blacksmith shop being
connected partly under gravel roof. The
force Of this shop was just melting the daily
allowance of iron, amounting to thirty tons,
when the fire broke out, and, in an lncon-
ceivably short time, the flames had closed
around the structure, and patterns, TASKS,
wheclplts, cranes, etc. We're swept away IN
the common destruction.
From these buildings the fire hungrily
swallowed several sheds and leaped eighty
feet eastward, destroying one-story mould
ing shop, warehouse, and attacked the brick
enginehOuse III the eastern boundary of the
Enclosure, which was used. by means of
wire cable, to turn the machinery in the
foundry opposite. This building ESCAPED,
but the two-story building south OF it, con
tanning the stable, pattern storeroom. and a
buggy shed, was soon in flames The ap-
plication of a charge from a Lithgow ex-
tinglisher, however, partly saved the con
tents, which consisted OF the really invalu-
able patterns Of the company the accumu-
lations of seven years labor, and which
can not be, replaced if destroyed. Ia the
southeastern corner of the ground stand
the office, the upholstery shops and the
charcoal she'd all vi which We're untouch he'd
On the east of the works stand twenty or
thirty cottages, occupied by the employees of
the COMPANY. These people, upon the ai-
proach oi the flames, moved all their ELECTS
into the street, and prepared Tor the worst,
the widest pxcitepent prevailing Tor tline
among them: but the fire was promptly
checked at the east fence. and their houses
escaped without injury. The large quaint
ties of lumber piled north and west of the
shops escaped material injury. Three
mules and four horses owned by the com
Dany were saved.
1t is the opinion OF the president, Mr..
Sprague and other officials that the fire was
the work of an incendlary, as there is no
stove in the wood work machine shop. nor
is smoking allowed on the premises, neither
was there any agent or principle of sponta
neous combustion about the building
The total loss to the company by the fire
will not fall far short of 100000. Their
loss above insurance on the property de-
stroyed will be at least sJo.O0O
The company had a general insurance
upon their works CT S!99, 5O0.
The Ohio Falls Car Company'5 works oc-
envy twenty-six acres OF ground, three and
a half acres of which were under roof. The
company was organized in June. 1901: with
cash capital of 100000, and has had I'M
paraIleled success. They now do work for
all Western and Southern roads. having
on Yesterday contracts ahead for S75c,0oO
worth of work. They employ 100 men, and
were doing daily business of $4,000, turn
ing out ten freight cars per day and two
passenger cars per week.
The officers of the company are, Joseph
w. Sprague, president and superintendent;
William Crchton, Jr., secretary and treas
L. Smyser, billiard Ricketts,, NJ. l.. BeIknap
S. A. Hartwei.
The stockholders are as follows: S. & A.
Hartwell, J. 5. Lithow, J. L. smyser, Ed.