The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1874-04-22

swer came from a person near the door
'.Haxaips mills are burning upn Thereupo1
there was a general stampede, though Col.
w. P. Burwell was addressing tue meeting.
and had just reached the height Of his argu.
ment. Mr.. Crenshaw, who was the chair.
man, seemed to have nearly all the self.pos.
session of the crowd. o:' saE - '"r
One Thoughtful gentleman made motion
that the meeting adjourn until s O'Clock To-
night, and though everybody was as fast as
possible leaving, Mr. Crenshaw put the mo-
ton with due formality and announced it
carried: lie then leisurely left the stage and
passed out at the door. u - =. .'.'.@
The two houses Of the General Assembly
were in session when the fire broke out.
They nobly withstood the ringing OF the
! bells, but when the fire tit up the Capitol
Square and the Capitol building they both
adjourned, and most Of the members betook
themselves to the scene OF the confagration.
WHAT TIE vAFoHHAx SAYS. ......
The watchman on duty in the main build.
ing says he had been up in the foom where
| the hre originated only few minutes before
| the alarm was given by the outside watch.
man, who, In passing between that building
and the stables, saw light glaring from an
upper window. ~ t.s;- &.
The two Watchmen then attached the
hose that was kept in the mill and carried it
up to the floor where the fire was burning,
put when they got there they were too
banded by the; smoke from the burning
oran 10 distinguish the precise locality of the
nre. JUST then the hose bursted and they
were unable to do anything more towards
aVertlng the calamity that followed. =
The watchman thinks the fire could only
have originated by the cverheating of the
machinery, as no other person than himself
had been 10 the mill after night, and he had
lcarrled with him when he went to oil the
machinery, only well-secured lantern.
from which no fire could possibly have been
communicated. BE asserts positively that
he was in that very room five minutes be.
fore the alarm was given, and saw no Hre
and did not perceive any smell of smoke.
| TEX LOSS,
The loss to Nessrs. Haxall, CrenshaV q
Company, consists in the burning of three
immense buildings filled with costly ma.
chinery, large stock of grain stored In gar
ners in the centre building, and vast guam
titles Of bran, ship-stuffs, &c.
The greater portion Of their stock Of hour
was stored on Virginia aud Cary streets,
/ though there were 2, 900 barrels in the store
house which was not destroyed, and there
we're few hundred in the mills. A portion
of the latter was saved and removed to the
Danvile depot.
Some of the -four in the storehouse was
damaged by water and the heat from the
mills, which were only separated from it by
the mill-race and roadway, together about
fifty feet wide.
| The total loss to the proprietors, consider
ing the absolute destruction OF property and
damage to their business, does not fall tal
short of 100000.
THE LATEST.
At halrpast 2 o'clock this morning tht
fire was under control, but the four steam
fre-engines were still at work. When tn
walls fell in several members Of the Fir
Department were injured by the fallint
bricks, but none seriously, that We could as
certain.
Mr. Tinsley, foreman of Company A, wa
considerably cut about the head, but his 10
}juries were not seriolsA In this connection
| it NAV be remarked that steamer A (Hand
in-Hand) was placed upon the bridge Whlci
spans tile canal which Feeds the mills abou
i've minutes after the first alarm VIA
sounded and the engineer and the fireman
remained at their post, Notwithstanding th
close proximity to the fire and the intens
heat, until the flames were entirely subdued
Several times they were compelled to retrea
behind the engine to prevent their clothing
taking fire, and once during the night tn
waste which the engineer used In cleaning
his machine, and which was lying on TIT
air.cyiinder, actually did take fire.
This fire has demonstrated the efficiency
and faithfulness of the Fire Depart
ment of Richmond. But it shows
the immediate necessity for additiona
apparatus, and especially for better quality
Of hose.
The firemen on the occasion had to work
under peculiar difficulties. On the soutt
front was the river; the buildings were un
lapproachablc from the east because of deer
foundation, dug some years ago for new
building.
On tGc north there was B1ill-race, crossed
by only one narrsW bridge, and between il
and the buildings only q narrow, covered
roadway. On the west there were mum
ber of long low buildings of very inhamms
bic material.
The elevators in the mill furnished q per.
feet draught, which famed the flames. The
hurnipe cirdcrs were continually dropping
throucS the floors below, and as soor
as the attention of the tiremen was called tc
one point the flames burst out at another.
| THE entire community syBpathize with the
gentlemen who have sustained this immense
less. and whose large manufacturing enter
l nrise has so long been source OF credit and
profit to the I city enc STATE.
TIE INSURANCE..
twas well nigh impossible to ascertain
ANYTHING definite concerning the insurance
upon the property which was destroyed al
the late hour at which We were compelled
TO close this report. The following losses
4 however, are mentioned
virginia Home, SIC, 900; Mutual Assurance
Society, $4,000; Richmond Banking ano
INSURANCE Company, SIC, 600; old Dominion
s5 900; Virginia State, $4,000; Southern
Mutual, Merchants and Mechanics, amoun
not sscertained; Maryland Insurance Com
nsnv S5 600: Albemarle, $1,000; Home, o
rolnmbus. Ca, S5, 900; Home, of Columbus
Ohio Is 600: National Insurance Company
Of baltimore, $4,000; London, Ltyerpoo
and Globe, $4,000 Imperial Insurance.
Comnany. $4,000; Savings Insurance Com
nanv. of Petersburg, $5 900; Manhattan In
snrance Company, New York, $4,000.
There are other large insurances, but tn
nojicies were contained In Mr.. Crensha~''
safe. and the amounts could not be aseer
tanned.
The Home Insurance Company, OF New
York. of which Mr.. J. II. Montague u
agent. had policy of $4,000 on the mill
until Monday last, when they declined u
renew for the reason that the policy wa
considered too risky.
POLICE CoUBr, TuEsDAY.-Justice White
Henry Breeder, charged with feloniousl!