The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1875-08-28
BARK. AND SuMAC.MILL BURNED AT
tWenty.threa minutes nast Z O'clock last eve.

BARE. AND SuMAC-MILL BURNED AT
twenty-three minutes past O'Clock last eve.
ming the Fire Department was called out in
response to an alarm from box IA, corner of
Tenth and Byrd streets, occasioned BY the
discovery of fire In the engine.room Of the
extensive brick bark. and sumac mill of
Messrs. Smyth, Snyder & Co., situated on
the west side of Tenth street between Canal
and Byrd streets.
The fremen required to respond to an
alarm from that box were exceedingly
prompt In reaching Tenth and Canal streets,
where they were stationed in order to get
supply of water from the basin. But while
they we're waiting for steam the fire made
considerable headway, and by the time the
steamers got to work the shed which ad.
joins the mill on the north, and under which
the engine which works the machinery for
the mill was stationed, was almost entirely
consumed. The flames were now drawn
through the windows into the mill proper,
and attacking the light timbers, sumac,
and bark on the second floor, soon
set the whole western end Of the
building inside on FIRE. 1t spread from floor
to floor with great rapidity, and 1t was not
more than half an bour before the entire
building was hepelessly in flames. A second
alarm was about this time turned in at Sta
tion IA, and the Brook-aveDue steamer (D)
and the Church Hill Hose Company (F)
turned out. D company's engine took
position on the basin bank with the others
and put on another stream. Indeed, seVe.
raj OF the engines bad two streams of water
each playing upon the mill during the pro-
gress of the fire. But the efforts OF the
fremcn to save the iding were futile, and
seeing this they determined in case of neces-
sity to protect the other property in the VI
cinity.
Upon the first floor of the mill there were
$50 tons of manufactured bark on the same
11or IS tons Of unmaDuiactured bark, ana
100 tons Of unmanufsctured sunac. There
was also in the mill one of Il. IL. Smith d
Co.'s elevators. which ran the entire length
of the building; two bark.mill5 upon the
second floor, bark.packer on the first
floor, and sumac mill; all Of which were,
of course, totally destroyed. The machine
ry was valued at about Sc, 800. and the stock
Of sumac and bark at about sl4 900.
The building was owned by Captain Jonn
A. Coke, Of this city, and was insured for
81 ,500-S3. 900 in the Richmond Fire Asso-
citation. and 81 500 in the City Fire Insur-
ance Company.
hessrs. Smytb, Snyder & Co. state that
they were insured 10 the City Fire Insurance
Company. OF Richmond; Commercial, Of
Richmond; end the Amazon Cd. N. Walker
& Co.. agents,) for about $4,000; but the firm
could not at the tine Of the fire examine the
policies to ascertain the exact amount.
The fire appears to have originated in the
eugine-room, although the engineer states
that be put out the fire in the engine before
be left.
1t was extremely fortunate that it was
raining at the time of the fire, and that the
roofs Of the houses were all wet; for had it
been otherwise the destruction Of property
would have been very great. A north wind
was blowing and the sparks fell in show
ers upon all the houses south Of the burn
ing building.
Thousands of persons stationed them
selves on the basin bank or elsewhere in the
neighborhood where they had view OF all
that was going Oh, and many remained until
the fire was entirely put out.
The charter of Messrs. Smyth, Snyder Il
Co. was procured in May last, but active bu.
sinesS operations were not commenced until
about the middle of June. The building
which they occupied was formerly Glaze
brooks warehouse,