The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1876-04-06
GheqntelLia
Burning Of the Benwood Mills
Twenty Thousand Kegs OF Nails
DestrOyed-HeaVy Loss 10 the
Company and Operatives.

A very destructive ere occurred at Ben,
wood last night, by which the large anu
valuable property known as the BenTOOa ,OS
Nail Works was entirely destroyed Inc
property destroyed consisted Of two Nan
factories, running over a hundred ma,
chine, and Forge department, running
number Of pudding and heating FUR
nace., train Of rolls and other valuable
m.cbinery, and warehouse con ntaining
several thousand kegs Of nails.
The fire broke out about 10 o'clock
sround the blueing machine, in the North.
en,. corner Of the mill, a few shavings
having taken ere and communicated to
the side Of the building. It's spread, from
our accounts at midnight must have been
very rapid, as in few moments that part
Of the mill was in sheet Of flame. There
was no time to give general alarm until
the whole building was too far gone to
.eaye any hope OF saving the establish
ment.
The employees were naturally con.
cerned to save their houses, and their
contents, in the immediate vicinity and
besides there were no facilities beyond
the buckets, always depended on hereto
fore, wherewith to check the progress OF
the devouring element. In very brief
time, therefore, the two factories, the
Forge, and the Warehouse, were all in
flames, and at the end Of one hour were
all mass Of burning ruins.
The loss to the company will be heavy,
inasmuch as 10000 kegs OF Nails were
destroyed, worth at least 100000, on
which there was only partial insurance.
The mill is probably pretty we'll insured,
as the company are in the habit Of carry
ing a pretty full line. The loss to the
operatives will be disastrous indeed.
They lose their means OF Subsistence for
months to come, a disaster that will fall
upon many of them with great severity
Many Of the operatives are stockholders
The capital stock OF the company is
S50O,00O, and includes the property de-
stroyed, some sixty or seventy tenement
houses, and furnace at Martins Ferry.
Their works at Benwood represent say
So5O,OOO OF their capital, counting ma
chinery of all sort, and buildings i'm
mediately connected with the works.
Later-At2 9 o'clock this morning We
have further advices from the FIRE. The
insurance on the mill, including nails
stacked on the floors, is Ss5,O0O, and is
very largely in foreign companies-per.
haps fully seven eighths Of it. The wind
seems to have been blowing from the
Southeast, ,inasmuch as neither the cooper
shop, blacksmith shop,uor Office, all close
by, were burned. The warehouse stands
sixty Ieet north OF the upper factory and
was swept by the flames at an early peri
cd in the conaagration. About half the
nails destroyed were in the warehouse,
and there was no insurance on them
The loss will therefore be total on 10000
kegs, say $4,000. The loss on The
mill i; not now known, save as
to the nails stored in it. AL
depends on the condition in which the
machinery will be left, and this cannot be
known for day or two. A meeting OF
the Directors will take place this evening
after which stockholders meeting will
no doubt be Immediately called and steps
taken to rebuild. The remaining pro
perty of the company at BenwOOd de-
pends largely for its value on the rebuild
ing of the works.