The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-01-09
THE WORK OF THE FLAMES.
Heaviest Loss by FIro Since tho ConiiRyru.
tion OF 1901.
Charleston Neu5 a,,d Courier
Very respectfully,
WM. ID. EvINs.

tion OF 1901.
fh0rieston Neu5 and Courier.
Ihe fire alarm was sounded yesterday
morning, from box 81, at seven minutes
To- 3 O'clock in five minutes the entire
city WAS illuminated with brightness
that was intense, SO intense indeed that
persons living nearly mile from the
scene Of the fire could read the smallest
print, while one standing at the Battery
could see almost every object on Meet
Ing street as far north rs Market street.
In ten minutes more the entire square
occupied by the four large presses and
the cotton warehouses OF the Union Cot
ton Press and Wharf Company, and the
lO,l6l bales Of cotton stored there, was
utterly cnvclopcd in flames. Atdaylight
what WAS the day before scene Of busy
life was smoulderng ruin, and over a
half million dollars worth of property
had been swept away. For
THE ORIGIN OF THE FIRE
it is impossible to account on any other
supposition than that it was the delib-
crate act of an incendiary. There were
number of rumors afloat in tile streets
yesterday, but none which gave the
slightest clue to the Identification Of the
supposed incendiary. Mr.. w. F. Sur
rat, one of the watchmen, states that on
his rounds, little before o'clock. he
saw man, whose color he could not tell
walking off from the shed, near the of.
flee, i'll which the fire started; that he
halted him, and, failing to get an answer,
he fired three shots ut him from his re-
volver. The man, however, escaped into
IllTckncy street, and has not been seen
since. "A few moments later he discov-
cred the cotton on fire in the shed whence
the supposed incendiary had come, and
sounded the alarm. Other persons state
that the alarm had been given and the
fire was under headway when the pistol
shots were heard. The flames spread
rapidly, aud by the time the fire depart
mcnt had arrived on the ground the en-
tire place WAS on fire, and it remained
only for them to cOntine the flames to
the cotton press. The damp weather,
and the light wind which was blowing at
the time, rendered this comparatively
easy task, although very disagreeable
oGc.
at 4 o'clock the iiremcn had the fire
pretty we'll under control. If the roofs
had been dry and the wind blowing,
nothing could have stopped the progress
OF tie names.
THE COTTON.
According to the count of the super
intendent of the press there were stored
on the premises on Tuesday evening TO-
l6l bales of cotton. This was owned as
follows: w. 2. Hall g. Co. 5,8SS bales,
knoop, Haneman e. Co. 1906 bales,
Street Bros. S39 bales, J. Nj. Pollitzer
83 bales, Pelzer, Rodgers & Co. bales,
scattering 40 bales. OF this amount
about 500 bales were rolled out and
saved in slightly damaged condition.
The aggregate amour: of insurance on
cotton, therefore, is $i65, 900, which will
about cover the loss.
THE LOSSES AND INSURANCE.
The Union Cotton Press and Wharf
Company was organized in 1875 with
Nj. +. j. Pelzer rs President, and, at the
time of the fire, the property, includ-
ing the real estate. must have been
worth Mt least 100000. Besides u num-
Der of large and commodious sheds for
the storing of cotton, there were four
steam congresses with an aggregate ca
pacity of abou: 2,50G bales Of cotton a
day; although during the last two years
only two of these presses have been in
use; the one on East Bay known rs the
Centennial Press was one of the Taylor
presses, the one that was exhibited at
tho Centennial Exhibition in 1875. The
cost of this was about $4,000. 1t was
enclosed in q fire-proof building, and, it
is thought, has escaped serious injury
Its capacity is 500 bales day. The
second press is one of the same make
and the same capacity. 1t was erected
in 1873, and cost about $4,000. In ad.
dition there was an old fashioned Taylor
press and n Tyler press, tho two being
valued at about $4,000. The three last
named were seriously damaged, if moi
totally destroyed. The loss to the com.
pany is estimated in round numbers al
about $4,000, upon which there was in,
surance to the amount Of 100000.
THE AGGREGATE INSURANCE.
The losses in property 6: all kind.
may ha sct down 81 1856 ,0999 in round
Numbers, and the insurance at SHaQ, 600
The following table. carefully compiled
from the statements of the parties in
terested, will show the proportion O
losses sustained by the various agencie:
in the city:
Ravenel, Bnwen & Co.. .S9S ,0u(
+. Tupper d Co.. $1,000
Colburn & Howell..... G0,00(
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