The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-01-09
THE WORK OF THE FLAMES.
Heaviest Loss by Firo Since the Conflagrs-
tion OF 1861.
Charleston News aud Courier
Very respectfully,
WM. d. EyINs.

The 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 as Market street.
In ten minutes mUre the entire square
occupied by the four large presses and
the cotton warehouses of the Union Cot
ton Press and Wharf Company, and the
10, 161 bales of cotton stored there, was
utterly enveloped in flames. At daylight
what was the day before scene OF busy
life was q smouldering 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
a number of rumors aaoat in the 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
fee, in which the fire started; that he
halted him, and, failing to get an answer,
he fred three shots at him from his re-
volver. The man, however, escaped into
Hinckney 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 we're heard. The flames spread
rapidly, and by the time the fire depart
ment had arrived on the ground the en-.
tire place was on fire, and it remained
only for them to confne 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
one.
At o'clock the fremen 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 the flames.
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. P. Hall G. Co. 5,SSS bales,
Knoop, Haneman g. Co. 1906 bales,
Street Bros. S39 bales, J. M. Pollitzer
SO bales, Pelzer, Rodgers & 20. 6 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 S465,0O0, which will
about cover the loss.
THE LOSSES AND 1SsUsANcE' H.
The Union Cotton Press and Wharf
Company was organized in 1875 with
Mr.. i. j. Pelzer as President, and, at the
time of the fire, the property, includ'
ing the real estate, must have been
worth at least 100000. Besides num-
ber of large and commodious sheds for
the storing of cotton, there were four
steam congresses with an aggregate ca
pacity of about 2,500 bales of cotton a
day; although during the last TIVE yenrs
only two of these presses have been in
use; the one on East Bay known as the
Centennial Press was one of the Taylor
presses, the one that was exhibited al
the Centennial Exhibition in 1875. The
cost of this was about $4,000. 1t was
enclosed in fre-proof building, end, it
is thought, has escaped serious injury.
Its capacity is 800 bales day. The
second press is one of the same make
and the same capacity. 1t was erected
in 1875, and cost about 100000. In adj
dition there was an old fashioned Taylor
prcss and n Tyler press, the two being
valued at about $l5,OG0. The three last
named were seriously damaged, if not
totally destroyed. The loss to the COM
pany is estimated in round numbers at
about $75 900, upon which there was in
surance to the amount of $780, 600.
THE AGGREGATE INSURANCE.
The losses in property Of all kinds
may be SET down at s556,0Q0 in round
numbers, aud the insurance at SlaQ, Gee.
The following table, carefully compiled
from the statements of the parties in
terested, will show the proportion ol
losses sustained by the various agencies
in the city:
Ravenel, Bnwen & Co................$9S, ,00C
F. Tupper & Co. Co....,......... $1,000