Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1879-03-23

The fierce wind, rain, hail and thunder
storm which swept from the southwest over
Memphis on Friday night was hurricane.
The clouds beloved. and vast sheets of fame
and forked lightning darted athwart the sky
in every direction. 1t was tempest that
rioted from midnight until early yesterday
morning. Ia the midst of the storm, when
the wind, rain and lightning were at their
highest revelry, the mills of the Memphis
cotton and wooden manufacturing company,
situated on the corner of Second and Coffee
streets, South Memphis, were discovered on
fire. 1t is supposed that bolt of lightning
struck the main building and caused the con-
fagratlon which followed. This was about
three clock yesterday morning. The watch
man, at that time, was coming out of the
engine-room, when, looking up, he discovered
blaze of light in the second story of the
main building. He Immediately ran to the
office, which is some distance from the mills,
and called the superintendent, Mr.. Woods,
who, on making his appearance, saw that the
entire building was in fierce blaze of fire.
Within an hour the mills and contents were
destroyed and burned to the ground. The
fierce wind swept through the burning build
ing, and carried boards and timbers high
into the air, and even heavy masses OF
the iron roofing were lifted up and carried
three hundred feet from the burning build
lngs. One of the steam hre-engines arrived
rapidly, but the mills were soon destroyed.
The fremen, however, saved the Office and
the wool store room.
THE BUILDINGS BURNED.
The new main building was built of brick,
three stories hIghr and had iron doors, and
was fifty by sixty six feet. 1t was regarded
as 6re-proof from without. The building
was full of improved machinery. The
ground floor was the finishing department
tt e second story was the carding-rooms, and
IN the third story were the sewing ana knit
ting machines. OF this building and con,
eats nothing is lett, not even a piece of tim
Der; the window frames, iron doors, hocrs,
machinery, stock, ETC., all are gone, and the
building tumbled to pieces. When the We st
wall fell outward it broke through the iron
roof of the
PICKING-RooM, ETC.
This building was twenty-siX by thirty-slx
feet In size, one story high, was built of
brick, had iron doors, windows and iron
roof, and was regarded as fre-proof. 1t was
separated irom the main brick building by
an Hey some four feet IN width. It was
built esp cially IN. order to protect the mills
from danger Of fire and to save Insurance,
ald which resulted 10 a reduction of the in
suranCe of One-haif of Gee per cent. The
falling of the walls Of the main building,
which broke through the iron roof of the
picklDRhouse, set tins latter place on fire. and
it also was emit. ely destroyed North Of the
picking housa were the dyehouse, engine and
boller-rooms and water tanks, and these
were also swept away by the fierce fire, the
machinery, engine and boilers being irrepar-
ably damaged.
THE OLD BUILDING.
This building was forty by one hundred
and twenty-five feet, was three stories high,
and had an iron roof. 1t was built of wood.
Il contained large amount of the very best
machinery. the latest improvements IL every
Hon look
fall over eight thousand dollars worth of new
machinery had been put up in this building.
The ground floor was the weaving room, the
second story was the spinuing room, and the
third story contained the stock in process of
manufacture.
THE BUILDINGS SAVED.
The wool-shed, frame building, was
saved by the fremen. This building was some
one hundred feet away from the mills. 1t
contained a stock of wool and dyestuffs val
ued at some FIVE thousand dollars. The Of
fee, which is also located at distance from
the mills, was saved. 1t contained several
thousand dollars worth of manufactured
goods.
LOSS AND INSURANCE.
The insurance consists of policies taken
out il the following named companies:
Queens, Of Liverpool, $4,000; Mobile I'M
derwriters, $3.50; Fire Association of Ph,la-
L
Mississippi Valley, $3.50; Manhattan, of
New York, S2500; lancashire, of Manches-
ter, $2500; Home, Of New York, $500; in
surance company of North America, $500;
Peoples, of New Orleans, $500; New Or
leans Insurance company, $500; Equitable,
OF Nashville, $2500; Home, of New Orleans,
$2500; Union, of Galvs ston, $1250; Niagara,
OF New York, $3.50; Sun Mutual, of New
Orleans, $3.50; Home, of New York, $2500;
Niagara. of New York, $3.50; Royal Cana
dian. $3.50; Atlantic, of Now York, $500;
Northwestern National, $500; Western as
surance. of Toronto, $500; British Ameri-
can, $500; Mechanics and Traders, of New
Royal, of Liverpool, $2750; Phoenix, of
Brooklyn, $4,000. Total amount Of insur-
ance. 600; on building and machinery,
S45, 600, and SIS, 900 on stock.
ESTIMATED LOSSES.
The officers of the company estimate the
losses on buildings, machinery, manufactured
stock and stock IN process of manufacture, at
from eighty to eighty. five thousand dollars.
The total net loss over insurance is therefore
from twenty five to thirty thousand dollars.
This is about the direct loss, but the indirect
loss, caused by inability to ill orders and
comply with contracts, and being out of bust
ness during the business season, cannot be
estimated at present.
HISTORY OF THE COMPANY.
year 1919, and were completed and put in
good running order la 1877 but since the
yeliow-iever epidemic several thousand dol
lars worth of new and improved machinery
has been put into the buildings. The mills
turned out over eight thousand yards of
cloth per week, beside a large amount of
yarns. The comp any had recently received
orders from an eastern factory for four tons
of yarn. The same company would have
purchased from the wooden mills this year
thirty thousand pounds of white and colored
yarns. Other factories had like orders for
yarns.
OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS.
The officers OF the manuf ,cturing compa-
ny are as follows: I. Il. Milburn, president;
NJ. L. Neacham, vice president; John NJ. |
Peters, treasurer; w. w. Currie, secretary. |
The directors were: Messrs. T. H. Milburn, |
W. W. Currie, J. III. Miller, John III. Peters, |
John K. Ftppin, John Cochran, M. l.. |
Meacham and J. w. Clapp.
CONCERNING REBUILDING.
The proposition to rebuild the cotton and |
wooden mills will have to be submitted to the |
at an early day. Twenty. five |
thousand dollars in stock is owned outside of |
Memphis. The stockholders residing here
favor rebuilding. Should the work of clear
ing out the debris, with a view to rebuild,
to morrow, the mills could not be
ready for wo.k before the first of January,
1880.
OUT OF EMPLOYMENT.
By the destruction of the mills some one
hundred and twenty people are thrown out of
employment. There were ffty-eignt hands
On the payroll at the mills, and some sixty
Or more were employed up town. The mills
were running short OF some twenty-five
bands. and efforts were being made to secure
them. During the yelow-fever epidemic
thirty of the best hands died, and 1t has been
a difficult matter To reDlace them IT, wasin-