The Cecil Whig., 1881-06-04
\ BIC, FIRE.

\ BIG FIRE.
Burning of the Waring Fertilizer Com
pany's Extens I'VE Works al Colora.
About Forty Thousand Dollars Worth Q. Stock
ana Machinery Destroycd-A Train
OF Cars Burned Etc
On Saturday, night, n little past u O'Clock.
ire was discovered issuing from the roof of
the bone and fertilizer mills at the Waring
Company, ut Colora. The alarm was given
Immediately, but by the time Il force sutti-
cient 10 attempt to eNtinguish the fl lanes
had gathered, the fire had gained such head
way, that the saving OF the buildings and
contents was impossible, and attention WAS
turned to adjoining property and material
outside of the burning buildings. The mills,
with their entire contents, We're burned, en-
tafing a loss of about forty thousand dol
lars. 1t is thought that the insurance, to-
gether with the salvage from stock, will
nearly cover the loss. except small one "u
the building.
THE AIRING rI,RrILlZER COMPANY
is 4 stock corporation, of which Thomas
Warng is President. Wilson Warng, Vice
President. and Job ilaines, Secretary. The
capital of the Company consists of stock to
the amount Of so, 900, Si7 600 of which is
paid in in cash. The plant--that Is, the
mills and machinery-beloneed 10 the War
ing Bros, and the Company rented and
operated them, the stock belonging. of course,
to the latter.
rnE MILLS,
including the acid factory and chamber,
Were $40 feet long by TO feet wide, and two
stories high They were located within Il
hundred yards of the Philadelphia and Bal
tirnore Central railroad station at Colora,
and Immediately upon the line uf the road.
The building contained two engintS--oue OF
p, the other Ga-hnrSc power, the latter be
ing new. having but just been put in. and
steam mt'lc for the first time on Saturday.
Breakers, crushers, grinding burs. and all
. the latest improved machinery for the manu-
facturc OF their fertilizers, and preparation
of bone South Caroline Rock, all of which
was entirely destroyed, being valuable only
as old iron.
THE STOCK
on hand was not :" large rs it is at other
seasons of the year. the fire occurring just
about the close OF the spring season. They
had on hand, however quite Il stock of raw
material, some of which had but recently
arrived and was intended Tor the fall trade
The value of the entire stock OF all kinds
was about S3G, 900, and OF mill and niachin-
: cry Slu,Ooo .smong the stock We're about
fifty tons of sulphur. used in he manufic-
tnre Of sui phuric acid. \ great portion of
this was burned, ana in a molten condition
like fiery lava, ran down into small stream
near by, where il conltd IL. contact with
the water, filling NJ the bed of the stream
for Il distance Of a hundred yards In 1hc
acid chamber, which was composed of lead
, l16 feet long, % feet wide, and Is feet deep.
were stored sixty tons ii sulnhurc acid or
oil of yitrio. As soou as the fire reached
the leaden chamber it melted away, and
the acid poured ont in deluge over the
track made by the burning sulphur and
I
killing all fish and every living thing therein
! for a mile away.
ONE HUNDRED EEIS
were picked up within Il short space and
the banks We're strewn with all sorts OF fish
killed by the vitro!. There were also in
the building 800 tons crude South Carolina
Rock, one hundred and twenty tons OF dry
! bone fifty tons Of powdered bone, as much
more animal matter, thirty to fifty tons of
prepared fertilizers, fifty tons OF salts used
III the manufacture of vitrin,, Il large lot of
coal, and much other valuable stock, all OF
which was entirely destroyed or greatly
damaged by the fire.
THE ORIGIN
/ of the fire is unknown. hut If is thought to
have been caused by hot box The mill
ran mp to T. o'clock Saturday night when
all the hands, except two watchnen left.
One Of these was in the main mill and the
other in the acid department at the east end
of it. Neither of them discovered the fire
until the alarm was given. The one in the
acid room was in the act Of shaving at the
time of the alarm. The acid department
has always been considered the most dan
g-rous hut the fire originated hundred
feet away from it. The hot-hoN theory is
the only plausible one. y Journal in some
remote corner became hot just III the time
Of stopping the mill and aftcrward com
municated to the woodwork, and in an
hour all that remained of the extensive
/ works were the two huge stacks and the
broken, diSmantled machinery and par
TALLY burned stock, making one of the most
complete pictures of desoation and destruc-
ton Imaginable
\ TRAIN or CARS,
consisting of six freight cars, was standing
! upon the siding in front of the mills. These
We're entirely destroye ed, save the iron-work,
! the heat being so intense ALTHOUGH there
was plenty of force ready to push them
away, it could not be accomplished.
TWO IRON SAFES
We're used by the firm. These We're located
in the Office in the west end of the building,
1t point near where was stored a lot OF
luhricatin9 oil, and Just above them, in the
: second story, Il quantity Of manufactured
goods, sothat at this point the heat was fully
/ as intense if not more so than at any other
point When these safes were taken from
the ruins and opened, the contents of the
smaller onc-consisting principally Of pa
perS of reference, etc, of no mercantile value
was found to I've mass of ruins. In the
large safe were kept the Company $ hooks,
representing the bulk Of the seasons bust
ness. In this safe, also. Mere notes to the
amount of s., 900, and other valuable pa
pers. 1t was with fear and trembling that
the MesSrS. Waring proceeded to open it,
after finding the small one had failed. But
much to their satisfaction, its contents
proved 10 he in comparatively good condi-
! tion The backs of the books were Scorched
and some OF them fell to pieces: bur for all
practical purposes, they are intact. This
safe stood for several hours at a white heat
and as much longer at a red heat. We re-
| greet that the makers name could not be
made ont, the plaJe hcaringit having melted
AMI disappeared.
THE INSURANCE
iii tril n