The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1882-03-27
A GLOOMY TINE.


was doomed.
Such was the exigcncy OF the occasion
Mayor CarringtoB, after briefly consulting
with the Chief Of the Fire Department. de
TO telegraph appeals to Peters
burg and to Washington for help from
heir fire departments. Petersburg could
not be called. The Washington men go
ready to come. when the order was coun
termanded.
MILITARY ORDERED OUT.
For the protection Of property Colone
Anderson, OF the First regiment, was ask
I'd to call out the military, which HI
promptly did by sounding on the fire-bell'
the military alarm-fiiteen taps.
Most of the men were at the fire, ant
many did not hes3 the alarm, but the turn
put was sufficient for all practical pur
poses. Luckily they were not needed. A
.oon az the fire was gotten under contro
hey were dismissed, with many thanks.
DUST AND SCOT.
All the time the wind was blowing th'
smoke and SCOT from the burning building
il was also raising great clouds OF dust IL
the streets. Dust and SCOT went hand il
hand TO blacken the faces, to reddcn th'
eyes, and to damage the Sunday clothes o
our population. Many gentlemen OF i'm
cleanliness OH most occasions yes
terday returned to their homes from th,
fire looking more like chimney-swceps thai
the nice, nappyfellows that they were whei
they started out.
FIRE DEPARTMENT.
Such was the rapidity Of the progress o
the flames across the river; such the quick
ness with which they extended to th
near the arch, that some person
who were in the factories at one time wer
TO have perished. One got ou
nearly dead from sufiocation.
The firemen did all they could. That tn
fire was scattered; that it was almost unap
proachablc by reason Of the topography o
that section; that it travelled ahead taste
than they could keep along with it, was no
their fault. They worked very hard, ant
they saved much property that would hay
otherwise been destroyed. Honor to them
BRIDGE HISTORY.
The bridge which was destroyed yester
day was built about 1888, and was destroyed
by fire at the evacuation, April 3, 1865. |
was rebuilt in 1866, at q cost OF Sis, 24j.07
upon the Howe plan, and was 2,s62 feet il
length between the abutments, and was di
vided into nineteen spans. The truss wa
lG feet in width and IS feet in height. Th
track was 90 feet above low water in th
river.
Afcw years ago, for additional protection
against fire, its rooi-that is, the foo
upon which the track was placed-wa
covered with corrugated iron. In view 0
the Sre which recently took place at tb
iron-wOrks OF Johnson & Co., below anr
TO the east OF the bridge, the company hat
10 replace the three span
nearest Richmond with spans OF iron.
DETAILS OF THE FIRE.
The spark that lit the great conilagratio
fell from an engine. All hands agree upo
this theory. The exact engine that droT
ped the spark is not known. The I
o'clock passenger train going south wa
hall an hour late, and passed over tn
bridge about noon. Later the Frederick.
burg Connection engine recrossed tn
bridge from the Manchester side, tn
exact time ~ near as il could be guess
ed being about 1920. Ten minutes late
flames were discovered past the secon
section of the bridge, and more than tw
thirds Of the distance from the Richmon
side. At once an alarm was turned i
and the Fire Brigade promptly responded
but before they reached the Byrd-Stret
depot the bridge had fallen to the waite
and was a mass OF ruins.
Nothing could have been more combust
BILE than the bridge-a fact easily account
ed for on account OF the amount OF greas
dropped from passing trains, which reac
the bridge at once from the depot after th
boxes OF the wheels and the engine hay
been creased.
TO show how readily the bridge burne
and how rapidly the flames spread we Civ
the
STATEMENT or JAMES GIBBS.
lie said he was on the Manchester sidC
near the kaolin-W forks, when he disc0yerc
the fire. He at once started along tll
bridge until he reached the burning pol
ton thereof.
At this time the wind was blowing froI
up the river ut high rate, and rs tn
fire was getting well under way, Nj
Gibbs started to retreat. IL was rae
with the fiery element, which he declare
reached the Manchester side almost .
soon as he did.
When the bridge fell the portion at th
Richmond side set fire TO the grist-mi
owned bv Mr.. Thomas L. Smith. Thi
building was completely destroyed, and
the only one that was on the left of th
bridge as approached from Richmond.
PRovIDENTIAL RELIEF
III till> iluc was tNttuucl, tJc WIN NcSl
ing more TO the east, and causing the fir
to take a more westerly course. This save
the old shell building known as the Peter,
burg depot, and saved also that portion G
the Connection railway-track trestle, IN
line Of the fire following the trestle-trac
OF the Tredegar lron-Works. 1t first seize
upon the tobacco factory OF II. NJ. Ruthel
ford a. Co., and then swept ahead, consuu
ing the tobacco factories of II. A. Pattei
son Il Co., +. G. Williams & Co
Armistead & Co.. the tobacco stemmt
ries Of Il. G. Williams & Co. (brick build
ing), tobacco stemmery Qrame building
OF G. X. Barksdale, also frame reprizery
operated by same gentlemen Stephen NJ
Tayloi's frame stables, j. A. Hutchinson
frame stemmery, two stemmeries belong
ing to Mrs. Carlisle and operated by Nj
Hutchinson; the Vulcan Iron-W orks, opt