The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1882-11-05
LOCAL MATTERS.


Yesterday evening about 5:45 O'Clock Mr.
Willie Cox, who Is employed as salesman
by Mr.. Otto Wigand. who conducts an oil
and paint business at 73j Main street, be-
tween Seventh and Eighth, went to bar
rel Of gasoline for the purpose Of drawing
some Of it. As soon as the oil commenced
to run, it from some cause ignitcd and eX-
ploded, scattering the burning fluid in
every direction and severely burning Mr.
Cox. An alarm OF fire was turned in at
Box 2j,.Qu Seventh and Canal streets, and
the Fire Department responded, the Tenth
street Hose Company reaching the spot
first. The rest Of the brigade, owing to
the rather rout-of-the-way point from which
the alarm was given, was somewhat tardy
in reaching the grounds; but they did
good work, and succeeded in about twenty
five minutes in getting the fire under con-
troll. At one time, while Pipemcn Blount
and Timberlake were In the windows Of
the house. tie oil suddenly reignited as
quick rs a fash, and the men had TO jump
for their lives TO the gronnd--a distance OF
twelve or fifteen feet. They declared that
il seemed like they were shot out OF the
windows. They were, however, not seri-
OuSly hurt by the sudden descent.
The material in the store was very in1am-
mable and the building partly Of wood. II
Is a patchwork two-story house, and was
once used as Il residence, and since has had
a new front added and been changed into 4
store.
McSsrs. Thornburg & Ramos, who have
recently occupied and rc1itted the drug
store at the corner Of Main and Eighth
streets, were in imminent danger both
from fire and water, but they wisely re-
jcctcd the Often-Oflered advice OF we'll
meaning friends, and refused to make any
attempt to move their stock. They simply
locked their doors, and relied pom the
efforts of the lircmon. The fire did not
reach them, and the water did no injury to
their handsome store, and only inflicted a
loss Of about two or three hundred dollars
upon furniture and stock I'm the back
rooms. Had they made any attempt to re-
move their stock, with all tint crowd on the
street, the street would soon have been
filed with broken bottles, and many
drugs and perfumes would have wasted
their odorS on the desert air.
The building next above Wigands store,
occupied by Mr.. John Schleichcr as a cane
manufactoIy and residence, was badly
damaged as to the upper floors by water.
He had no Insurance. The building, which
belongs to Mrs. Levy, was insured.
ThOrnbury Il Ramos were fully insured
in the Royal and the Greenwich, OF New
York.
The building occupied by Mr. Wigand
is owned 10y some OF the heirs OF the Davis
estate, Hon. y. NJ. Kelley agent. The
damage amounted to somewhere in the
ncighborhood Of six or seven hundred dol
lars. which loss is covered by insurance.
Mr.. Wigand has not vet been able to calcu-
late his loss. II will no doubt lie as much
as fifteen hundred dollars. lie is fully in
sured with T.. VI. Africnd & Son and L.
L. Alfriend, agents.
Mr. Nicholas Lovenborg, tailor, who
lived over the drugstore, was almost
washed out by the streams from the en-
gincs, and his furniture was badly dam
aged. No insurance.
Thomas Coveney. agent for clothes
wringer, who occupied store on Eighth
street, tumbled most OF his property into
the street, and some OF it was stolen. Loss
not large. No insurance.