The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1883-05-05
A BOUNCING BLAZE.
DESTRUCTION OF CHILDREy,s OLD TO.
BACCO-FACTORY BUILolNG.
somo Adjoining Property Lost with
N-A Big Fire, but No Great Loss.

| 'iOCh yesterday afternoon 1lrt
broke out in the building at the northwest
corner OF Main and Twentv-fourth streets
iong occupied by j. X. Childrev as to-
hacco-iactory, more recently by X. A. Pat
tcrson Tor the same purpose, and for a few
months past by ID. X. Castlcmann as fertili-
zcr.works.
1t was owned by James Frederick Gum,
was three stories in height, fronted 1872 feet
on Main street, and ran back along Twenty
fourth street distance OF 100 feet to an
alley. A portion OF il at the alley corner
was occupied as boX-factory by p. II.
Kelly & Co.
The boX-factory was separated from the
main building by dead-wal; the room
on the second floor next to the box-factory
beng used as the drying-room for stems,
which, after being subjected to a great heat,
were put in n mill, ground up, and turned
into fertilizers. Before any alarm was
sounded from any quarter smoke making
its way into the boX-factory caused the oc-
cupants thereof to seek the soulce OF it,.
Mr.. Nelson Il. White, looking out OF 4
window on Twenty-iourth street, saw the
smoke issuing from the windows OF the
| drying-rOom. He and Mr.. Kelly were
prompt in giving the alarm on the street,
which was rapidly taken up by others, and
the people in the fcrtiliZor-works were no.
! titled that their building was on fire.
The young man who turned in the fire
alarm said that at that time the fire was be-
yond all control so far as the fertilizer
works were concerned.
SPREAD OF TIE FLAMES.
There was light breeze blowing, which
carried the flames before il, spreading
/ them to the adjoining buildings on Nam
street and TO a row OF tenement-houses in
the alley which runs parallel with Main
and Franklin between Twenty-third and
/ Twcnty-fourth streets. Many ncighhOr-
ing houses were endangered by sparks,
| but were saved.
The property which suffered was all
either in the track OF the flames or by rea-
son Of its proximity was set on fire by the
/ great heat Of the burning fertilizer build
| ing.
TIE LOSSES
were IS follows:
J.F. Gums building. northwest corner
OF Twenty-fourth and Main. This was an
old structure; had been enlarged from
time to time, as the growing business Of
the occupant demanded, and had once or
/ twice before been burnt i'll part. That
portion Of it used for the fertilizer manu-
factory is what may he called total loss.
| The old bricks are about all the salvage
/ there is. That portion in the rear occtI-
pied Ly Kelly & Co is more damaged by
| Woter than fire. Mr.. Guun is insured for
$4,000, in the Mutual Assurance Society OF
| Virginia. He thinks that that will not
cover his loss. II was in the office OF this
| building then occupied by j. X. Chldrey.
] f,f \
shot.
D.R. Castlcmann, of louisville, the pro-
prietor OF the ferlilizer-works, which were
managed by Mr.. W. Z. Bragg, saved next
to nothing. Mr.. Bragg and most Of the
bands were at dinner when the fire was
discovered. The stock and machinery viii
prove total loss. His insurance is-On
fixtures and machinery, $1,000 in PhGniX,
of Brooklyn; 81 800 in Williamsburg City,
and 81 900 IN Rochester German; OH stOci,
81 900 in lmperial-tOtal, $1,000. The loss
! i not known.
PHI. Kelly & Co. will suffer by the in
terruption OF their business and by damage
to their machinery and stock, both by fire
and water. They are, however, amply
covered by insurance; indeed, the in
srrance-men hope that their losses here
will not exceed % per cent. The stock
and fixtures were insured Tor $4,000 in the
/ Queen, OF England; machinery and fixtures
| Tor $500, in Washington Fire and Marine
Company, Of Boston. Total insurance,
: 3, 800.
These were all the losses in the old Chill
drey building.
OTHER LOSSES.
The other partial losses on Main street
were n small One-story framed bari er-shOp
and two tWO-anG-a-hali-stOry brick tenc-
ments. \ c0lorcd man named Robertson
( kent the barber-shop. Mrs. Costello lived IN
one Of the brick tcnements (23l4. and Mrs
Johnston in the other (23l2) But one Of
/ these three (2314l is reported insured; that
and number Of small brick tenCments in
/ the .llev. rented to colOred people, belonged
10 Mr.. Bernard WhittGamp, upon which
/ fhere was an insurance in the star OF New
/ York TO the amount Of $4,000. The loss
will hardly exceed 900, it is said.
THE SUN TOTAL.
The total loss will not exceed 100000; (;
/ bv many il is thought that it will not be
/ SlS.OO0. As will be seen, it is nearly covered
by insurance. ,
The two Main-strect houses not reported
insured scarcely suffered beyond $500.
As to the exact origin Of the fire there is
very little information. 1t is generally
supposed that it originated from the oven
or driving apparatus, because it was first
seen in that part OF the house; but that is
all that is known.
WRECK OF FURNITURE.
These losses do not include the damage
done TO the furniture OF numerous resi-
Jcnts Of the vicinity, who, under appre-
henson that the fire would spread across
Main street and include all the houses on
Twentv-tbird street, with more hurry than
care hustled their household goods into the
street.
There was a large breakage and some
sfeologe account from this proceeding. The
losses are distributed among many, but fall
ouite heavily upon nearly all. As gene
raj thing such persons had no insurance
whatever, and it was question with them
nj the time if they had not better try to
save some than possibly lose all their pre-
perty. -
THE FIRE-FIGHTERS.
The fire brigade did good work. and il
the water-mains had been large enough TO
have afforded a sufficient stream from the
MUG ut the corner Of Twenty-thrd and
franklin streets the fire would have been
controlled sooner, and the intense excite
ment aud alarm OF residents on the square
between Twenty-third and Twenty-iourth
on Franklin street prevented. As it was,
the many factories in the vicinity had al
most drained the mains, and the stream
was not much larger than one from hy-
diant.
Chief G. Watt Taylor was in the State
Rank at the time the fire was seen, and
while there a policeman came in and told
him a fire was i'm progress at the lower end
of Main street. He jumped in his buggy,
and before any other alarm had been sound