The Brookhaven leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1883-1891, 1885-06-18
FIRE IN WESsoN.
A Large Portion Of the Town Laid
In Ashes. and q Large Amount
Of Props. ty Destroyed with
but Little Insurance.

June l4ih, the room seemed 10 be
unusually filed with smoke engui
ries were made, but the Lodge was
informed that the smoke came from
Turner's bath room below, when no
further consideration WAS given the
matter. The Lodge closed at III
o'clock, and at o'clock fire was
discovered breaking out Of the roof
of the Hall on the South side, which
originated at the West end. There
was no fire whatever in the lower
building the party who claims to
have been first at the scene SAYS
there was fire on the outside at the
South west corner of the lower sto.
nv, and that it climbed between the
ceiling and weatherhoarding. break
ing out of the roof, all along the
South side at nearly the same time
The entire building was soon de
stroyed. Below was the store of A.
Westerfieid Il Co. and Turner's bar
Der shop. The fire travelling south
ward next burned the store Of Beck
er Il Lee, John Marion, Abrams l.
Berger and the Methodist Church
Becker & Lee saved very few OF their
goods, being nearest 10 the Masonic
Lodge, aud catching only few min
utes after the fire broke from the
root. The Methodist Church was
about 40 feet from Abrams d Ber,
ger and it was hoped by all that it
might he saved, as the wind was
blowing from it, but it readily
/ caught and burned rapidly The
building was almost new and cost
$4,000. Only 3 days previous to
the burn, it had been insured for
$1,000, but the loss is severe. The
fire travelling westward from Ma
sonic Lodge, burned the Mayors Of
flee and below the Jcwc!ry store Of
b. f. Collins and confectionery Of F.
J. Smallwood. Next was the old
barber shop, then the Drug Store OF
a. l.. Harper d Co. store of Hailam
d Son, Dampeer, Riley & Co, W. j.
Finch and shoe shop. Dampcer,
Riley d Co. had large stock of
goods with very small insurance,
! but were Fortunate enough, however,
to save good many Of their dry
goods. The fire crossed the street
north from their stone, burning their
ware house and al. its contents.
store ut +. II. Thompson, the Mill
merry shop Of Ms. Martins, large
, ware house belonging to Wimbcrly
IL Rea, the store OF ". j. Williams
and al empty store house Just west
The fire from f. II. Thompsons, go
ing west on Spring street, burned
the town market, the Times printing
office, and Ellzey's livery stable.
The fire was burning from first to
last about thlcc hours. The Mis-
sissippi Mills furnished a number of
rubber pipes and water, by the aid
Of which, other buildings were saved
and the fire was much slower in do
ing its work, but Notwithstanding
all that, and all the diligent labor of
500 or more men, the flames could
not be extinguished and a great
deal of valuable property was de
strOved.
We understand there were 10
thousand dollars insurance on the
entire property, which is very
small proportion of its actual value.
The Mississippi Mills building was
itself imminently threatened. A
chunk of fire passed over the first
factory, falling upon lot of wood
beyond, setting that on fire. But
the Mills had all their hose out and
every preparation made to food the
buildings with water in case the fire
caught it. Had it not been tor the
water it furnished through the pipes
laid all over the business part Of
town, every store here would have
been destroyed.
OF course there are thousand
theories as to the origin of The fire.
1t is generally conceded not to have
been the work OF an incendiary, for
no one has been protited by the fire.
Some suppose it to have occurred
from spontaneous combustion, 9th
ers that a cigar stump may have
been thrown near the corner of the
building and caught something that
gradually worked into blaze. 1t
is very certain that no lamp or can
die was left burning in the Lodge
Hall, for parties were passing on the
outside till o'clock and do not rec
ollect seeing any light in the build