Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1885-12-04
LOCAL.
Rankin's Wooden Factory Burned.

TOTAL DESTRUCTION OF ALL THE
BUILDINGs-THE SAW MILL. AND CORN
MILL Too-Loss THREE TIMES MORE
THAN THE INSURANCE.
The wooden factory of j II. Rankin
was located about one and half miles
from Stuart's Draft in this county, aud
had been ia operation for fourteen years.
About twenty persons were dependent on
its operations for employment and sup
port. The factory, dye house, wool house,
cloth room, corn mill, and saw mill. all
lay in a connecting group. La this wool
room there was $1,000 pounds of choice
wool, sorted and prepared for dyeing.
worth 80 cents pound. In the cloth room
meres, worth from SOC. TO 81 yard, and
500 pounds of stocking yarn. In the corn
mill was 400 bushels of oats, 200 bushels of
rye, and barrels of flour. Mr.. d. W.
Dean was the superintendent of the works
and boarded with Mr.. r ankin.
About midnight. Thursday, Mrs. Dean
was up with sick child, and saw strong
light through the window. She found it
was the mill and Mr.. Rankin ran up
moment after, calling to Mr.. Dean that
the mill was burning. The wooden mill
was well on fire, the flames from the burn
ing saw mill fastening its destruction.
About all that could be saved from the
flames was about 500 yards of cloth. The
group of buildings was soon in ashes. The
level waste of ashes was only varied by
mounds of unconsumed iron machinery
and about $500 worth of wire that had just
been bought for cloth cards. MI. Rankin
was insured for $4,000 in the Phoenix Co.,
ST. 600 in the Virginia State, ST. 600 in the
Hamburg-Bremen, and on the buildings
for 81 $40 in the East Augusta Mutual
Insurance Co. His loss, above his insur.
ance. is estimated at about $13 600.
The origin of the fire is not clearly as
certained, but the circumstances attend
ing it point strongly to its being the work
of an incenGiary. That afternoon wagon
load of fl our was put in the mill, but after
the fire not vestige of its ashes could be
found. It is thought that the mill was
broken open. the fur stolen, and the
building then fred to better conceal the
theft.
This calamity to Mr.. Rankin will be
universally regretted. He has been citi-
zen full of energy and enterprise, in our
county Since he has been running his
wooden mill he has put up some twenty
buildings il the vicinity, including school
houses, churches, dwellings and store
houses. La his mill be had just been to
the expense of reftting it largely with
new and more modern machinery, and he
had so firmly established the character of
his goods that even in this depression in
wooden goods, his easily found market.
To meet the demand, he some months ago
established depot in Staunton on Au-
gusta street, under the management Of
Mr.. j. W. Fisher, for their sale. He is a
man of unbounded charity and it Is said
that no man in want ever went from his
door unreleved.
Mr.. Dean was in the city Tuesday on
his way to Bridgewater, to look into
Eoolen factory said to be for sale there,
and to purchase it if the terms are suita-
BILE. The removal of one from among the
few industries that our county has, IS
greatly to be regretted, and it seems pity
that joint stock company cannot be
formed and the man ufacture of cloth con-
tinued within our borders.