The Russellville Democrat., 1888-12-06
TRIED BY FIRE.
One Compartment of the Melrose
Mill
Completely Quilted, Entailing
Heavy Loss.

About three o'clock last Tuesday al
! ternoona fire originated in the lint room
In the basement of the Metros
cotton mill and soon com
municated with the lappe
room above, where the most combusti
| BILE material used in the mill was stored
aud spread with such rapidity that be
| fore the excited populace could answeI
| the alarm it was evident that it woult
take herculean efforts to save the i'm
mense building and its valuable con
tents from complete destruction. Ir
the absence of an organized fire depart
ment the sole reliance was the excited
| undisciplined crowd that had congre
gated and hundreds of WILLING workers
volunteered assistance and fell to work
with will. Fortunately two large
tanks filled with water and good sup
ply In the we'll were in close proximity
and from these both q hose and bucket
brigade worked like trogans for four
hours and had their efforts rewarded
by combining the fire to the single CON-
partment in which it originated. To
do this required the strenuous efforts OF
several hundred persons, many OF
whom never did harder four hours
work In all their lives. The demolish-
ed room was separated from the main
building as was also the engine room
and the boiler room by fire wall
reaching from basement to roof, these
made it possible to confine the fire, with
out them the entire building would have
inevitably been destroyed.
The room destroyed contained some
of the heaviest and costliest machinery
in the mill, and without which the mill
cannot be operated at all. These are a
total wreck.
The loss will be between $4,000 and
$1S, 000, on building, stock and machin :
cry. The company carried insurance to
the amount of $33 600, hence will be
able to recover their full loss.
The management cannot say definite
" when the damage will be repaired,
as much as our reporter could learn
was that it would be impossible to re-
sumo operations i'll less than two
months.
This misfortune is serious blow to
Russelville and the large number OF
operatives dependent upon their wages
for daily support.
The ardent wish of every citizen is
that no trouble will be experienced in
Tile duJustmeHC vi lHo ihsuihHS VI ~
the prosecution of the work necessary
to the resumption of business.
SPARKS.
The fireworks were grand but expen-
sive.
The strangers who were in our midst
worked valiantly.
The mill was running on full time
with two months orders ahead.
Dardanelle telephoned an offer of an
hundred men, but their services were
not needed.
Col. Kimball, heavy stakeholder
from Dardanelle, came ever and assist
cd in the work.
Too much praise cannot be bestowed
upon the workers. Better and more
faithful work was never done any
where.
Fully one hundred and fifty hands
are thrown out of employment to re-
sist the chilling winds of winter as best
they can,
Wish we had space to mention every
name whose acts of daring and well di-
rected effort calls for special remem-
brance. 1t would take column,
Fifty-fve bales of cotton were burned
and great deal of the manufactured
goods was badly damaged by rough u.s.
sage in carrying them from the build
ing