The morning news., 1889-04-10
SWEEP OF THE FLAMES.
TIE ARKwRIGHT FACTORY AND
NINE HOUSES BURNED.


OF Property-Nearly 100 Operatives
Thrown Out Of Employment-The
Original Cost of the Mills Not Half
Covered by Insurance-The Property
to Have Changed Hands This Week
ALI of Frogtown Threatened by the
Flames - Nine Tenement ouses
Burned and Several Damaged.
The Savannah Cotton Mills were destroyed
bv fire yesterday afternoon, throwing 100
people out OF employment and entailIng
heavy loss on the owner. The factory con-
sisted of three two-story brick buildings
fronting on the south side of Factory street,
with picker house and cotton warehouse,
and cost, with machinery, about $l25, 900.
The fire started few minutes after 2
O'Clock in what was known as the ''mulen
room, on the first floor Of the eastern
building, and is supposed to have been
caused by an over-heatcd spindle.
The lint on the machinery caught, and the
fire communicating with the combustible
m terial used in the manufacture of hosiery
warn, was soon beyond control, although
there were three streams of water brought
TO bear upon 1t from the factory hose.
Acting Supt Charles Z. ClarkSOn tele-
phoned an alarm to firemen's headquarters,
and also had an alarm sent in from Box
No. IS at Wilson and Walker streets.
ESCAPE OF THE OPERATIVES
A boy ran upstairs and gave the alarm to
the employees of the factory, and although
the smoke poured through the doors in dense
volumes, and the progress Of the flames was
rapid, all of the operatives escaped. 1t was
soon seen that all hope Of extinguishing the
fire with the factory appliances was useless,
and Mr. Clarkson and those who were aiding
HIM with hose and buckets, beat a hasty re-
treat.
The fire department responded promptly,
and under the embarrassment of the alarm
from tox E, which the cotton fire on the
river had occasioned, for toere was hardly
an intermission between the two alarms.
There was a lack of water until the engines
got to pumping, although an abundance Of
water would not have saved the building,
which burned with such rapidity that it
was doomed before the arrival Of the fire.
men. The small frame tenements on the
north side of Factory street would doubt
less have escaped with slight damage.
LACK OF WATER.
When the first attempt was made to force
water on Walshs stable, Just east of the
factory. although the SIZED was not twenty
feet high, the water did not reach the top,
and the same was true of the first effort to
opposite the factory, the engines not vet
having got to pumping from the mains.
To add to the peril a stiff southeast
wind, veering TO south, swept the
flames from the factory across the
street and half dozen of the frame tene-
ment houses were in a blaze. Factory
street for more than 2 10 feet was a path of
fame, and it was impo, sible for the fremen
to get a favorable position to fight the fire,
vet they worked with a will, and gained
courage as the water flow increased. and at
every lull of the wind rushed closer and
closer, until after two AID half hours of
hard work the fire was under control and
was confined to the then almost burned
cotton mills.
ALL ROBERTsvILLE THREATENED.
At several times 1t looked as if it was
impossible to save the section lying north
of Factory street and nbracing that part
of the city known as Frogtown aud Roberts
vile, composed as it is almost wholly of
frame tenement houses, in which if the fire
had once started, it would have been beyond
control, and would probably have extended
to the Central railroad depot, offices and
yards.
As it was the fire was confined to Factory
street nine one-story frame buildings
besides the cotton factory being totally
destroyed or badly damaged.
The factory was built in 1872 About a
year ago the property was bought from the
Messrs. Campbell Of Philadelphia, by Capt.
John Flannery, who leased it to Mr. s. NJ
Warfeld under whose management it has
been very successfully operated since April
13, 1888. The lessee was SO well satisfied
with the profits in the business that he or
ganized a joint stock company known
as the Savannah Cotton Mills with
a capital of $4,000, with the privi-
lege of increasing it to 5000. 600
nd a fO =.
the superior court March last with Louis
NJ. Marfeld, John Flannery, Frederick L.
Moore of Washington and +. Frank Coe of
New York as incorporators.
TO HAVE CHANGED HANDS THIS WEEK.
The charter was granted yesterday by
the court. Messrs. Coe and Moore are ex-
pected here to-day and The new company was
to have met Saturday TO complete the organ
ization, and next week the property would
have passed into its hands. Ii was the pur-
pose OF the purchasers to put the entire
amount of their capital into improvements
as rapidly as they could be made, and they
expected within the next two years to in
crease the capacity of the mills from two TO
three-fold. They had n capacity of 10000
spindles, which would have been increased
70 $1,000 An order for $40 900 Of additional
machinery has just been placed. Capt.
Flannery had such confidence in the success
Of the enterprise that it was his intention to
leave the bulk OF the purchase money in
the hands Of the buyers on interest.
Mr.. VIM. H. Clarkson, superintendent of
the factory, had gone north TO order new
and modern machinery to take the place of
some that had been discarded, aud is on his
way home, having placed his order
THE INSURANCE.
While it is stated by Mr.. Warfeld that
the buildings aud machinery cannot be re-
placed for less than 100000, Capt Flan-
nerys outlay is fully covered by the sur
ance he carried as he purchased the prop
erty very low. His insurance on the build
ing is $4,000, in John J. Sullivan & Co.'S
agency, and is divided as follows:
North British and Mercantile. .......... $1,000
Georgia Home. ....................... z 500
Lancashire Fire.. o.. ........ bOO0
NOrWlCn Union ..................... b009
connecticut. ............ 2 800
Fire Association OF Philadelphia ........ $500
Rochester German 90. ............ . 2bOO
Scottish Union and National ........ 25O0
Merchants OF Newark 2501
Total l.......................... $40, 900
Mr.. Wariield the lessee, places his losses
on crude and manufactured stock at $40 900,