The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-01-11
FLAMES GET THE GRIP.
FOUR FIRES OCCUR IN The
COURSE or A DAY.
Several Men Seriously Injured by Failing
Timbers-Thc Total Loss About $4,000.
A Sea OF Burnisg Oii-Notes and Incl
dents

AiflUtUAdi MUS ihf Vtb'i hhTh'ff'H''f
seldom come singly. Yesterday, Richmond
and Manchester had four, three Of which
the last thrce-were sufficiently destructive
10 be rated as cOnnagrati0ns. The first
alarm was sounded when most good people
were asleep-three o'clock in the morning.
The bells rang and gave 70 corner Of Main
and Fifth streets, as the number OF
Of the box. The alarm was caused by the
partial burning Of store at the corner OF
Fourth street and the alley between Main
and Franklin streets. occupied by cOlOrcd
man named Ben. johnson. There was a
large stock Of groceries, fruits. &c, in the
place. 90 which the damage was consider
able. The building was only slightly
burned.
STEAM DRY KILN.
At 3 o'clock in the afternoon telephone
messages were received from the Richmond
aud Danyille shops, Manchester, by the de-
partment asking for instant help. as the
shops were on FIRE. The messages urged
that whatever apparatus that was sent
come. over the Free bridge. Chief Fuller
received the message and at once ordered
No. 4 engine over, and went himself.
The fire proved 10 be the steam dry-kiln,
which is situated among the many shops
near the river edge, and not far from the
Free bridge. The fire caught from the steam
piping coming in contact with the wood
/ work Of the kiln.
There was great excitement among MAN.
chester people, who believed that the flames
would communicate with the carpenter
shOps adjacent, but when the Richmond
engine arrived and began hghiing the
/ flames the fears abated.
The Richmond and Danville Railroad VIII
/ lose the kiln, or most Of u, and all the luln-
Der that was in il. The fremen kept the
/ flames inside the kiln very successfully.
] Had they broken out the fire might have
spread considerably.
TIIE OIL WAREHOUSE.
AtjOclock an alarm was sounded from
/ box 30. corner Of Arch and Seventh streets,
! followed Immediately afterwards 10y another
alarm from box Il, corner Of Byrd and
Ninth streets.
Chief Fuller was in Manchester at the
| time. He saw the smoke in dense col
umn near the Richmond end OF the bridge
and concluded that either MOntaeue's large
sash and blind factory or the Richmond
paper mill was on fire, and at once returned
10 Richmond. His horse crossed the Free
bridge at the rate Of 2:lO He found that
the old twO-stOry brick building, occu-
! pied as an oil storage house, on
/ the western side Of Ninth street, near
/ the Richmond entrance 10 the Free bridge
was enyelOped in fire and smoke. In the
] NlIiIllH- WAS ntNAfA uNltU0 VI DtnA'iH VI 'ttf
and flames lost no time IN deNOurlne
all in their reach. The smoke was
very dense, and the smell Of the
burning oil far from fragrant. The
smoke arose in dense, cloudy vol
umes. which could be seen from All
points about the city, and in short while
people were rushing TO the spot from all
directions.
Engines ?. 3, > and were soon at work.
and in the course Of an hour conquered
the flames. The victory was scarcely an
easy one. The stubborn flames, with the
flavor Of OIL in there mouths,
contested every inch Of the way
ana even after the barrels could be
seen floating on the water that the hremen
had put i'm the building, the oil would rise
10 the top and be quickly licked away by
the greedy flames.
The brick building only had oil in the
first story. A portion Of this was burned.
There is now a large number Of barrels OF
oil. both Kerosene and lubricating, IN the
place uniniured. Next 10 the brick build
ing was "A wooden one, full OF oil. All this
was rolled out into Ninth street. blockading
the street car track for short time. This
OIL as well as that IN the burning building,
belonged 10 Messrs. Augustine a Blair
Next 10 the wooden building mentioned
above is another structure full OF oil. also,
which was not moved az it was not i'm dam
ger. Ii is owned by Messrs Powers & Co..
The building burned belonged TO the estate
of the late Franklin Siearns. II was di-
lapdated old place, but the walls are still
standing. The loss OF Messrs. Augustine q
Rlair is confined 10 the barrels OF oil burned,
which il was estimated would be covered
by $1,000 insurance.
THE BELLE ISLE FIRE.
! About 7 80 O'Clock last night the bell Of
the Old Dominion Iron and Nail Works, ON
Belle Isle, rang furiOusly. The company
have their own fIrc department, 10, Of course.
being impossible for any city apparatus 90
reach the island. The Belle Isle depart
ment turned out 10 find the blacksmith
shop i'm flames. The building was Of wood.
with slate roof. and was forty by sixty
feet in size The fire spread rapidly. and it
was found impossible 10 save any part. and
il was burned 20 the ground.
There is no clue to how the fire originated.
/ The building was considered the safest on
the island. BY It's destruction twenty or
thirty men are temporarily thrown out Of
employment. -Four men were injured while
fighting the flames. They were all employees
, Of the works and members Of the Belle Isle
| Fire Department. These accidents happened
al the time the slate roof fell in. Robert
/ Pearman, who lives at No. 62l south Belyi-|
/ dere street, was struck by heavy JOlst ON
the head and his skull was fractured.
When physician arrived the brain WAS
oozing from the skull. Pearman was ten
DERBY cared for and taken 30 his home. II
was expected late last night that he would
die at any moment, lie is about f0rty-hye
years Of age.
Tom Smith was struck with piece Of
the falling timber, and his shoulder was
badly mashed
Nathan Eubank was caught by the crash.
/ but luckily escaped with slight injuries. i
Alfred Allen, a cOlored man, was struck
on the back and shoulder and badly hurt.
The loss by the fire. it is estimated, will
not exceed 81 500; fully insured.
Happening at night the lire produced "a
bright light that could be seen all over
Richmond and Manchester. As many
Manchester men work at Belle Isle, the
crowd that nOcked 10 the fire was enor-
nous. In Richmond there were all SORTS of
speculation. seen from a distance the sight
was beautiful.
Altogether the day was one Of fires, yet
strange to say the loss at all Of them Will
hardly equal $1,000. The sad feature was
at the island fire, where one man in all
probability lost his life and three others
were more or less injured.