The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-08-29
AN ILL-FATED PAPER-MlLL
DESTROYED ONCE MORE BY THE
FLAMES.
Simultaneous Combustion Cause"
w,r.. II IL said Estimate OF the Loss
...r,.urauce-In Of the scene
Crowds ef Spectators.

surance. IL IL Thought
Tho building. which was one oil 'n'eo,
s,ood n few hundred feet north oil ARC"
s,r.,o, between the Free bridge and the IT,
,ersburg railroad bridge. IL was '"'eo
s,or,es high, with a cupola, and about one
sunarod feet wide and seyenty-hNe iee'
deep. -,, .,o
r,,o,,v minutes after nine o'clock inc
d.. was discovered In the second lo"i anu
before The alarm could be turned IN iIoiu
hox u, seventh and Arch sIee's .ne
,n,,er story was ablazc. Engine coinlan.es,
~fI and A. truck companies and ana
$50 COMPANY No. |, responded anu WI
-, q, work. one hose being worked AT inc
o,,,west corner of the building 10 pre-
Won't the spread Of the flames 10 'nc v'"0,
s,ruc,ures south OF II ana, tue ran, O"v y.
bridge another AT door on the nor SUI -
the second floor, which was re9cheu ~ ,i
flight of steps on the OUTSIDE Vi 'No '"''"
ing. .,,,.,.,, mons
pror, all narts Of the city hundreds OF
,,'n ,,omen and children, white ana COL
"red attracted by the brilliant Gia'e'
has,cued 10 the scene, and ON the Mahches-
60 sids of the river hundreds OF olheis
stood. while many came thronging over lh'
Free bridge. O., Ham, a socond
Ton minutes after the first alarm aseconV
was sounded. At that time the ire' WhIol
fed upon the immense STOCK oil rags stoi. :,
in The blilding, had eaten its way uo"n u
,ho ,rs, tioor and the whole interior was Il
,nsrinc furnace. About five thousand per,
.ons had gathered there. They sWarlneu
oxor the niles of lumber in the vicinity, lhe
tons of box cars, the eastern emu vi wv
Richmond. Fredericksburg, ana IOtoIhac
Railroad ,restle. and in the yards ana south'
crn end Of the Union depot
TERRIBLE HEAT.
The heat from the flames, particularly
those burning white around the skeleton VI
the cupola, were scorching to persons Wh,
anproached within one hundred and MY iee'
oi The building. Five men VINO were nahu
,,,g Tho hose at the second story doorwa!
s,n,d the sunocating air as long as they
could but were finally compelled u
heat n hasty retreat from the stairway
which mad already caught lire. Iaklnt
choir stand. though. manfully about thirty
feet away. they turned the hose into q
sccond-siory window, and the slzIllhS %
tho wafer. turned Immediately TO steam
was mingled with the roaring oil Inc
flames, the cracking of the Joists ana cor
nice. and the hum OF the engines.
WARM WORK FOR FIREMEN.
II was pretty warm work for those tW'
companies for about quarter ol an hou'
and though skillnlly directed, the two
streams Of water seemed 10 have no eliecI
upon the flames, which mounted high ID tht
air as the fire ate its way down towards INT
lower part Of the building, where the ma
chinery was, while huge sparks were scat
tered right and left among the lumber and
bOx-cars. ,
There was wide, open space before the
north side of the building, where the com
NAMES were enabled 10 work unlmpeded iOl
a time. But as the wind. which fortunately
for the other buildings, blew from the south
drove the heated air directly over this space
il would have meant destruction TO the
hardy 6remen TO have Ventured too near the
walls.
ASSISTANCE COMES.
But assistance came in the shape of en-
zine companies Nos. D. q, and =. which had
responded TO the second alarm. one CON-
pany worked from Arch street, another al
The east end of the building, and third at
the north end. and in a short time the effect
of the five streams was seen in the white
heat burning TO red. the appearance IN the
midst of the rayishing flames Of masses OF
glowing rags upon which the water
seemed to make but little impress
sion, and the changing of the
pillar of fire into a pillar of rudy
smoke. Bv 10 O'Clock the fire was under
proach the building nearer and finally 10
extinguish the last spark. But then little
was lett save the heated and blackened
walls.
SEEN FIRST BY WATCHMAN.
The fire was first discovered in the stock
department, on the second floor. where the
rags are assorted and picked, by Mr.. John
Blunt, the night Waterman. This was
at . O'Clock, as he was about 10. register the
time at the clock, as he does every hour
during the night in making his rounds OF
the building. As he opened the door the
flames were rushing up through the eleVa-
tor space. Nobody was in the building.
Men were at work in the other two build
ings, neither of which was reached by the
flames.
STOCK AND INSURANCE.
The building was well nlled with bales
of rag stock, which were piled up ceiling
high in the upper stories. These were all
DESTROYED. The rotary machine in the eel
lar. where the rags are boiled and prepared
with chemicals, was seriously injured by
water.
The mill was owned by the Richmond
Paper Company, Mr.. T.. ID. Christian, presi
dent He said last night he thought the IN
sursance would fully cover the loss. The
Home Insurance, of New York, L. l.. NJ
friend, agent, has $4,000 insurance on Il {
entire property. Ii is, OF course, impossible
10 say how much this insurance covers
on the property burned. The sun Fire OF
flee, Of England, Peasants Il sons, agents
have $500.
TRAINS DELAYED.
Several freight trains were DELAYED by the
fire. Ii was impossible for the Petersburg
railroad men TO work while their yard was
filled with people, and while the track.
hose
Shifting in the yard was entirely
suspended, and the yardmen gathered
in The yard-master's Office and rallied
against fate. The Richmond, FTedericks
burg and Potomac northern train, due at the
Union depot at 9.i5, did not 80 south OF
Elba. There the passengers were met by
the buses and the mail delivered to the
p0stoflice wagons.
The fire was the third one that has been
in the paper-mill property since the evacua
ton. Ii will be remembered that IL was
considerably burned when the Petersburg
bridge was destroyed. and two other con
flagrations have visited ii in late years. Al
one OF these the boiler of the works eX
ploded, killing one man and injuring sew
eral others.
NOTES.
MIR. Christian said last night al II O'CLOCK
that he had teicgraphed for new machinery
and that he could not estimate theIamoun
of the loss until to-day.
One of the fremen entered the building
after the fire had been gotten under coutrol
and was caught under two bales OF rags
He cried for assistance, and one OF his com
pany rushed in with a lantern. A hose wa'
accidentally turned upon him, and the ligh
was extlnguisbed in the lantern. Both men
however, were rescued.
Mr.. Kennedy Palmer and several otheri
were badly bruised by rush in GROVE
near the burning building.
A detachment OF tine stuart Horse Guard
after drill, marched 10 the fire and protleree
their services, which were not needed