The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1891-10-15

Il
The good luck, and luck it certainly
is. which has attended Canton all along
the line with reference to contlagrauons
is surprising and very remarkable.
] There have been several fires of some
magnitude, but they occurred before Can
l ton made any great presumption To be
able to cope with serious holocausts.
| A fire department has been equipped, a
system of fire alarm telegraph put in and
in fact the department started on metro
/ politan plan. How far short OF that plan
laid down, the city has fallen was never
| more evident than on Iuesuay morning.
/ There are no better tiremen in the
country than there are right here in Can
ton. J hey are hardworking,conscienu
| and efficient. The only trouble is there
are not enough of them and besides those
which we have are handicapped by reason
1 of O shortage of hose, and the fact that
they must use old hose which frequently
bursts in sections, making effective work
The scene Of the conhagration at 8: 40
o'clock Tuesday morning was the large
pottery works, situated along the Cleve-
land and Canton railway, in the south
eastern part of the city. The company
has been in operation, pss s,erdSG foE three frse
ward ward as one of the prominent and
thriving industries of the city. OF the
/ company Herman Preusser Is president
and general manager, VIM. Schario vice
president and VIM. Dannemiller secretary
and treasurer. Among the stockholders
are q number Of prominent Cantonians.
At $3.50 o'clock Tuesday morning,
Charles Warren, night engineer and
| watchman was in the engine room busy
ing himself about the machinery. He
stepped into the mill room adjoining the
engine room, when through an adjacent
aperture he
NOTICED BRIGHT LIGHT.
Investigation proved that the works was
| on fire. Mr. Warren ran up stairs to get
his key to the fire alarm box and at once
| sent in an alarm from box No. %. Shortly
afterwards Officer Harding at the Ft.
4 Wayne depot noticed the light and turned
in an alarm from box II which aroused
| almost the entire city.
The boys from the central engin Q
house were first to arrive and were fol-
| lowed a short time later by the company
from No. 2. Volunteer companies arrived
| rapidly and soon every available piece of
hose was brought into play. The boys
from the central bad very fair luck with
| their hose, only two sections burat-
ing. The other companies were
| greatly discommoded by reason of q short
age OF hose and also by reason OF the
bursting of several sections.
When the fremen arrived the large
building was
ONE MASS OF FLAME.
Not daunted, however, the flremen went
TO work with will, and after nearly TWO
hours of hard work the fire was put ouS,
but not until the turning room and the
slip room had been destroyed with ali their
l contents.
The mill room is built in q sort OF wing
and was threatened seriously. Ii was
l thought for n time that nothing could save
il, but at the rear of the building stream
thrown by the hremen from the Central
was kept constantly playing upon the
partition walls, and assisted by the COM
panies on the other side of the building,
succeeded in saving this department to.
| gether with the engine room.
The main building in the meantime
burned fiercely. With the agencies AT
hand the hremen could not save it az the
building being of inflamable material
| burned like tinder.
Onlookers were soon of the opinion that
there was
Il A SHORTAGE OF HOSE.
| One company attached to q
fire plug considerable distance
from the burning building, but managed
TO get just near enough to throw a few
light sprays upon the now rapidly burning
mass. They had put out every available
section of hose but were unable to do any
/ effective work. There was great deal OF
iron in the building, particularly in the
dry room, and as the supports below were
burned away the iron piping fell with Q
crash sending the sparks beavenward IL
one grand mass.
Il ORIGIN OF THE FIRE.
IL From investigation there can be but one
conclusion arrived at, and that is that the
fire was of incendiary origin. The en-
, gineer, Mr.. Warren stated to a NEWS
l DEMOCRAT reporter that there had beer
, no fire in the region of the point where
: | the flames started since Sunday morning
AT that time the fires in the kilns were pu
= Il nIf Tha iIaRn frat nnfioa1 IL
ia shed between two kilns at tn,
, | southern part Of the building. So rapidly
did the sheds burn that when Mr.. WarreI
returned from sounding the alarm, tn,
| flames had already communicated will
the main building. When firemen wen
they found that the nozzle had been un
, screwed. Superintendent Preusser as
sured the reporter that the nozzle wal
| all right the night before, as there hat
' been some mention made with referenc,
: TO the condition of the fire apparatus il
the building.
y Another point which shows strongly O
| incendiarism, is the fact that two mel
y / were seen lettering about the place shortl
before the fire occurred. Tony FRIEDMAN
' who lives in the near vicitity was return
ing from his work at about O'Clock whe
he saw twomen coming from the direc
tion of the point where the fire started
), One was a tall man and the other rathe
g short and heavy set. They spoke to hin
in German and passed on. A short tim
- later the fire broke out.
Fl THE MANAGER INTERVIEWED.
y Mr.. Preusser of the Champion Potter
Works was seen Tuesday morning view
ing the ruins: He showed the reporte
:. about the establishment. The engine an
boiler remain intact, the fire not haVin
reached that part of the works. The mi
room Is badly damaged but is not con
plete loss. The turning room and tn
slip room are totally destroyed, togethe
with large quantity of unburnt ware
II 6,000 molds which were completely q,
~ stroyed, making in themselves loss O
= nearly 5000. The ware room 75x30 fee
f' was scorched but not badly. Many valui
:, Bile wares were in 1t but are not spoiled |
Il the least. Two box cars, on q 81 c
q between the main building and the war
4 room, did much towards shielding til
building. The cars were practicI lily d,
stroyed. MIR. Preusser stated tina
the company employed in all "a mel
and that the average pay roll reached 81
a 200 per month. The loss on the buildin
a. he placed at ~, 900 approximately, and o
= contents 6,400, making total loss Of 50
v 400. The entire plant is insured for abou
D, $4,000. This will make the loss appoI
l. tionately about $4,000, not counting Nh
time the works will be compelled ~ Y
main idle. No decision with reference
rebuilding has been arrived at, but IL
probable the works will be rebuilt. III
m company is on sound basis financial 4
=. and had many orders ahead.
"a
a. swamp-Root Did 1t.