The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1891-09-25
The Bullet Factory Burned.
An Important Enterprise Wiped Out.
Nothing Left but Smoking Ruins.
LOSS 500, 900, INSURANCE $47, 900.
An lncaIcuIabIe Loss to Bel Air.
HOW OUR GALLANT FIREMEN WORKED.
THE VALUE OF THE TOWN WATER
SUPPLY.
HOW THE FIRE WAS DISCOVERED.

trey destroyed by fire, early last Friday morning.
September 18th; The fire was first discovered at
about quarter before three O'Clock, by Mr. Daniel
Carroll, who lives apposle, on Thomas street. MIR.
Carroll had been awakened by the crying OF one
heard cracking noise. Looking out of his front
window he saw flames bursting out of the roof OF
the factory. about half way between the comb and
the caves and directly over the paint shop. Mr..
Carroll ran out and alarmed the nearest neghbOrS.
Mr.. Edmund Lee. who was one of the first to ar
rive at the spot Dursted open the doors of the show
room and began to drag out the finished vehicles.
He was soon aided by others and all OF the con-
tents of this room. about fifteen carriages and
buggieS, were saved. Nearly everything else i'll the
place was destroyed.
PROMPT MOVEMENTS OF FIREMEN AND OTHERS.
Messrs. Frank Bateman, foreman of Hose
Company No. and Hugh Frel dragged hose
carriage from the jail to the fire and stream
was soon playing upon the buildings Mr. Frank
NJ. Cline, Chief OF the Fire Department, who lives
woman, put bride and collar on his horse and
running the rope of hose carriage No. through
to the fire. the tongue OF the carriage being steadi-
ed by Mr. VIM. Wiley and Augustus Dunnigan.
ADJOINING BUILDINGS SAVED.
1t was soon discovered that no amount of water
would the factory and the attention OF the fire
men was then turned TO protecting the dwelling
imminent danger. The contents were speedily
carried out by willing hands and a stream of water
turned against the building. The heat was Intense.
To enable the fremen to work on Mr.. CarrollS
house door covered with blankets which were
kept wet was set up between the fire and the pipe
). W.. L. L.. D.. II.
who calamity held their ground, in defiance OF the
terrible heat, and succeeded i'll preventing the
building from taking fire. The next nearest house
the front door was opened the heat inside
sitting and the legs OF the piano were blistered.
By unremitting exertOns this house and the ad
Joining ones, occupied by George Lingan and Mr..
VIM Lang. were also saved.
OTHER PARTS OF TIE TOWN ENDANGERED.
The wind was blowing moderately from the
southwest but the draft was so great that large
Goals of fire and pieces of slate from the factory
| Dnf urnrl rio
necessary to keep the roofs of all the buildings
in that vicinity wet witt water to prevent their be-
ing set on fire.
When the alarm was given the water was not
turned on at the reserY dr. three miles from Bel
spring Messrs Aquila b. and Octavian M.
Whitaker hitched horse to buggy and driving
| to the reservoir turned on the water. Sixteen
minutes after they started they had the water
SUPPOSED CAUSE OF THE FIRE.
The fire is supposed 10 have begun i'll the paint
shop on the second floor, but what caused it will
probably never be known. One theory is that il
saturated with linSeed OIL The utmost and
vigilance had always been exercised TO prevent fire
" clean, and in fact constant precaution was con
stantly taken to avoid fire in every department of
FIREMEN AND OTHERS INJURED.
Mr.. Frank Bateman had his left hand Scalded
besides being overcome by the great heat and had
to be carried home. ellie has not yet entirely re-
Mrs. Saladay. who ran out to beg the firemen to
save her house. had her right arm severely burned.
Mr.. Apsey was also badly burned on the left hand
These were the most serious accidents to persons
MIR. COOLEY'S STABLE BURNED.
| A small frame stable. in which Mr.. VIM L;
Cooley kept his horse ard buggy was set on fire and
| burned to the ground The horse was saved but
| the buggy and some hay and feed were destroyed.
THE LOSS.
| The Carriage Factory was filled with material
complete for the manufacture of perhaps 1900
vehicles and about 1000 of these were in various
stages of construction.
INSURANCE.
The loss will amount to about 500 900, on which
| there is about $47 900 insurance.
The factory, when running on full time. gave
| employment to about 60 hands, but about three
months ago. large stock being made up. the force
was gradually lessened and there were only about
% men at work at the time OF the fire. Besides the
loss of employment many OF these lost kits OF valu
able tools which it had taken them years to accuu
| late. Among these are James Casey, trimmer, and
George Beaufelter lost tools valued at S25; Harry
McComsey, foreman of the wood department, SI25
VIM. Lang wood worker, $50; Hugh Roland, wood
worker, also lost his chest of tools.
The loss to the manager, Mr.. William S. Bulett,
is especially severe as he had his entire means III
vested in the enterprise.
The boiler, which was left half full of water. be-
gan to generate steam during the fire. but this hap
is perhaps uninjured but the engine is destroyed.
The safe i'll the office was cracked by the heat but
when it was opened The books were found TO be
scorched on the outside but not otherwise in
jured.
The Bulett Carriage Company was organized in
1889. with paid up capital of S25 900, which was
afterwards increased by the directors.
The officers of the company are as follows:
President John u. Rouse; Secretary, Allen Hofl-
man. The other directors are John II Reckord,
S. A. Williams. j. Thomas c. Hopkins and Will
liam S. Bulett.
THE LOSS TO BEL AIR
1t is impossible to estimate the loss TO the town
from the destruction of this factory, which the
most important enterprise in the place, A num-
Der of town people employed. but the fire will
probably compel ten or twelve families to remove
from Bel Air and seek homes elsewhere.
OUR FIRE DEPARTMENT.
The fire had gained SD much Roadway when it
was discovered. that no fire department in the
world and no amount OF water could have arrested
the flames. The firemen displayed all amount Of
bravery and heroism which entities them to the
thanks of the community and which VIII be
honor to them as long as the memory OF this dis
astrous fire remains. All did so well that il would
be invdOuS to particueriZe individuals
The intense heat from the niiammable material
in the building is shown by the fact that the board
walk and fence posts on the side OF the street OPP
posite the factory were burned, the grass on ad-
joining lots for considerable distance around was
scorched to the roots and a canvass-coyered play
pipe 100 yards from the building was burned.
The supply of water would have been ample to
save any ordinary building, and the result shows
not only the efficiency OF our gallant volunteer
fremen but the value OF our town water supply.
The fire having occurred in the second story, the
building. was gradually but rapidly consumed with
out the walls falling, and i'll about an hour and
half after the fire was discovered there was moth
ing left but smoking ruins to mark the spot where
once stood the most in Qortant business enterprise
ever undertaken i'll Bel Air.
A heavy fog prevailed during the fire, which pre-
vented the flames from being seen at any great dis
lance Early in the evening the fire department
was called out for practice by the kindling of q
large bonfire on Bond street and an alarm of fire.
Consequently when the real alarm occurred many
persons thought it was but a repetition of the
earlier false alarm.
DR.. Charles A. Hollingsworth was returning
home from visiting patient and saw what resem-
bed two large lanterns on top of the carriage fac
tory. As he looked the flames burst out He
shouted an alarm until he was hoarse. Many per-
sons, in different parts of the town, did not know
the building was burned until long after daylight.
The company was in better condition than 1t
had ever been before. Its sales were increasing
and the large business WAS being prosecuted in the
most intelligent and careful manner. 1t was eX-
pected that the stock III a short time would have
paid dividends.