Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1891-05-12
MEAT & LARD BURN.
TIE LARGE PACKING HOUSE OF
klNGAN e. co. DESTROYED.
An Obstinate Fire That Threatened Great
Loss Soon Conquered by Heroic
Work-Loss and Insurance.

The large meat-salting and storage-house
OF kinGan & Co.. at the southwest corner
of Fifteenth and Cary streets, burned this
morning.
The fire broke out about half-past IL
o'clock. and the alarm, coming from the
neighborhood 1t did, brought to the scene
pretty much the entire wholesale popula-
tion of Richmond.
The building ia situated near the heavy
business centre of the city and in one OF
the worst of localities for FIRE.
OTHER 7LAcEs IN DANGER
Just in rear Of it and separated by mar
row alley is the establishment of Waller
stein Co.. west of it is the planing-mill
of Stagg IL Co., and this joins a large block
of wholesale houses. On the opposite side
OF Gary street are cheroot-factory, several
machiDe-shops. and the big dry goods
house of Milhiser & Co.
AT one time it seemed that the very best
OF management aud all the water that
could be commanded would not serve to
keep the flames from communicating with
Stages and Wallerstein's, and in thai event
most disastrous contiagration would have
been inevitable.
The fire was hot and stubborn. the smoke
dense and sitting, and the department had
to fight the flames at close and dangerous
quarters.
When the DISPATCH reporters hrst
reached the fire there was little indication
that II would prove so serious, but 1t was
soon evident that the flames had made
great headwav. Tho black smoke con-
cealed the work of destruction that was
going on in the building, so as to mislead
all but the department, who saw from the
beginning that they had their hands full.
second alarm was turned In, and as
soon as the doors and windows were burst
open TO put on the water the flames shot
out in every direction, and the whole
inside revealed a seething masspf fire.
THE DEPARTMENT CALLED.
The first alarm was turned in at 1928.
A few moments before this q message
was sent TO the First station-house that
there was a fire az Fifteenth and Cary
streets. Policeman Pendleton went speed
lily to that point, and seeing that the re-
port was true Mt once pulled IN Box
l3l, Immediately opposite the burn
ing building. A prompt response
from Steamers (MaIn street,, 3 BROAD
street,, and (Cary street, and Hook-and-
Ladder Truck No. (Grace street, was the
result. Chief Fuller in particular made
excellent speed, for in thirteen minutes
from the time the first alarm came in be
had gotten up, gone over to the Brook
avenue house, gotten into his buggy,
driven TO the fire, and sent in second.
This was at 1886 a. NJ. Steamer No. 4
CThird street, and Hook-and-Ladder
Truck No. BROAD street, were on hand
in a few moments in response to this.
Nine minutes later the Chief sent in
special call for No. Brook avenue)
steamer. which was soon on hand.
THE THREE SKIES.
II was at exactly seven minutes of
O'clock that the most comprehensive call
in tho manual-what in fire parlance is
known as the three skies was pulled in
for the first time in the history of the do
partment. The result of this was to bring
Steamer Church Hid and Truck (Ful-
tom TO the fire. No. steamer CFulton)
was sent 10 No. (Cary-street) house and
No. steamer laurel street. came down to
No. 8 (Broad-street) house. When this had
been sounded each of the eleven pieces of
apparatus in the department had been
moved for one fre-a thing never before
done.
FINE WORK
The disposition of this amount Of appa-
ratus was no small job. The dock was
| conveniently near. but at this point the
water is many feet below the street. No. 3
was. however. sent 10 it, and the open
water affording her an unlimited supply
| enabled her to do magnificent worE- No.
5 was put ut the plug corner Thirteenth
and Cary streets and must have pumped
through nearly one thousand feet OF hose.
The other steamers were distributed
around at the neighbonng plugs, all
of them sending in effective streams.
Several lines of hose were carried up the
ladders, enabling the firemen to do good
work from the top of Wallersteln's build
ing. Just in the rear of the fire and sepa-
rated from il by narrow alley. At times
the heat and smoke would become almost
intoerable, but the men fought 1t cut.
Once the house on which they were stand
ING caught. but well-directed stream
soon annihllated the flames. From
front. rear. and sides the water was
poured steadily on the fire. Before long
the deluge made itself felt. Gradually the
flames succumbed, and within an hour
from the time the alarm came in the fire
was we'll under control, and was confined
to a few burning tlmbers and window
frames within the building. At this juno
ture the fremen began to enter the b1lld-
ING at various points, and its total
extinction became merely q Inechan-
ical matter of time. So thoroughly
had the entire structure been saturated
with grease that the fire burned with
fiercest rapldity, making the flames un-
usually hard TO fight.
STILL AT IT.
At 4 o'clock this morning the engines
we're still working on the embers, and bade
fair 10 remain there some time after day
light When the DISPATCH reaches It's
readers this morning lot OF debris VIII be
all that remains to show where $4,000 was
burned within the hour.
DAMAGE COVERED By INSURANCE.
The stock in the warehouse was COM
pletely DESTROYED and the building tho
roughly gutted. Mr.. Hugh Munce, book
keeper for the firm and q brother of Mr.
John s. Munce, the manager, said this
morning to DISPATCH reporter that the
stock was valued at $4,000. The loss, he
said. is fully covered by. insurance, which
is placed with Howard Swinetord, who
represents the Royal and Northwestern
companies. The firm is branch house OF
Kingan 4 Co., Minneapolis, and employs
about twenty-five men.
The burned building is owned by the
Davenport estate, and is said TO be fully
insured. The structure, it is estimated,
was worth $4,000.
THE ORIGIN NOT KNOWN.
Mr.. Munce, in speaking of the fire, said
that at that time (about Ills A. NJ he was
unable to conceive of its origin. The ofhce
was closed at o'clock in the afternoon.
There is q smoke-house adjoining. the
building on the western side, facing Man
street and between the warehouse and
Stagg's sash and blind-factory. This,
however, is separated from the rest of the
building by an iron fre-proof door.
The efforts of the fremen to save the
building occupied by Wallerstein d Co.
were daring and heroic in the extreme.
They mounted the roof of the house. which
is separated from the rear of Kingan Il
Co.'s by an alley hardly more than hfteen
fought the devouring flames with grim de-
termination.
AN EXCITING SCENE AND SCARED MEN.
While the fire was in progress and threat
onipo ovsrv ,noroant IN attack Waller