The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1893-10-21
Spark From a Lamp Sets Stored
Cotton AblaZe.
AN ALARM VERY QUICKLY GIVEN
Firemen Begin Work Promptly ON the
Providence Warehouse Company's
Building-Second Alarm Sounded
Loss VIII Not he Heavy.

n SERIOUS Ire DTOhe OUT III tnc Dulluiu&
owned by the Providence warehouse
company on Cove street this afternoon
and the immense structure was partially
gutted.
The fire was discovered at 2:05 o'clock
and an alarm was at once runR from
fire box ia The apparatus responded
promptly, but before the first
stream or water could be- poured on to the
blaze, fierce tongues OF fame were shoot.
ing out of open doors aud hatchways In
the roof.
The warehouse is huge structure. oc-
cupying almost the entire block enclosed
by Cove, Mason, Beverly aud Calender
streets, and rises four stories in height
in one section, with long, wide, one
story addition on the side. 1t was
filled with cotton cloth in bales
and boxes and raw cotton in bales, in all
about 5000 bales, the property Of several
manufacturers aud dealers, and by far
the greater part of these are destroyed.
The loss. however. is fully covered by
insurance.
How tho Fire Started.
Just before O'Clock this afternoon a
man named White. employed as weighing
master by the firm Of Haz rd &
Chaplin, cotton brokers. who have large
consignments Of cotton stored in
the warehouse, was weighing
up fifty bales of cotton. He was in the
one story addition or ell. and a. the
interior was rather dark, had a safety
lantern with bim.
As he was overhauling some OF the
bales. the bottom OF his lamp
dropped out and the lighted wick
fell into a mass OF cotton, igniting 1t.
The oil pernieating the cotton caused it to
blaze fitrcely and almost instantly the
building was filled with dense smoke.
White hastily rushed from the build
ing and notified the clerks in the Office
but in the meantime an alarm had been
rung in by James Gibson, plumber. who
saw the smoke pouring from an open
door.
Tiremen Promptly on Hand.
Hose companies /. 3, IS, eand -; hook
and ladders l and O; steamers S aud 12,
and chemical l, immediately respondei !.
but when work was begun
Chief Steere ordered second
alarm rung In. In response to this alarm
hose companies 2. 4, 10 aud 10; hook and
ladders 9 and end s Gamers 5 aud 10
soon appeared and the fire was attacked
from every side.
Several lines OF hose were run op to the
roof OF the ell and the vigorous use
of axes quickly opened holes in
the roof through which the flames roared
and whistled in the tremendous draft.
Directly ia the face Of the hot blast.
the firemen stood their ground pouring
huge streams Of water into the heart OF
the seething mass.
The building Is supposed to be fire
proof, and q ch door was covered with
sheets of iron. This made hard work for the
frcmen who were forced to chop holes
through the iron plates before the doors
could be open.
Looked Like Big Blaze.
The smoke began to pour furiously
through the holes cut In he roof as the
secoad alarm was RESPONDED to and
for several minutes 1t seemed that the
" hole building was doomed. A
rush was made for the unburned
portion of the cotton, and by keeping a
stream of water playing upon it managed
TO prevent the flames from spread
ing. Flames soon began to shoot
from an opening IN the
south wing and the attention of the fire.
men was instantly directed to it. A heavy
stream of water soon reduced
the burning cotton In this part
OF the building to smou der
ing mass and for the first time
since the alarm was rung in the firemen
began to breathe more freely.
The fire did not make further headway
after this although the utmost effort
was necessary to keep it within bounds
A large amount OF cotton was damaged
in the north end Of the warehouse by the
streams OF water poured upon 1t. but the
fire failed to reach it. The
damage to the building is mostly
confined to the burned roof ia
the south wing. The north division
suffered some from the blows of the fire.
ne IS axes.
The Providence Warehouse company
does general storage business and
is extensively patronized by manufac-
tursrs The officers are a. G. Barstow,
president; Rowland ii gar. treasurer.
and 5. j. Foster general manager.