The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-06-29
A BIG MILL IN ASHES.
Fleming 4 Ayerst Plant ct
Ballard Is Burned.
MASS or FLAMES IN a MINUTE.
Iack - water Dooms lt - DostSuctioo
-RaflresA Bsidgs Badly Damaged
Lees ga zoe.

The Fleming 4 Ayerst Company's saw
and shing.e mill. one of the largest in Bal
lard, and considered the finest equipped
mill in the state, Vas totally DESTROYED by
FIRE last evening between and 9 O'Clock.
The mill was completed last March. began
operations abont the middle of April and
had been running constantly much Of that
time. though not all tho time 70 its full
capacity. The saw and shingie mill build
ings. dry house, with stock Of lumber aud
shingles. burned like finder and within
few minutes Of the time the FIRE broke out
nothing bat parts OF the frame work was
standing.
The mill is situated in the southern part
of the city and close TO the Ballard end Of
the Great Northern railroad bridge. Next
TO it nor:herly along the water front is +.
4. Over,ons shinge mil; then comes
Sullivan & Burke's. and close by, almost
adjoining, are the mills OF the West Coast
Manufacturing q Investment Company
and of the Seattle Cedar Lumber Company
and all these were only kept from burning
by q favorable wind from the
north, which drove the flames and
intense heat southwark over Salmon bay
and the Great Northern railroad bridge.
At first there was \ good deal Of apprehen-
sion for these properties, but fortune was
in their favor. The pressure in the city
water works was very weak, owing to sev-
erai breaks on Shiishoie avenue. and would
not have been sufficient to check the
flames had the wind been uniavoraoIe.
The dry house, one Of the best ever built
tor mill. was the place where the fire
originated, but the exact cause IS not
known. In the dry house the shingles
were dried by a new process by means of
fans which forced the hot air through
them, and one theory Of the origin Of the
fire is that the friction from
these fans caused it, as it has
been said to do in other mills.
No one really knows how the fire started.
although many believe it was started by
sparks from the locomotive Of the passen-
ger train Of the Great Northern dying into
the fine dry dust. The Great Northern
passenger train passed short time before
the fire broke out, and for this reason
many ascribe the fire to that.
The younger Mr.. Ayerst and few men
were still at work in the mill when the
flames broke out in great sheets all at
once. The Great Northern railroad bridge
caught fire and burned black for nearly 100
feet, before the flames were put out, with
out damaging IL to any extent.
The flames quickly enveloped the whole
structure, and though all the water OBJ
tainable was used nothing could Quench
fire once started in such mass of dry ma
terial. A steady stream of water on E. f.
Overton's shingle mill adjoining and ON
the Fleming & Ayerst Company's office. q
small building short distance from the
mill, prevented them from burning. A
cali for help was sent to the Seattle
firc department., and engine No. 4 and
the hose cart went to Ballard. following
the line OF the electric road. and were only
half an hour in reaching the scene of the
fire after starting from the engine house.
The engine was set on the Great Northern
bridge about 100 feet from the end, in a
good position. and did good work
in preventing the bridge from burn.
in the dry debris which was piled around
after the mill had fallen in. but the tire
was hard to put out. Box car No. 1880, o!
the Northern Pacific. was standing in the
rear Of the dry house, nearly loaded with
shingles, and was burned, but other cars
standing near were gotten out of the way
by quick work. w. ]. Davis dwelling
| and the telegraph poles near were badly
scorched, and the telephone line To Seattle
| was disabled.
The Fleming & Ayerst Company is com
| posed Of Thomas Il. Fleming. 4. A. and
| c. l.. Ayerst. The mill cost $50 900 fully
| equipped. There was on hand a stock o.
| 100000 shingles. valued at 5000. and Q
| stock Of lumber valued at 50. 900, making
the loss to the company $4,000. barring
wha. can be saved on machinery, the con
| dition of which is not known. The boz
| car was worth about $780,
The shingle mill consisted of two 10
! block machines and one hand machin,
| with daily capacity of 450. coo. rhe saw
mili turned out about 50. eco feet of lumbe
day. 1t was one of the best built anc
best arranged mills in the state and wa.
equipped with pair of rotary saws, gans
| edgers. pianer. three big engines and
boilers to correspond and one OF the hes
| of dry houses.
The amount Of insurance on the prop
| eriy was sO0a, placed with Burns 4
Atkinson. the Washington Territory In
vestment Company and George ~ Burcs
& Co, bat the names OF the different com
panics were not obtainabic last night.
The burning of the mill at this time is
serious loss to Ballard, as about loo me,
are thrown out o: employment, and it wa
the only large mill running except that o
the Seattle Lumber Company. which vii
close this week
Thomas Il. Fleming was seen last even
ing in Seattle. He had started for Ba.
lard several times. but had been Gale,
back each time. and consequently ha
not seen the scene Of his loss. He said:
| IL was one @. the ocs. paying mills In III
staie. After running SIX weeks We had eleare
GoA We had !asl started this morning II
second ten blocker, IN order to catch I'd wit
| our orders. with which we were a month h
hlia, and hal jus, added tn tina crew We wer
s. t,ins Ia - large number of orders, aud Ia
| prospects of good hgslncsa
| rrss~ for Vacation Reading
To the tYass Entering "a, Sraior t;,o5a VA
| Shoot NeFt >epteg'ber: The prize OF tri
10 The Worlds .ai. IS offered ey friend G
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