The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1894-05-02
4 PENITENTIART FIRE.
ATetsl LES Of Nearly $25, ,00o-The State
Heavy L0:eT.

Heavy Loser.
COLUMBIA, S. C, April 2G.-The hosi
cry mill within the waits OF the STATE
PeniteDtiary was destroyed by fire yes:
terday AFTERNOON between aud
Och / Nothing was saved but a lot
of hose. The FIRE was too fierce and
spread too Quickly to permit anything
to be done and very little to be saved
It was the hottest and most stubborn
fire whicn Columbia tiC"nen have been
called on 70 battle with in years.
Hhe mill is worked by convicts with
the exception Of probably tweots tree
labcrers, mostly women. All work Is
stopped each aftem at { o'clock
The cOuvicts are given their supper n
tin pals aud axe then Put into Lneii
cells. When the machinery was shut
down Yesterday afternoon at the usua
hour there was no fire IN any depart
ment. The only person who remained
IN the BUILDING longer than = O'CLOCK
were Foreman Bald wiz, Mr.. Roe and a
white life term convict named snort. Ii
was The business of the the convict &c
lock the COUrs and see that everything
was all tight. -.
Twenty minutes after o'clock, wnile
Bookkeeper BurriS was in the prison
yard, be saw smoke issuing from the
upper windows of the building, which
was three story brick structure. torm-
ing portion of the Western wall OF The
prison. The building Is vel! known to
every person who has visited the Penl'
tennJdTy.
MIR. Burris quickly gave the alarm
notifying Captain Allen, who was III
the convict barber shop. Captain allen
rushed to the building and was fol
lowed by several of the convicts who
are allowed the privileges Of TIE yard
The door leading to the second aud third
stories was knocked down and Captain
Allen and the c0nVicts rushed up the
steps. They were forced to return at
once as the building was full Of smoke.
It was aScertained, however, that the
fire had been started iD the toilet room
in the second story Of the mill. There
was nothing iphammable in the room,
but it could have Deen saturated with
oil. After it started aad began TO
spread there was plenty to feed the
flames.
The fact that the building was burn
ing was teIepboned to the city, but the
alarm was late in being given. The
fremen answered promptly, however,
the Columbia Company being the first
on the ground, followed by the lDde-
pendents. Long lines of hose were
quickly stretched, being attached to
hydrants in the prison yard. 1t was
nearly7 o'clock before streams were
gotten on the flames. 1t was then too
late and the water had 10 effect. The
fire was SO hot that streams had to be
turned on the hospital building, over a
hundred yards away, to keep it from
catching ire. The tiremen worked hard
and faithfully, but there was no posi-
BILE chance of saving the building.
The walls fell IN with a crash, max
ing the work dangerous for the firemen.
Some of the con 9icts worked shoulder
to shoulder with the fremen, lending
assistance in holding the nOZzles and
pulling the hose from point to point.
Only a few convicJs were at liberty,
however, the majority having been
locked up in the big prison building at
the Eastern side Of the yard. This
building was never in danger. A con-
vict is suspected Of having set fire to
the mill. There is not much ground
for the suspicion except that he was the
last person in the building. 1t is not
known how the fire could have oIigl-
mated in an accidental manner
TIE building was owned by the State
and was worth not less than $40 900.
Nearly $4,000 had recently been expend-
ed on it in repairs. a new roof was
put on and much mon,y spent In i'm
provements on the inside. There was
not a cent of insurance on the building.
In addition to this the State loses at
50, 500 in machinery. A ten-horse power
and tWenty-horse power engine be-
longing to the State were destroyed,
besides two electrict dyramcS and a lot
of snafting, betting. etc. The State
merp'v furnished the motive power for
the mill. The State, therefore, sustalns
a clear loss of fully Sl2,500. About ten
days ago an elec ric dynamo, valued at
5000, was put IL the mill. A year ago
= third story was added TO the struc-
ture.
The hosiery mill was established years
ago. 1t was run with varied success
until Captain J. N. Graham bought the
machinery and began to operate It,
He leased the conylcts TO run it from
the State and did large business
the South. Ali the machiD-
cry belonged to MIN. He had heavy
stock of goods on hand and the loss on
the stock was great. The total loss sus.
tanned bV Mr.. Graham is estimated at
$4,000, $4,000 being on machinery and
$1,000 On the stock. Mr.. Graham had a
total of $4,000 insurance -Register.
Terrible Earthquakes.