St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-10-04
THREE GREAT RHODE ISLAM
COTTON MILLS ARE IN
RUINS. Z
LOSS OVER ONE MILLION
EFFORTS OF THE FIRE
MEN.
HEAVY DESTRUCTION OF sToc,1
One Large Warehouse and SomV
Adjoining Buildings Among
the burned Property.

WARREN, r. l., Oct. 3.-One of Of
the largest fires that has ever oc-
CURED in Southeastern New Eng
land broke out in one of the three
mills of the Warren Manufacturing
company, situated about an eighth
OF a mile from the center of this
town, just after Z o'clock tonight,
and before it was gotten under con-
troll it had swept through three cot
ton mills, warehouses, sheds and 9TH
er property, causing a loss which is
estimated at more than a million
dollars. The fire started in the wash
room near the engine room of No. 1
mill, and spread with great rapidity
through the building and threaten
ing adjoining property. Within an
hour otter the blaze was discov-
cred the flames were roaring through
all three mills. The magnitude of
the fire at once became apparent to
the local department, and help was
Immediately summoned from Bris-
tol, Fall River and Providence. An
engine from Bristol, one from Fall
River and two steamers, two hose
carts and three companies from
Providence responded, arriving on
special trains. The scene when these
out-of-town companies arrived was
appalling. The whole of the south
ern part of the little town seemed to
be roaring mass of flames, threat
ening not only the tenement houses
of the manufacturing company near
by, but even endangering the business
part of the town, some distance off.
Almost Immediately after the addi-
tional force had set at work the
water supply began to give out and
the combined department conse-
quently worked under a heavy dis
advantage, and although the auto
matte sprinklers were turned on
in all of the three mills, and six
inches of water stood upon all of the
floors, very little progress was made.
TAR AND COTTON ON FIRE.
A carload of tar and another of
cotton, standing On as track IN the mill
yard. became ignited, and furnished
another source of food for the fire in
its sweep through the great plant.
The heat was insufferable, and soon it
was impossible to get within 200 feet
of the buildings. At 10 o'clock the
flames were threatening two ware
houses containing 900 worth of Sea
Island cotton and completed sheetings.
AT 1890 these caught, and in a few
moments had become a roaring fur
mace. A few minutes later the flames
jumped from these buildings TO the ad-
joining lumber yard of r. A Martin,
and his entire stock of coal, wood and
dressed lumber were food for the fire.
Shortly before II o'clock the walls of
two of the mills fell in, and the dwell
ing houses occupied by the operatives
also caught fire, so that it seemed to
be spreading in two directions By
most persistent and arduous efforts,
however, the firemen gained control of
the confagration at midnight, but all
that was left of the big factories,
warehouse and tenements was d blaz-
ing pile of ruins. The entire contents
of the plant were destroyed, with the
exception of fifty bales of cotton from
the warehouses, which, after taking
fire, dropped into the water and were
carried down the bay, a blazing mass,
endangering vessels at anchor. Sever
al persons in the crowd of spectators
We're injured by flying bricks, but none
We're seriously hurt. When the roof
of the warehouse fell four Providence
firemen were caught. They escaped
by crawling down the water pipe and
then jumping a distance of seventeen
feet. Two were slightly injured.
THE LOSSES.
The losses are estimated as follows:
Warehouses and factories. $S10, 900; ma
terial, SSG0.G50; lumber yard, Sl5.00O:
tenements, $4,000; total, s., ,125,000 The
Warren manufacturing company is
one of the largest cotton manufactur-
ing corporations in the country. John
Waterman, of Warren, IS the principal
owner, and Warren and Providence
people are the heaviest stockholders.
One thousand six hundred operatives,
comprising nearly all the working
force of the town, We're employed. The
insurance on the whole of the com
p2ny'S S property amounts TO 81 050 Goo