The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-07-24

Two vessels ana the Upper Rice
Mm Narrowly Escape-Most Of the
Losses Insured.
The most disastrous conhagraton that
has visited Savannah in some time oc>
CURED last night. the Planters rice mill.
Its granary and wharf and the Duck
worth warehouse being totally destroyed
and adjoining buildings seriously dam
aged
TIE Ere was discovered about i0.5o
O'Clock in the milling department OF the
Planters rice mill. It broke out on the
third floor, in the brushing department.
where the greater part OF the machinery
Is located The night Waterman. Frank
Garlovltch went through the building
about half an hour before, and every
thing was all right. except the machin-
cry, which was rather hot. He poured
several buckets OF water on the heated
portions and went out Half an hour
later he saw a light in the window Of
the third story. and thinking something
was wrong. went to make an investiga,
ton. 1t did not take him long to find
the building was on fire. and the alarm
was given.
The alarm was rung in from box 81. az
the Upper cotton press. By that time the
FIRE had been burning about ten minutes.
Engines No. and No. were the first on
the scene. and had streams on the IRE
in short order. and then the general
alarm was given. The department had
considerable trouble in getting water from
the start, out of eight or ten streams only
two or three Of them were effective, the
others not extending ten feet beyond the
mouth Of the hose. This was a serious
difficulty and one the department had to
contend with from the start.
There were six streams on the fire at
the start. but as soon as the general
alarm sounded and everything turned out,
ten streams were playing on 1t. The delay
in turning in the alarm was due in part to
the fact that the night Waterman at one
OF the Central railroad cotton wharves.
whose name is Merchant, refused to turn
IN an alarm from that box because, he
said. It would call out all the Central rail-
road employees, and he did not want to do
so. Had it not been for Merchants fear
that some few Of the Centrars employees
-
the department might have been called at
least hye and perhaps eight or ten min
utes earlier. The alarm from box 81 was
surned in by Policeman Becker.
1t was first thought that the fire would
be confined TO the mill property and this
would have been the case, no doubt, had
1t not been for the conditions under which
the department labored with the very
poor water supply and the fact also
that little attention was paid to the gran
airy, which is on the opposite side Of River
street from the rice mill. until it was ac-
tually on fire. The fremen devoted their
whole attention from the start to the mill
itself. and as the fire at that time was
confined within four brick walls it was
thought, no doubt, that this was the cas-
lest way to get It under control
If the firemen had a little earlier given
their attention 10 the granary across
River street 1t is believed by many II
could have been saved, or at least that
the fire could have been stopped before
1t totally destroyed it. 1t is true, how
ever. that they had TO contend with a
short water supply and intense heat, pc
sides the fact that the fire in the granary
IS supposed TO have caught from the ele-
vator screw, which runs from the gran
AIRY under the street and into the mill,
giving an aperture through which fire
might pass. Then, too, this opening. af-
ter leaving the street, runs for a space
of about three feet before it enters into
the granary. The granary was covered
entirely with sheet iron, and was supposed
to be pretty well protected.
Clouds Of black smoke rolled up from the
mill and it was soon apparent that this
building would be totally destroyed. The
fire became hotter and hotter, driving back
TO a considerable distance the crowd OF
5000 or 4090 people, who gathered to wit
ness the conhagration. A squad of police
men was called out to look after the
crowds, but its services were unnecessary.
the intense heat forming perfect police
service in itself
The fire soon Quilted the mill and the in
tense heat started the fire in the granary.
WHICH is across River street fully forty
or fifty feet away from the mill. Abou,
l:45 the walls Of the mill began falling
on the River street side. A little later the
boiler in the mill exploded making ire
mendous noise, as If the entire building
had fallen in. It IS probable that the in
tense heat from the fire generated steam
in the boiler to such an extent that ar
explosion was the result
The fremen soon saw it was necessary
10 devote their attention to the granary
across River street. Smoke began issu-