Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-06-18
BIG FIRE YESTERDAY
PORTION OF THE DURHAM FERTI-
LIZER-WORI<s BURNED.
SPARK THE ORIGIN OF The BLAZE.
The Damage Will Probably Hcnch
$1,000. and IL Covered by Insu-
rance-Captain Curtis Has Dredge
and n Drill-Boat Injured.
LIZER-WORExs BURNED.
A SPARK THE ORIGIN OF The BLAZE.

Inst before IL o'clock yesterday morn
ing fire broke out in the large works of
tho Durham Branch of the Virginia-Caro-
Una Fertilizer Company. Twenty-sixth
and Dock streets, and before the V'aZe
was extinguished the plant was almost
entirely consumed, and Captain John "A
Curtis had a dredge and drill-boa'
which lay in the dock close by, slightly
damaged. The total loss is probably
s,ooO or s.. 800. and is covered by insur-
Lnce.
There was very little woodwork ABOUT
the Durham plant, although the names
originated among. quantity OF srouhu
tobacco stems. spark from one OF INC
grinding stones probably having 1alieh
There. and this material burned ike
.,nder. 1t looked for a time as II the
entire building. the sides and top Of which
were Of corrugated iron. would be gutted'
hut the splendid work OF The iremeh re-
suited in tho saving of part OF inc
str,,cture. although the heat from the
n.rn,ng building was so intense as 10
make II almost impossible 10 go near H.
The fire was discovered by the en-
nloyees "a few minutes before III cioeh'
a blaze of considerable proportions pelns
ON the second floor OF the building An
alarm Of fire was at once turned in from
H. 30 and this was soon followed by
SECOND alarm. In a few minutes Engines
Nos 2 & Z and s. and trucks NOS.
ana Q wene at the scene. and five streams
Of water were playing on the burning
building. .,,., .ho
woen the Fire Department reached the
scene the building was in mass OF
flames. and, being covered ana caseu
with shoet-lron, made the hre a dlihcuIl
one TO rsach, o.,o,
LARGE warehouse annexed anu o'hei
buildings near by were saved only by inc
hardest Efforts on the part OF the hremeh.
Lrs1rD FOR GRINDING STEMS.
rna Fertilizer Company's building was
onlv used for grinding tobacco stems
,,,hicb are ,nsed in certain kinds of FER
,nizers A considerable quantity OF raw
,naterial was. stored there, but 1t was
,mnossii,e TO learn The value OF TINS
The damage 10 the building and the loss
"a stock and machinery VIII hdrdly ca
coed SVU. ,,.,, ,,,oet
wardIy. and the awnings on dteuse pc
longing to Captain John A Gurus
conoa limited. and a drill-boat owned Dy
an the dock near by, caught fire ana were
dauaoed TO the extent OF probably SiVV
yr,,is 90 also covered by insurance. Inc
arayrsn had a difficult time extingulsn-
Ing the flames on these craft Out hha'iy
succeeded In doing so. O..
The department was engaged III hsn'-
ing the fire on all sides OF the factory
A shed IN the; Of the factory "heio
81 quantity OF oil was stored pidleu w
4l.. sfela
crowd which stretched in two solu
,Iocks Of humanity along Cary street
,hat the rTrsiroad properties OF the Chesa-
noaka and Ohio. across the canal, were
suffering. .ul.
Devond the overcoming by heat or Law
rorca Haske. hoseman from NO
companv. there were no causudlties'
trha burned building was used as ma
oh,na,.v and engine house I'm the grind
ing of tobacco stems. 1t was thIee s'o-
rles high. the lower two containing ma
chinery and the upper story the manu-
featured product. c,o.. Al
The engineer Mr.. Thomas carter as
covered the blaze and Mr.. H. W. Mays
H. foreman. FASTENED 10 the aiarm-bo&'
poturning Mr.. Mays tried TO secure
emit or clothes which hung in the ONCE
on tho first floor. 1t was a dangerous eN-
oeriment and may have proven Costly
As II was. Mr.. Mays was compelled 10
rrawl from the Office TO the ~-1side uoo''
h,s hair and moustache being badiy
burned. la,
Tbo office was n total destruction. with
Its contents, but 1t is said that the loss
In napers and records is unimportant.
II was only through the most strenu-
ous EFFORTS that the storage-house ana
contents were saved.
PLANT AMPLY INSURED.
The nlant of the Virginia-Carolina
Fertilizer Company was amply insured.
said Mr.. J. G. Tinsiey. the treasurer OF
the company. to a Dispatch man yester-
dsy. The policies were placed in the
main directly with New York agencies.
Floating policies, covering any losses by
Are not covered by special policies, are
carried by the Fertilizer Company IN
the Insurance Company Of the state OF
New York: the Globe Fire Insurance
COMPANY. of New York the Broadway
insurance Company. OF New York. and
the Manufacturers Lloyds. of New York;
while the special policies were in the
westchester Fire Insurance Company for
q 600 and in the Philadelphia Under
writers for 81. 600 Mr. Tinsley said that.
inasmuch as the company leased both
me ground and building used for the
Durham Branch from the Chesapeake
and Ohio Railway Company. 1t would
hardly be rebuilt for them.
The employees of the American Tobac-
TO company opposite the fire were COM
pe,led to abandon their posts. by rea-
son of tho smoke, which often covered
the entire block This Is the third time
IA .<fx, Aaa xffQ a1 hU ira