The herald., 1897-11-23
BIG HAY BARN BURNED
THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS WORTH
OF FEED GO UP IN SMOKE
Twenty-sevcn Hundred Tons Of Hay
Make Big. Fire-The Losers
and Insurance

Twenty-seven hundred tons Of baled
barley hay stored in the Los Angeles
Hay. Storage and Milling company's
barn at the corner of Eighth and Lemon
streets went up in smoke last night,
entailing n loss upon the owners of
$4,000. Three companies of the fire de-
partment, Nos. and and chemical No.
5. were called out. but were entirely
powerless against the flames, which lit
up the whole southwestern portion of
the city and roarcd like Niagara.
The barn was built nine years ago
and extended over an acre of ground.
This fall it was stored to the very rafters
with baled hay. 1t Is known that the
barn was occasionally used by tramps,
and 1t is supposed that they started the
fire last night. At 1915 o'clock V. J..
Boaden of 725 Decatur street was awak-
ened by the cracking of flames. He went
to the window and saw that the hay
barn. about block away. was on fire.
At that time the flames were confined
to small space on the side and roof
about midway on the north side of the
large building. Boaden dressed hurried
ly and ran out, giving the alarm, which
aroused the neighborhood. Someone
turned in an alarm from box 70, at the
corner of Seventh and Mateo streets,
which called out the fire department.
A second alarm was rung in from box
10.
The storage barn was owned by WV
Lord and ID. +. Flory. The former, until
within the past few days, has lived in
a cottage which almost Joined the barn
at the southwest corner. Boaden and
F. A. Dean. who lives at the corner of
Decatur and Atlantic avenue, hurried
to this house, thinking probably that
the family were inside. Finding the
doors locked, they burst them in and
carried out most Of the furniture.
In few minutes after the fire was
discovered the flames had swept around
all sides OF the immense building and
were raging with the greatest fury. BY
the time the first engine from the fire
company arrived it was plain that the
department was entirely powerless
against the conflagration. Two lines of
hose were laid, but the tiremen's efforts
were devoted entirely to protecting sur
rounding property. The cottage which
fire and was burned down.
The framework of the barn quickly
burned away, leaving the mass Of hay
exposed. The bales were piled twenty
feet high, and as the fire crept UNDER
meath began topping and scattering
their blazing brands In every direction.
Fully fifteen hundred people had col
lected and watched the fire from as
short range as the great heat would per-
nit. Shortly after the fire department
arrived upon the scene all the engines
except No. 6 and one chemical were or
dered back to the city. since it was
realized that nothing could be done ex-
cept protect surrounding property and
let the fire burn out.
w. w. Lord owned the building, on
which he carried $4,000 insurance. The
hay which was lost was owned by diff
ferent parties. r. G. Tynor, lessee of
the Laguna ranch, is the largest loser.
He had 600 tons Of hay burned. This
was covered by insurance amounting to
about three-fourths of it's value. Frank
Townsend, farmer, is the next largest
loser. He had 400 tons of hay. Alto
gether the insurance on the various lots
of hay will aggregate $4,000. Most Of
this Is held by city banks, being largely
placed with the East Side and California
banks. Loans were made by these insti-
tutions on warehouse receipts and the
insurance policies were taken a secur-
ity. None of the hay was insured for
over three -fourths of it's value, and
great deal Of 1t was not insured at all.
d. p. Flory, manager of the Los An
geles Hay Storage and Milling company,
which had its Office at 242 Central ave.
nue., was seen at the fire last night, where
he was spectator.
Il place the loss on the building and
hay at $25,O00," he said. "This will fall
upon those whose hay was
stored in the barn. The company's loss
will amount to about $4,000. Half of this
is covered by insurance. The building
was worth $4,000. We will lose about 300
tons of hay Of our own and $1,000 worth of
receipts, which we can never COL
lect. Besides this there is the building
formerly occupied by Mr.. Lord.
II can only account for the fire on the
theory that the hay caught from the
of tramps'with cigarettes.
"There was more hay stored in our
barn than in all the rest Of the city. and
I think the fire will have very per-
ceptible effect upon the price OF feed"
A messenger was sent to Mr.. Lords
house at 2901 South Hope street to notify
him OF the fire. When he read the note
from his partner he tainted away in the
porch.
The fire burned all night and win prob
ably b smouldering TOR week.