The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-02-18
LOSS OF COTTON LARGE.
AMOUNT ESTIMATED BETWEEN
$4,000 and $4,000.

CURED by Insurance Regulations.
Nearly 1000 Bales of Cotton i'm the
Four Compartments of the Ware
house, the Whole Being Insured
for $I04,00O-DiTerentT Theories as
to the Origin of the Fire.
The loss on the cotton destroyed and in
jured in the fire in Warehouse A of the
Hydraulic Cotton Press Company is likely
to reach considerable figure There were
1893 bales of cotton in the warehouse, dis
tributed among the four compartments.
The fire was confined to the third COM
partment
Messrs. Butter & Stevens, the lessees of
the warehouse. for the storing chiefly of
the finer grades of sea island cotton.
which were being held for an advance in
the market. There were between 800 and
1000 bales of cotton in the compartment,
of which 500 bales were choice East Flor
idas and other fine grades. About 40
bales are a total loss and the others are
considerably damaged.
The loss on the cotton destroyed is esti-
mated at between $1,000 and $1,000 and on
NiieiN OdAlldSCQ ny SlllVhG anu dNCl al SAV,-
900 to $4,000. sra
1t was a fact commented upon as some
what singular by the members of the firm
and by the insurance agents that the fire
should not only have broken out in the
best cotton warehouse in the city of Sa-
vannah, but that it should have attacked
the apartment containing the most valua-
bic cotton.
Warehouse A is considered by all ac-
quainted with its construction TO be the
best constructed to be found anywhere.
The four apartments are divided by heavy
brick walls, rising above the roof, with
no connection between the roofs of the
several apartments. The building is pro-
vided with heavy iron doors and the sky
lights are or were of glass fully half an
inch thick and very strong
All the requirements of the Southeastern
Tariff Association were complied with In
the construction of the building and in its
care. Two double fire MIGRANTS are To-
Gated at the warehouse, and a full supply
of first-class hose and fire buckets is kept
there by the lesees. Under the circum-
stances the insurance agents felt war
ranted in giving a very low rate on the
experience the agents will readily renew
the insurance at the old rate, as the fire
is not attributed to any fault in the con-
strucuon of the building or lack of care
on the part of the lessees.
The insurance carried by the firm was
upon the entire stock of cotton in the
warehouse, and consequently the loss in
the third apartment will have to be pro-
portioned The insurance is amply suffi-
10 fIyaI L..
distributed among the local agents and
placed by them in their various companies.
The following is list Of the Insurance.:
Z. F., Prendergast-$5s Home; 5000,
Queen; 5000, Phoenix; 5000 London and
Lancashire; $4,000, London and Lancas-
shire.
bearing & Hull-$4OOO, German Ameri-
can; $1,000, Mutual Fire; $4,000 Atlanta
Home; $780, CaIedonlan; 5000, Phoenix
Home; $1,000, Georgia Home.
w. T. Hopkins-S5,0 COO Magdeburg; A,-
600, Manchester.
M. A. Cohen-$5,OOO, Orient; 5000,
Orient; 5000, Georgia Home.
Myers & Ho.t-s4,0OO, British American;
5000, Insurance Company of North
America.
w. E. Grady-S4,OOO Insurance Company
of North America; $4,000. Imperial; 5000,
Royal
Sullivan & Wilson-$5,OOO Royal; 5000,
Royal; $1,000, North British and Mercan-
tile; $4,000, Aetna; 5000, London, Liver
pool and Globe.
Daniel & Carswell--s5OOo, Hartford;
$1,000, Hartford; 5000 Pennsylvania;
s., 900, Connecticut.
j. N. Wheaton & Co.-$5,OOO, Fire Asso-
citation; 5000, Delaware; $780, Sun Mu-
tual; $1,000, Continental.
A. c. Harmon.-S5,O00, Continental; $4,-
600, Continental 5000, Continental.
Davant & Co.-S5,OO0, Continental; $4,000,
Continental
Hull & Lathrop-s4.OOO Niagara; $1,000,
Niagara.
A. G. Guerard & son-s4,OOO Firemen's.
Rowland & Rowland-$5, O00 Insurance
Company of North America.
Total-$194.O 600.
There is difference of opinion as to the
origin of the fire. Well posted and exper-
fenced insurance men are emphatic in the
opinion that it was due wholly to acct
dental causes.
Mr.. Gilbert r. Rossignol, who has charge
of the warehouse, and Fire Chief Mcguire
are both of the opinion that 1t was incen-
diary. Mr.. Rossignol found on top of the
warehouse yesterday a large rock which
he thought was used to break in the heavy
glass of the slkylight AN old cotton truck
was found against the side of the building
where it was supposed to have been placed
to enable someone to climb the roof. 1t was
found that the. center Of the fire was under
the skylight and that it had evidently
spread from that point. There was said to
be a strong odor of oil in the burnt cotton
found under the skylight.
Some however, thought this might be
the oil of the sea island cotton brought
out by the heat. The theory of those who
believe in the incendiary idea is that the
skyligtt was broken, a quantity of oil
poured down on the cotton and a match
or lighted piece Of wood thrown in, after
which the incendiary proceeded to make
himself scarce. The fire could not have
been smolderlng in the compartment for
a day without someone Of the many work
ing in and around the warehouse having
his attention attracted either by smoke
or the smell of burning cotton.
Mr. r. VI. Butler, senior member of the
firm Of Butler & Stevens, said that what
seemed strong corroborative evidence of
this incendiary theory was that holes
were burned in the floor at irregular dis
tances around underneath the skylieht as
If oil might have formed in pools on the
floor after running down the sides of the
bales, the consequence being that
the floor would be deeply burnt
in at such spots. He noticed also tina,
some of the bales taken from near the