The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-05-23
Many Farmers Asleep in the Burning
Buildings.
ESCAPED IN NlGHT-D RESS.
The Loss VIII Amount 10 One Hum
dred and Fifty Thousand Dol
lars-A Large Amount of To
bacco Damaged and De-
stroycd-E'ine Work OF
the Firemen.

DANE1LIE, VA, May 22.-Special--
The largest fire that has occurred here in
period Of ten years broke out this
morning IN the warehouse of E. f. Acree
& Bro, or Craghead Street, The flames
originated in the baggage-room about 500
O'Clock from an unknown cause. The
officer on the beat and the night-watcn-
mar of the warehouse noted the blaze
at one and the same time, and in d mo-
pnent the alarm was in at the depart
ment.
The department from both sides of the
river responded at once. and in a short
while every stream available was pour
ing on the building, yet before either
could reach the scene OF the fire the
-Acrce building was almost in ruins, and
their attention was turned TO the adjacent
buildings.
AN ACRE OF FIRE.
For nearly an acre the surroundings
were a mass of flames that looked as
though they would sweep several books
before they were extinguished. Hundreds
OF horses and wagons were in the ware
houses at the time, as were many ,farm-
ers- who were asleep in their wagons.
So rapid was the progress o f the flames
that the men ran out in their night
clothes, and We're in that condition untt
friends came 10 their assistance. Horses
biindfoldtd, singly and in pairs were
rushed to places of safety, carriages ard
wagons were run out of the fire line. and
as seven wagons loaded with tobacco were
in the Acree building at the time, ana
their owners asleep in them II is not yet
certain whether they have all escaped
the flames.
LIVE WIRES.
A street-car was rescued with difticul-
~ from the street in front: dangerous
circuits of live wire We're cut out by the
frernen. and the streets began 10 be
blocked with the throng OF people Lie
lines were stretched across Intervening
streets and the tight became fierce ana
exciting.
AT point when il was hoped ,hat ths
limit of the flames had been reached,
fresh sweep of wind sprung up from the
southeast, and in an instant the cnal-
,mers Patterson four-story factory on
.I.oval Street and the Banner Warehouse,
,on Bridge Street. caught. and almost in
an instant were roaring caidrons OF
flame.
1t took just three minutes for the nre
20 sweep through the Patterson building
and into the Hodnett's Warehouse ad-
ioini2g. while three lines of smoke started
from the Cabell Warehouse. across the
street and on the caves of the John l.
3Iuphes factory. on Bridge Street, tiny
flames made their appearance, and al
the rest of the block prepared to move
FINE WORK OF F1REMEN.
little later the Brown Package
Warehouse. used by the Cobhs as a
storage of American Tobacco Company
stock. and having between Ieo0op ana
20 Ooo mounds of tobacco in hoSsheads
stored in it and the shed adjoining
caught. and a groan went up from the
tremen to whom the saving OF the resi-
of the block. including the big ioreon
tobacco factory and the haShes iae'oiS y
seemed impossible.
-,hay radoubied their efforts, however,
and favored by a shift of wind TO the
north. held the fire where it was, ana even
saved the Brown Warehouse. but Hlue
damaged by fire. though smoke and water
played havoc with the tobacco stored
therein. BY 1880 o'clock the ire was unoei
central and nearly all the walls that We're
s.,garons had fallen through. though one
~ Two sti,l remained that will have TO be
pulled down.
i'- THE BURNED AREA.
Tho FIRE cleared an area of about S5t
feet square or the regulation size OF a
city block, and the buildings then con-
sumed were the Acree Warehouse, o"heo
nv e. r, Acree and James Acree, one OF
z,he largest warehouses in America, which
eyceess any other warehouse in this sec
+io, IN, its annual sales. THIS building was
insured. though it Is not thought the tota
loss was covered. The Banner Warehouse
owned by Mr. T. N Burton and leased by
George e Hughes & Co. II Is understood
was not insured. and the unestnated loss
&c total. The Brown Package Warehouse
of two stories. was fully insured. The
chalmers Patterson factory, of four stories
was insured and the Hodnett factory
four stories. was insured
The total loss is variously estimated a
from ,sl25Gao to 100000 a safe and con
servative estimate, it is thought, wouic
be about S15o.eoo, distributed as follows
Buildings, So, 900: tobacco belonging to thi
American Tobacco Company. s1o,GD; 9th
ers, $4,000.
policeman with two sections of gar
den hose practically saved the Cabel
Warehouse stalls with the animals therein
thus preventing the spread of the fire !,
that direction.
The Western Union Telegraph Compan,
had a corps of linemen replacing burned
wires. cross-arms, broken insulators ant
connections before Z A. N, and by p. n
the street railway had It's cars running a
usual
The season of the year being slack ii
the tobacco market there will be few mel
thrown out OF employment, and as ti1er
are buildings accessible the loss of tim
TO employees that are ont will be but
short period.
At IL o'clock the factories adjoining tn
fame-swep, area are still smoking. an'
the firemen are keeping close watch fo
q renewal of the flames. Scarcely has III
Dsnv!lle department ever done NOR
creditable piece of work than they di
here to-day But for the very best effor
the entire lower portion of the city. whicl
contains ail the large factories and build
lrgs. might have been swept away.