The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-01-06
DAMAGING FIRE {:
HERE YESTERDAY
Begunat the Planters and
Merchants Warehouse.
OTHER HOUSES BURN.
Biggest. CONFEDERATION That Richmond
Has Seen for a Long Time,
KlNGAN 6 co. LARGE LOSERS.
OTHER HOUSES BURN.
.KlNGAN & co. LARGE LOSERS.
The Various Losses viii be Pretty
Fully Covered by insnr;,nce-ihc
american Tobacco Company IS
Loser TO a Large Amount Of
Tobacco in Planters and
Merchants Warehouse

Merchants Warehouse
From what can be learned 'oarky
and his pipe were responsible for 4
ire that was the most disastrous that
tne. city Of Richmond has experienced
during the past twenty years OF her
history. and made the residents OF the
C,apital of the Old Dominion fill their
lungs With the disagreeablc ndor OF burnt
pork seasoned with q generous addlticn
OF tobacco.
1t appears that negro knocked the
ashes from his pipe on the foundation
OF the Planters and Merchants ware
house. and shortly atterward that build
ing was a seetllns mass Of flames.
Not since the memorable confiagration
that destroyed the Petersburg bridge mas
Richmond been visited by such a fire.
and neTer in the history of the Richmond
Fire Department have all the engines.
trucks and other apparatus been en-
route to the same fire al one tlhe.
Even the reserve force was cal!eo ot'l
during the one fire in response to another
of no consequence.
From the time the, first alarm was
turned in, but six minutes elapsed be-
fore the general alarm was sounded.
These three alarms were recorded az
follows: 2:43, 2:4G and 2:iS o clock Ihe
alarm which called out the department
to fight the flames which broke ont
again in the pork packing establishment
Of kingan & Co. after it was thought
they had been extinguished, was recorded
at headquarters at $3.50 o clock.
To prevent any further outbreak SIN
engines were kept busy all night pour
ing water on the smouldering mass,
while two trucks were at hand ready for
use.
Chief Fuller, though not having recoF-
cred from his recent injuries, together
with Superintendent Thompson directed
the lighting of the flames during the af-
ternocn and after the last alarm Capt
w. II. Joynes, OF Engine Conlpany-No. ..
as acting Chief directed his heroic men.
The fire was then hard one TO tight,
and five OF the fighters went down.
t,lntain William Jl;nary. Of Engine
Company No. 3, was caught under fall
ing wall and was the most seriously
injured OF the uuintette-
/. B. Bullock. permanent hoseman'
Engine Ccrlnauy No 4, was overcome
removed TO the Virginia Hospital.
Z. p C1ump cali boseman, Engine
Company No. 4. was also overcome by
heat and smoke
Two other liremen were temporarily
disabled. one by being caught under a
falling wall, and another by heat pros
tration.
Mr.. Lonnie Jones had two narrow es-
capes from serious injury.
Other fortunate escapes are reported.
BATTLED FOR SIX HOURS.
For six hours the Richmond Fire De
partment wased a battle royal With fierce
flames that threatened. at one time. to
wipe out an entire block in Richmond $
wholesale district, and We're conquered
only after one of the hardest struggles
the tiremen ever experienced. AS 1t Is
tie Planters and Merchants Tobacco
Warehouse. and its contents Of nearly
2G1o hogsheads of leaf tobacco, are a
charred mass, while the reiraSeratlnS
warehouse OF 1$inEan & Co.. pork packers,
was sutted and the big four-story brick
building of Cardwell Machine Company
is badly damaged, and its contents, mostly
finished farming implements, partially.
Though it is impossible to give the eN-
act loss at present, it is estimated that
the damage will reach a figure between
$3.50 coo and $4,000. The American To-
bacco Company is the heaviest loser, as
that corporation had upwards OF fifteen
hundred hogsheads of leaf tobacco stored
in the fated warehouse Various -other
parties also suffered, but their losses are
much lighter.
The warehouse itself is mass of ruins,
nothing remaining to mark the lines OF
TIE building but charred timbers and
blackeneG masonry.
+iJ,r~ MI r,
of Kingan & Co. is total loss. and the
entire top floor of the south building of
that company is destroyed. The contents
were damaged 10 the extent Of seventy
five per cent. and the north and soutf,
buildings of the firm to the extent OF
thirty per cent. The filling Of orders,
however, will not be interfered with.
The western end of the Cacdwell Ma
chine Company's plant was badly dam
aged, and a portion of the contents.
The nearest possible estimate that could
be made distributed the losses as follows:
Contents p. & NJ Warehouse. s314.O0l
Warehouse building. S,0ec
Kingan & Co.'S buildings. i.5G1
k;ngan & Co.'S stock...-.......-.. 5000
Kingan & Co.'S refrigerating plant 15,0Hl
Cardwe!l building. ng...................- 1,501
Contents Observation-Disclosures. 1000
Total .........-...........-... 1888, ,GJJ
INSURANCE ON STOCK.
The Insurance will cover all the loss
and is. as far as could be learned, dis.
tributed as follows:
Companies. represented by William
TalIe:':
American Tobacco Co, about. slls,oot
Il. C. Williams Tobacco co......... s,s0l
D. n. Walker & Co, agents for the
American Tobacco Co., distributed
as follows:
insurance Co. North Arnerica...... 145cC
German American. 9.Got
Qreen.. 5e.Uo1
q Ilnrf7on Assurance. 1a.OoO
Williamsburg City .................. 5000
G. S. Crenshaw, agent, for Alneri
can Tobacco Co.
Home of New York % 600
Virginia Trust Co. as ats. for T. c.
i williar's Tobacco Co.
caledonian ............ 5000
Virginia Fire and Marine. for Nolt-