The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1901-02-20
BIC MILLS IN RUINS.
Paper Factory Near Appleton De-
stroyed by Fire.
BIG FIRE AT KIMBERLEY
Spontaneous Combustion Supposed to
Have Been Cause-Loss Nearly
100000.

Appleton, Wis, Feb. 14.-[Special. I
The four papermills of the Kimberly
Clark Paper company, situated on the
FOX river at the village Of Kimberly,
four miles from this city, were in dan
ger of total destruction by fire last night,
but the firemen saved three of the mills.
Much damage was done to the mills
which were saved, however, and the loss
VIII be between 100000 and 500. 900.
Chlef ID. Il. Anderson Of the Appleton
hre department. lost his life while fighting
the ire. and Supt. D. Cowie of the plant
was seriously injured by fall
The origin Of the fire is unknown. but
is supposed to have been spontaneous
combustion. The flames were first seen
coming up through the floor in No. ma
chlne room, at the lower or east end Of
the plant about 6:3O p. m. An alarm
was quickly given and the fire company
maintained by the plant made strenuous
efforts to eXtinguish the fire. The flames
were soon beyond control Of the local de-
partment, however, and the fire depart
ments Of Appleton, Kaukauna and Nee
nan responded to a call for help being
TAKEN h9 to the scene by special trains.
Inc floors Of the big building were
soaked with Oil and the fire spread with
through the No. 1 machine room into the
no no. 3 ana No. rooms, passing through
the hnlshlng rooms, where were stored
immense quantities Of paper awaiting
Shipment. One side of the mill 'front.'
ed on the river. but the ice was not strong
ana nremen dld not dare venture there
and had to corffne their work to the 9th
er three sides of the plant. Chief An
derson OF the, Appleton department took
charge of the combined fire-fighting
forces, but it took two hours of the hard
est KIND OF work before the fire was even
under control. The flames ate away the
floors from under the heavy machines
and one after another the three crashed
down into the engine room below, wreck
ing the big Corliss engine which fur
nlshed the power for the whole plant.
The death Of Chief Anderson of the
Appleton department was that Of hero.
he was at the head of his forces. trying
10 get at the heart Of the fire. Hard at
work in the hottest part Of the blazing
plant he was overcome by the heat His
men saw him fall and made desperate eff
forts to get to him, but the flames grew
mercer and 1T was some time before Elec-
trlclan Joseph Schreiter and Capt. George
McGullan Of Appleton engine company
NO. were able to drag out the uncon-
scious chief. He was taken to hotel
in the village and doctors summoned, but
he was dead before they arrived.
Supt. Cowie of the plant sustained the
fracture or three ribs and was otherwise
internally, injured by fall from a plat
form Wnlle the ire was at it's height.
A Fireman All His Life.
Chief Anderson was the oldest fireman
IN the city, having begun service as
torchD2y ln the old volunteer department
was d bdcketboy, and when the town got
hre hose he was made hoseman. Be
fore the department had horses Of its
own, Anderson rented the three he owned
for nearly five years. During most of
this time he was on the department rolls
as driver. Counting in his boyhood serv-
Ice he spent twelve years in the service
before he concluded to let somebody else
have chance at glory. But the old
longing could not be resisted and eleven
years ago he again entered the service as
driver. In six years he had become
captain under Chief Ryan and six months
later he was promoted to be chief. which
position he held for the past FIVE years.
"A special meeting Of the common coun-
Gil will be held this evening and it is ex-
pected that arrangements will be made
for a public funeral for the dead fire
chief
Chief Anderson leaves a wife and six
sons and three daughters.
The Kimberly paper mills ranked
among the finest equipped for a plant of
the size in the West and were built IN
1893 at a, total expense Of 81, 100000, in
cluQlnS the improvement OF the wafer
power and the erection Of homes for the
employees, at village which sprung up
at that point.
The plant had four machines each
valued at about $4,000, and of these
three were in the portion of the building
which was first destroyed. It was known
as a complete mill-paper, pulp and sui
phate. The pulp mill stretched out into
the river at right angles to the channel,
and was about 100 feet in length. In
this portion Of the structure were the
grinders and the pulp machines were on
the river bank.
Near the pulpmill, on the river bank, is
the manila mill, with an immense ma
chine which is sometimes used on butch
ers' manilas, coarse straw paper, and
at other times on a finer grade.
There is a dam 500 feet wide across
the Fox river at this point, with a fall
of about twelve feet. The pulp depart
ment Of the mill stretched out into the
river, while the papermills and the sui
phte department were parallel to the
bank
The mill had three machines, two wide,
fast-running machines being run on news
print papers, and the third, slower ma
chine though Of nearly equal size, being
used in the manufacture Of manila pa
pers The machines alone are valued at
$4,000 each.
The Radford plant will resume opera
tions at once, having secured the use Of
drykilns from other firms until theirs can
be rebuilt. 1t was 9 o'clock this morn
ing before fremen left the scene.