The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1901-02-15
FIRE This MORNING.
The Raleigh Knitting Mills
Destroyed.
Loss is Nearly S25, 900 With SIT 900 Coyere1
by Insurance. Car Filled With Goods
Burned.

Early this morning the Raleigh Knit
ting Mills. near the Seaboard Air Line
track, in the western part of the city,
were destroyed by fire. Also box-car
loaded with goods from the mills and a
lot of lumber and wood belonging to
Allen q Cram We're burned.
The loss is fully $4,000, of which $I7,-
900 is covered by insurance.
1T is supposed by the owners of the
mills that the flames originated from
a passing locomotive, as there had been
no fire i'm the building for several days.
Also the fire began in the end of the
building next to the Seaboard track.
The mills employed from 40 to 125
hands. who will now be thrown out of
employment. Two years ago last No
vember. the mills were moved here
from Willardsvile and have been in
successful operation ever since, under
the management of the sons of Capt. $.
a. Ashe. Recently it was decided to
move the mill to building more suited
to its purposes. Such a building vas
erected on vacant lot just in front of
the pententiary and this week the re-
moval of the machinery of the mill was
commenced. Only the hangings, shaft
ing and engine, however. had been NOV
cd. All the other machinery and most
of the goods w e in the building bucn-
ed this morning.
In the boX-car that was burned there
We're seven cases of hose consigned TO
merchant in st, Paul, Mimi.
The building belonged to Mr.. Ben
Moore and it could not be learned
whether or not there was any inSur-
ance on it.
Mr.. Sam Ashe, who is now the active
manager of the mill said last night of
his probable loss
I'VE carried ST. 900 or $4,000 insur-
ance. Then we had $4,000 worth of
yarn that was uninsured; of this, $4,000
was saved. All the machinery except
the engine and some fixtures that had
been moved to the new mill was de-
stroyed. Our loss over and above in
surance is 81. 900 or 81, 600.
But for this fire the entire laill
would have been moved to the new
building in week and a half Of
course now it will be much longer
time before we can start up. as We will
have to buy new machinery. Over
hundred people are thrown out of
work
The car that was burned, is the prop
erty of the Seaboard Air Line and the
wood and lumber belonged to Allen &
Cram. The destruction of these added
a considerable item to the loss. and it
= y probable that none of it is IN
for the heroic work of Raleign's
firemen, with but little water
pressure to work with, the AL
49, - Cram shops and other property
in the vicinity would have been burn
ed Even as it was the roof of the
foundry caught several times and
once it was in light blaze.
The fire was first discovered at 1880
and an attempt was made to turn in the
alarm, but for some reason the alarm
n failed to work and notice was
of the conflagation by the blowing
whistles Of locomotives on the
around Union depot. The build
)eing but a hull and very dry,
burned rapidly and TANNED by strong
wind. was soon consumed. In half an
hour after the alarm was given the
walls had fallen in
1t was the largest fire Raleigh has
had since the burning of the tobacco
warehouse on Wilmington street
year ago.