The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1901-11-10
FULL STORY OF. THE. FIRE,
Progress Of the Destruction Was Remarkably
Rapid, Owing to Tinder-Like Wood.

Three minutes before the complete
Acknowledgment of the northern end
of the Habl.ston building there was nc {
one single sign of the impending GiSaS-.
ter.e When the first sign came it was a
trickling flame which pushed aside the
cellar cap on the sidewalk in Seventh
Street. and crept through. a second later
there came a resoundins detonation from
the depths of the cellar and within a min
ute the leaping flames had slashed their
way through windows, and were greedily
devouring the highly vanished woodwork
of the building.
Mr. j. r. West, who conducts a prltt-.
ing establishment at NOT North Seventh
Street, directly across from Where the fire
started was at work at his cesN lie
had been there for ten or fifteen MINUTES,
but only looked out at the explosion and
saw the flames driven fifteen or twenty
feet across Seventh Street tow;r1G his
place of business.
Mr. W. S. Mayo. treasurer -cf TIE
Tower Bnford Company, VAS sitting IN
his private office on the far western s'de
OF the building. that point Sfiirthecasr 70
moved from the fires beginning paint. He
heard the explosion and started his office
boy to the basement to find out what was
the matter. The boy never reached the
basement At the head OF the stairs lead
ing gown ne WAS 41IiSt OS s1ii shs
of black smoke. Which staggered him
back. and then came the shrieking alarm
of fire.
Several gentlemen III the offices went to
see personally what was the natter.6zbHt
We're in turn driven back. Up to this point
there had been no alarm turned in. the
confusion and excitement resulting was
intense. but out of the chaos an empiose
of the Richmond Traction Company finally
u. 4 In 4
Seventh-S Street door, shouting fire. In
stantly the cry was taken up. but Salu-
able time had been wasted, the few min
utes given to the flames before the alarm
was finally turned i'll having been suf-.
ticient for the merciless and ever devour-
ing tongues Of the -alne TO grasp the en-
tire building.
LIKE A TINDER BOX.
Then the building began to go like q
finder box Highly finished and polished
throughout. as dry as a chp..and with a
stiff inward draught through the cellar
Q rating. driving the roaring fire ahead,
there then seemed little hope for the build I
ing. By this time. too smoke began
nonrin- through the building. 1t was
dense dark overpowering. with the
stencil of rubber in it from the insulators-
With the spread of the smoke. there
came pandemoniun in the building In
moment the stairs leading down to Sew
entl, Street-and there were no other
stairs in the kbuilding-became congested
wifi, a struggling. excited. shouting mass,
with a volume of smoke pouring UP;
with every window closed and no escape
for the sufrocating fumes. the workmen
who had been employed in the building
staggered on down and out into the fresh
air. practically the last leaving the door
as a jet of rose flame ripped open par
tition and flooded the stairway with de-
vastating heat.
Among those who escaped by way of
the stairs was a young woman, Miss Pow |
ers, employed by the Richmond Traction
Company as stenographer. She was at