The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-07-30
MAYS BAKERY
 DESTROYED Early Morning Fire on
 Court Street. LOSS WILL REACH s5,oco Both Building and Stock
 Were Insured.
LOSS WILL REACH $5,0Co
Firemen conAne the Flames to tho Bakery Good Work Donslby the Departmsnt--Another
 Small Blaze. [

 o'clock this morning in Nays Bakery at South Court Street. did consider- able damage before 1t was gotten un~ der control. The stock was greatly damaged and the rear part of the two- story brick building occupied by May will have to be replaced. The building is owned by Mrs. Walter Bragg and ia insured.
 The Fire Department at 2 o'clock waa called to an insignificant fire in tho eastern part of the city. but fortun~ ately only one of the wagons responded to the call. Consequently the remain- der of the department quickly reached the scene when an alarm was sent in from box s2. on Court Square.
 A wind was blowing from the north and when the Fire Department reached Court Square the roof of the rear Of Mays building was blazing. The flames were blown south and It appeared that the building. at Court Street occupied by W. w. Herrca as saloon and owned by J. H. Higgins. would be con- stunned.
 A marrow alley runs between the Bragg and Higgins buildings and the firemen reached the heart of the blaze through this alley. It was hard work. however. and 1t was not until asstream of water was turned on the flames from the top of the Higgins building that any apparent effect of the work of the tiremen was noted. Fire Chief BrOw~ der. who. had gone to the ire In tho eastern part of the city. reached the Ire in Mays soon after the frcmen had gotten to work. He quickly as sumed command and under his direo- tion the firemen placed ladder on the Higgins building and strong stream was turned on the blaze from that direction.
 Soon after this stream was turned ons the fire was we'll under control and the firemen and policemen turned their at tention to saving the stock of Mays bakery. It is believed the fire origin ated in . small portable oven in the rear of the second floor. and the flames were confined to the second floor and the fear of the first floor. Immense tarpaulins were placed over the confections in the store props CT. but the plaster fell and the stock was completely gutted by water. During the progress of the fire and while the firemen were working on the ground floor in the oven room, hose burst and the water rushed into the store proper.
 For a time it looked as though the stock of goods which had been covered by tarpaulins would be saved, but when the clustering fell, the water rushed through the ceiling and came down on the goods like drenching rain. The floor was covered several inches with water. and everything in the store that could be damaged by water was loss. MT. Duncan May, proprietor of the place, said it was impossible to make an estimate of his loss, but 1t appeared to be complete. He has $5,0o0 insur- ance on the stock and store fixtures. The agent who handles his insurance was on the scene, and at at early hour this morning they were arranging to adjust the loss. MT. May said if 1t were possible to do so today he would have the place cleaned up and resume business. At any rate. he said he would begin catering to his trade at the same stand at the earliest possible moment.
 MT. May said there had not been any fire in the ovens since p. m., and it was customary to make a careful in- vestigation of the bakery rooms before closing the store at II D. m., although he (Mr. May) was not at the store last night.
 The second floor was used as a store- room and much of the goods on this | floor were destroyed.
 The roof of the building was burned and the roof in the rear of the building fell in.
 At 3 o'clock this morning the fire was under control.
 Yelverton's meat market adjoins Mays on the north, but 1t was un- touched.