The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-03-02
SH6,OOO WIPED OUT
VIRGINIA CAROLINA CHEMICAL
WORKS BURNED.
ACID PLANT A TOTAL LOSS.
MOLTEN IRON IN ORE BURNER
STARTED THE FIRE.


Loaded Cars Damaged-sOuthern
Cotton oil Works only Saved by
Heroic Efforts - The Loss Fully
Covered by Insurance.
The acid plant Of the Virginia-Carolina
Chemical Company's Works was COM
pletely destroyed by fire this morning. A
number Of other buildings at the works
were more or less seriously damaged, and
a large quantity of acid and chemicals
was burned.
The fire loss is estimated at something
like $4,000, divided about as follows:
Acid Chambers and Plant Totally
Destroyed, 100000.
Acid and Raw Material Totally
Destroyed, $1,000.
Eastern Warehouse. Roof Burned
and Contents Damaged, $4,000.
Damage to seven Box Cars and
Contents, $1,000.
The works are situated half mile west
of the Ocean Steamship Company's
wharves, along the bank of the river.
They occupy an extensive area imme-
diately adjoining the works of the South
ern Cotton Oil Company, and when the
in serious danger. only through the I'M
RENTING and almost heroic efforts If
the employees of the Cotton Oil Company,
who fought the flames wherever they
RACED the hottest, was this even larger
loss averted.
The acid plant is that part OF the fer
tiiizer works where sulphur ore is burn
cd. and acid for. the manufacture of
fertilizers. is made. The building, which
was consumed was a two-story frame
structure Of wood. three hundred feet
long and about sixty feet wide. At the
end nearest the river. were located the
engines and boiler and the burners"
in which the ore was heated. Engines
and boiler were in full operation, the
burners in fun blast and the entire works
in the condition of semi-activity they
always have at night. when the fire
was discovered. There were half doz-
IN negroes in the building.
Lindsey Timmons, one of the men, first
saw the blaze. In the burners there are
holes intended to promote and facilitate
'he rapid melting of the ore and through
one OF these holes. possibly through some
defect o. construction or accident of dis
repair or sheer iII-luck. the molten metal
irickled to the woodwork of the elevator
shaft.
When Tinmons first saw the blaze it
was leaping, with giant strides. towards
the second floor of the building. He
called William jenkins. another Of the
men in the building. to his assistance,
and prepared to fight the flames. Before
ne was able TO do anything TO effect his
purpose the entire shaft of the elevator
was ablaze. and any hope of saving the
building already practically out of the
question.
All about were combustible materials
acids and sulphur and inter and the like,
while the building itself, used for the
manufacture and storage of acid. was
almost a solid sheet of lead. While the
lead, of course, was not combustible, it
melted rapidly ard readily offered no OBJ
staele to the onward and upward sweep
of the flames In ten minutes the entire
building was mass of fire.
Meantime the workmen at the Cotton Oil
Company's works had aroused and were
"a work TbaV thai 60
the greater part, however, 10 the build
inss Of their own company, which at that
time seemed to be in danger. The hose
ana other fire apparatus of the works.
which were on fire, were also put to use.
but all that could be done was to seek
10 prevent the further spread of the
flames.
From distance the fire presented
magnificent spectacle. The bare poles of
the building afire crossed and recrossed
each other al close intervals while the in
iervening spaces were filled with a solid
sheet Of flame Far up the flames and
sparks assembled. and for hundred yards
around it seemed to rain red-hot embers
The Waterman at the Central Cotton
Press saw the flames shortly after they
broke out and sounded an alarm from
box 81. The hremen hurried to the box
and found that the fire was much farther
out. Al that time it was believed the
plant OF the Southern Cotton Oil Company
was burning. The men were ordered to
proceed to the scene OF the conhagration,
and lost no time in getting there. Lines
Of hose were laid, aud the lremen worked
with viii. Dozens of streams
OF water were soon playing
on the acid chamber, but It was
seen that the building was doomed. ana
in less than half an hour after the dis
covery of the fire the sides OF the build
ing feil IN, and clouds of sparks were
sent skyward. The houses occupied ~
the factory hands were in danger of be-
ing burned and bucket brigades assisted
the firemen in preventing the spread OF
the flames. Several streams OF water
were thrown on the storehouses Of the
Cotton oil Company.
From the acid plant. which was soon
reduced TO a mass Of molten metal and
scething fire, the flames carried by the
wind 10 the roof Of the adjoining ware