The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-01-08
GREAT BLAZE AT
CAMERON PLANT
Factory Damaged to the
Extent Of $3.50, 900.
MANY OUT OF WORK
Nearly Half Thousand emporarIIy
Out Of Employment.
HIS TRIP ABROAD ABANDONED
Colonel Cameron VIII Not Leave for Europe
a. He Had Planned TO Do-Ths Work
of Rebuilding viii Be Cons
menced at Once - To
Lease Temporary
Quarters.
Nearly Half a Thousand Temporarily
Out Of Employment.
HIS TRIP ABROAD ABANDONED

The tobacco factory of Cameron &
Cameron. on Cary Street, between
Twcnty-fourth and Twenty-ifth Streets,
was destroyed by fire last night.
The amount of the loss is roughly es-
simated at from 100000 to $4,000, while
the insurance carried Is said to be about
100000.
Some four hundred and fifty people are
Temporarily thrown out of employment
Some of them win be transferred to
Petersburg, where the firm has plant
almost exactly like the one destroyed
here.
The fire originated in a textile drying
machine on the fourth floor Of the great
81" shaped building Ii the drying-room.
The alarm Was turned In frdm the.
private box at the factory at 7:45 P. NJ.
There was a second alarm and the en-
tire department turned out with the eX-
ception, of Engine Company No. 6, which
went to the Broad-Street engine house
20 await any call from the central part
OF the city.
The fire was discovered by one OF the
watchmen on the premises. The fire had
burning rapidly. however, and when the
department arrived the building was in
q light blaze
The buildings were five stories in
height and they extended nearly the
length of a. square,
The concern manufactures a large
amount of export tobacco, paper cigar
cites and cheroots. II had on hand an
unusually large supply of tobacco. There
he'd sust been completed a big supply OF
tobacco for, foreign shipment. This order
will have to be duplicated at the seteFs-
burg factory.
IT. BURNED RAPIDLY,
The fire burned rapidly The building
was a modern one, the walls Very thick
and substantially built, but inside there
twas much material 4or the flames to
feed upon. The flames poured out OF the
scores of windows, while the Fire Depart
1pent attempted to check their progress
by tte use OF a nalf-dozen or more hese
gtreams.
A great. crowd gathered at the scene
of the fire. In the crowd were many OIL
the employees of the establishment, m
Guiding women who have long worked
there Some of the. women wept as trey
looked on and saw the great iaSSoot' iaS0ot'
melt away into ashes.
1t would have required aii the Md.e. ,l
that came down James River week
aro TO have extinguisheG this flre. " h hen
3t rad gotten a good footho!d there was
no possible means of checking 1t Inc
Games leaped from one room INTO an
ether and ate up everything 1haI was
.nflammable +,,-,o.5 81,
4hera was no portion zpf the structure
that was not on fire, :,
Colonel Alexander Cameron. who, IN
.o,-,3,,nctjoo with his brother, Mr.. George
cameron, Of Petersburg, owns the con-
+roIIinr interest in the company, was
.s,lv on the ground. He stated that the
work of rebuilding would begin Just DIS
early as practicable. In the meah.ifle, q
huifding suitable for temporary iaeloi ;
may be leased and fitted up, willie soiiie
offha urgent contracts will be executed
in Petersburg.
MAY DELAY HIS TRIP.
Colonel. and Mrs. Cameron have planned
10 leave here early in February on a TIT
through the Mediterranean and to 'iis
rolv Land. Their visit Will probably nave
20 be postponed. as Colonel cameron is
anxious 10 personally see TO it that the
REBUILDING is promptly started and rap
fily pushed to completion.
The cigarette branch of the industry
mas of late years become a Very proml-
uent part Of the OUTPUT OF the cameron
factory.
hcient to last for months. IN iiie Isasot ',l
Y-ss stored tobacco ready to be shlpped
e. Australia, where Cameron d Came
ron onerate one OF the largest factories
outside Of this country. Al-oi this va
a total loss, as was also all other stocks
and supplies on hand.
IT'S ORIGIN.
The fire originated in a new textile dry
fnr machine. which occupied the entirf
fourth floor OF that part of the establish
rnent known as the Alexander cameron
e, Company branch of the factory. but
from what cause 1t is not known. unless
a match-head or some substance of sini'
lar character. had gotten into the scrap
which filled the machine at the time.
This is by many considered the most
probable explanation while it is said thai
only short while ago the Same
machine was on fire and threat,
ened the destruction of the plant
The heat IN the machine was prob
ably sufficient TO make the combustion
likely when the rollers We're not in mo-
ton. and drying tobacco rested for an.
time directly over the heating pipes.
TO CLOSE DOWN.
II could not be learned whether the
machine was in operation when the fire
ssas discovered but in view OF the fact
that the plant was TO be closed down this
evening In order that additional pipes be
put in the machine. 1t is probable II hat
been stopped. The drving-box, as it Is
called had only been installed ir the fac
tory about two months. and had not giver
satisfaction, and TO remedy the trouble
agents from the firm insPhiladeiphia were
csrccted TO arrive to-day TO make GER
tain changes.
FORCE AT WORK
When the blaze was first discovered