The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1903-05-08
POINT MILLS BURNED
TOTALLY DESTROYED
Blaze is Believed to Have Been of
Incendiary Origin. as Gas Was
Off and Rear Window Was
Raised


{; The Point mills, owned by the Gem
milling company. composed of Charles
Little and his son. Edward Little. were
Totally destroyed by fire Sunday morn
Eng. The fire WAS discovered shortly af-
ner o'clock and at the time of the dis
covery the second story was all ablaze,
In fact the blaze had spread all over
khn building. The alarm was given and
quite number of people gathered at
The scene, but as the mills were located
beyond the city limits, there are no wa
Ter mains there and rs n consequence
the fire department was helpless. The
blaze was one of the hottest in the city
nnd adjoining houses were in danger of
destruction, but, fortunately, were saved.
The blaze evidently started in the en-
CINE room, and may have been from the
gus, although that is not the general
belief. Edward Little saw that the gas
was turned OF Mt $50 o'clock Saturday
evening. when the mills closed down for
the week During the fire parties dis
covered the rear window of the engine
room raised and that leads TO the conclu-
sion that the blaze was Of incendiary
origin.
The building was valued ut over &c.,
900 and the stock at $500. The for
mer is n mass of ruins and the latter
was entirely destroyed. Nothing what
liver was saved except the stock books
and some bills, which were not In the
mills at the time the IRE broke out.
There were over 800 barrels Of -four in
the mills and much wheat, corn, oats
and other grain and mill feed.
The mills were q four-story brick
structure and the machinery was the
most modern. The aggregate loss is
over $4,000, with only $500 insurance.
The Point mills have long been pop
0lar mandatory of -four, meal and
feed In the early recollections of the
old generation there stood ON the site
an old frame mill This was burned IN
1892, being owned by Lynch, Hart and
Others. In lS43 James A. Duncan, faith
er of our townsman, j. j. Duncan, built
the present building, finishing the brick
part of the structure. John S. Dun
can took charge of the mills, and in oc-
tober, 1874, began grinding corn. The
following spring the mills began to grind
wheat, with James steel, father of John
r. and Samuel r. Steel. rs miller. He
died August 80, 1850, and his sons, James
and John R., conducted the mills while
and then Samuel r. and John r. Steel
ran the mills from 1855 for few years.
Ira Hart, father Of our townsmen, C.
n. and John B. Hart, conducted the mills
for two years. after which man named
Jasper ran them until 1865. John r.
Steel assumed charge of the mills then
with Charles Huffman owning half IN
ferest and Mr.. Steel the other half. Mr..
Steel continued TO run the mills sue
cessfully In connection with an extern
sive saw mill until after the flood in
less, when the interest Of Huffman was
purchased by Messrs. Hart, and machin
cry, costing slo440.l2, was installed. A
few years after that the mills and twelve
and half acres of ground were sold at
public sale TO q company composed Of
John Stealey, Lewis H. Mines, James H.
Hurry and George Wolf. The mills con-
tinued under the management of this
company until a few years ago, when
the mill property was purchased by
Messrs. Little, who continued to conduct
them until their destruction Sunday
morning.
The mills were known far and wide
and were popular with the farmers of
che county, always enjoying an extern
sive patronage.