The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-12-27
THE CALICO Nj. Mills LII!
DESTROYED BY
FIRE HIS
MORNING.

rho en,irs fire department was. ordered
"a nc. scene as SCOT, as the tiny blaze N
tho tower of tho lofty building was % a
served All the steamers and apparatus
we're soon OH the scene and were aistri -
h,,ted to the bost advantage. 1t seemed
lnny be fore steam could be gotten UP,
and even then 1t appeared from the i,rst
n homeless task to cndcnNor 10 reacn t'1e
rinnacle Of building near which lthele
vas no other atfording q percr rom
which tho firct1,,.n might direct tnclf
streams, l3y ten minutes after . the fire
men were in the fifth floor on the east
side with a lire of hose, but they could
moi cet the weight of the hose up for
some time Steamers mt Cary and
Twelfth and Cary and Eleventh and two
81, the basin. To the south of the building,
were soon sending streams which Just
reached ,,p to and above the caves or the
mill
Five strong streams were directed from
The west sido Of the mill, but served NJ
Tic further purpose than to wet the roof.
when the burning tower collapsed 1t
Fent masses of red hot IRON plunglns
downward on the steep roof and over the
side with crash to the ground or into
The basin, where they sent up n great
cloud OF steam ms they plunged into tho
frozen water. One of the steel beams
Of the tower fell on the west side OF the
mill end crashed through shed, setting
It af,re.
Flames on Every Floor.
A few moments after the collapse. Of
the, tower flames were seen bursting
through and blazing in tho third ana
fourth floors, and In hardly more time
than It takes to tell it the great building
was aflame from end to end IN me
third, fourth and fiftl, floors ana the
uarret floors were Quilted and the root
iu,ctically destroyed. Water was ut
forlv powerless The fecblo streams
seemed mockery. yet they were no
feebler than usual when they were effec-
live.
Was An Immense Structure.
The MIL building was situated on the
vest sid. OF Twelfth Street, and its
greatest length was along that street
being 1875 feet. It's width was about sev.
entv-fiye feet, and Its height to the caves
Of the sloping roof was six stories win
two garret stories above and the tower
rising twenty feet or more over all. The
building was of massive construction
with powerful brick walls and heavy
Oh oak and heart pine timbcrs, the mil
being a splendid type OF the old style
building. Even when roof and upper
floors llaUf gone anu Liz
BY the four walls. the walls stood
staunch and true, mistaken and immov-
able.
From a quarter past until 4 O'Clock
millions of gallons of water poured INTO
the but,ling but with absolutely no ap-
nnsciable effect The flames burned,
but more flercely. and the task OF the
firen,en was a futile, but not the less
irving one. Men were overcome by the
fierce heat and driven back. SO that
during the latter stages of the fire u
was not possible to get near enough TO
tho mill to throw water into or upon IT.
The steamers puffed and snorted and
helched forth tons and tons of icy water
but twas converted into Kissing steam as
soor as it struck the mighty caldron
All that could be done was to protect sur
rounding properties, which were mcnaced
for blocks away by the incessant rain
Of fircbrands. s
Every few moments an alarm was
given that some Main Street property
was atlame on the roof and hosemen
and the chemical engine were on the
a,?rt to avert an incipfent conflayra-
ton. Fortunately the heavy rain Of
Friday had SO soaked all the roofs that
the firebrands and burning Goals lay
there until they burned out on tho metal
or slate roofing