The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-02-10
Loss Estimated at a Hundred
Thousand Dollars.
LARGE NUMBER OF MEN
THROWN OUT OF WORK
The Alarm Signal Refused to Work,
and the First Notice of tho Fire
Was Conveyed by the Tines
Dlspatch-Response Was
Prompt aid the Work
Done Excellent.

Within an inconceivably short space Of
time this morning the entire spike de.
partment OF the Tredegar Iron Works
was swept away by flames. and n1achin-
cry and other property. valued at 100000
and more were destroyed.
The loss. which at tlns moment It Is
impossible accurately to estimate, is
fully covered by insurance
The fire was one of the hottest and
ficrcest ever known in Richmon. Within
few moments after tho blaze was first
discovered tho greater portion of the
long line of wooden sheds was in a light
flame, which cast it's ruddy glow high
into the heavens and shone like a beacon
In tho darkness For some reason the
alarm system worked badly. and fully
fifteen or twenty minutes elapsed before
the first clang of the bell called forth the
department. Meanwhile the fire grew
hotter and moro hot, and from long
distances people hurried out, attracted
by the light. Tho stiffness and the In
ertness Of the department added a touch
of the mysterious to the scene
BADLY HANDICAPPED.
When once the alarm had been gotten
to headquarters, however, the companies
responded with the customary zeal. I'm
der conditions presenting almost lnsur-
mollntahle obstacles, the engines and hose
wagons crept along the river bank. climb
ed railroad tracks and dug through soft
and crnmbllng dirt. Efforts to do more
than keep the fire within the bounds linz
iting 1t when they arrived We're fruit
less. The buildings were In Il hope
less condition when the first stream Of
water was played on the them.
HOW TT HAPPENED.
So far as could be ascertained last
night the fire started somewhere toward
the center OF the big shed. The build
ing runs some two squares or there
abouts by either dimension, and 1t is
divided up Into spike department and
horseshoe department. Quite a number
of night workers were engaged within
when the trouble began. There were
some fifty or sixty Of them. white men
or negroes.
According to one OF the negro hands
who saw the fire when it began and
who was among those that tried to check
It's progress until they were forced to
desist, spark from q fly-wheel flew
to the ceiling, lodged therein, and start
ed off a small blaze. This was about
midnight or few moments before or
after.
f55 ttetllzlnE the DANGER the men IN tne
shops. or some of them, Immediately
dropped everything else while they tried
to stop the blaze before 1t could gain
and headway.
In his zeal and haste, one Of them-a
nesro-dld the worst thing he could pos
sibly have done under the circumstances,
yet what anybody would have done.
The planks In the ceiling had grease on
them and they Tapped tsp the flame with
avidity. The negro grabbed a bucket
Of water and dashed 1t UP. Water in
this case was fuel to the fire. Accord
ing to the negro himself. his effort
as a result OF the grease-resulted only
i In an outburst OF flame more pronounced
than ever.
BELL WOULDN'T RING.
At this juncture some of the men left
and went off in the direction of the pri-
vate fire-alarm box. which Is located at
the works. Repeated efforts to souno
an alarm failed, and after several mo-
r,ents wasted over this Instrument, worth
less at the critical moment. the telephone
was resorted to. More trouble and delay
awaited them here Connections could not
be gotten or something of the sort The
alarm was finally turned In by The Times
Dispatch. which called up headquarters