The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-11-29
WIND TANNED FIRE
PARTLY DESTROYED THE COPPER
PLANT OF M'MILLAN BROTHERS.
WAS BADLY DAMAGED.
BUILDING WRAPPED IN FLAMES
AND MUCH VALUABLE STOCK IN 1T.

Origin of Fire UnknowR-Flnmes
Started in Northwest Corner OF
building and Quickly Swept the
whole PIant-A Number of VAL
liable Tools Among the Articles
Burned-Seve-aI Completed Stills
Escaped Damage Through Having
Been stored in YRrd-EnEine No. 1
From Fire station No. Became
Stalled i'm Soft Earth of East Gas
ton street and Failed to Reach
Fire.
Fire partly destroyed the copper
works of Mcmillan Bros, at an early
hour this morning. and for a short
while surrounding property was in dan
ger.
The two-story wooden building on
the northeast corner of Liberty and
Price streets was badly damaged, and
the work shop was completely de-
stroyed.
Because of the character of the stock
carried, however, the damage will not
be so large. No estimate of the loss
could be made Immediately after the
fire.
The fire had been burning some min
utes before it was discovered. Some
-. H. 49, ,,o;ohhorbood 6rad a 70
volver and a minute later the alarm
was sounded.
Fire Marshal George Mouro, who
lives just across the street from the
copper works. heard the shot fired and
ran to the box at the corner. 1t was
then being opened by patrolman, and
the fire marshal sounded the alarm.
Later a second call was sounded for
additional apparatus. A strong breeze
was blowing, and it was feared that
some of the surrounding property
might be burned.
The fire was discovered about 1870
o'clock. and an alarm turned in from
box 27, on Harris and Price streets.
When the firemen reached the scene it
was found that the fire was likely TO
prove more serious than had been an
ticipated. and additional apparatus
was summoned.
The building. which was of wood and
very dry. burned like finder. The fire
started in the northwest corner and
the flames. famed by a strong wind
from the west. quickly ate their way
along low shedlike building extend
ing well to the east of the main struc-
ture. So rapid was the confiagration.
that in a very fe@ minutes after the
alarm was turned in. this wing of the
building was nothing but a smoking
skeleton of rafters and uprights.
Meantime the flames had also eaten
into the main building. which stands
at the corner of Liberty and Price
streets, and shortly after this part of
the structure burst into flames 1t was
here that was stored the most valua-
BILE part of the stock, lot of sheet
copper, a supply of valuable tools and
also the office furniture, books. etc
Fortunately. the books and valuable
papers were kept in a safe believed to
be fire proof, and so these, it is be-
lieved, have been untouched.
A large number of turpentine stills,
completed and ready for shipment, also
escaped damage, having been stored in
the yard to the east or the buildings.
Some of them were scorched, but it is
believed that taken as a lot they are
practically unchanged.
In it's efforts to reach the fire the
engine from fire station No 4 ran into
the soft earth on East CASTOR street,
where an excavation had been made
to reach a damaged sewer, and became
so badly stalled that it was unable
to reach the fire at all.