The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-05-09
.FIREMEN WERE UNABLE ID
 EyTINGUEH BURNING OIL
Department by Magnificent Work Sue ceeded in confinIng Flames to the
 Two Buildings and Pre-
 vented Serious Disaster.

terday afternoon about 435 o'clock The total loss it is estimated, will be
 more than s55,0OO with about ss9ooO in-
 surance The origin of the fire is un-
 known, but the entire building, which Is a three-story brick, and filled with
 paints, varnishes and other combustibles,
 was completely enveloped in flames five
 minutes after the first started. The owners, losses and insurance as near as can be estimated are as follows
 Birmingham Paint Mills. value stock, | 22.0o0; loss total; insurance about $lo,-
 OOO
 Value building, s2o,Ooo; loss about s5 per cent; insurance $15,0Oo.
 Beatty Bros, value contents of builoins'
 s15.ooo: estimated loss, ss,oOo; insurance,
 $5, 900.
 Building. value, ss,5oo; damage about $3,0Oo; insurance, $4,oOO.
 E. Koplan. clothing store. value stock
 1, 800; loss about $500; no insurance
 Owned by Morris Estate. The building occupied by the Birrning- ham Paint Mills belongs to the Morris estate. of which Mrs. J. M Cartwright
  story brick and faces 50 feet on Twen- tieth street and runs back about |" feet. The building occupied by Beatty
 Bros is the property of Ramsey, Haniii- ton S, Martin, and is two stories hlgn and faces about 50 feet on the railroad The origin of the fire is not known. It started in the rear of the paint mills building near the northwest corner anu had evidently been burning some tune
 before discovered. Several boys saw the flames and notified Policemen Bob Pat ton and Richardson. who were on the
 corner of Avenue and Twentieth street. | One ran and turned in the alarm whiie
 the other went directly to the puliuins'
 He states that the smoke was pouring
 ont of the windows and the rear ana tnat flames were beginning to burst out.
 MuffIed Explosion. soon after the fire was discovered, ana
 i,s+ as the fire department was laying It's first line of hose, there was mufneo
 oxn,os,on which spread the flames rap ,dlv Tn A few minutes they were shoo'- ing a. hundred feet in the air anu the hie
 was roaring like furnace.
 The entire building was in flames nVe minutes after the fire was discovered the combustibles which go to make up the
 paints. varnishes and other contents or the building burning fiercely. Chief Null lin sent in a second alarm calling the entire fire department out as soon as ne arrived. as it was needed to prevent the
 flames from spreading to adjoining build
 ings and also to check as far as possi-
 hie the flames in the Beatty Brothers | building
 All during the fire there were muffied reports as of barrels of oils, paints, var
 nishes and other things exploding, scat | tering fire in all directions. Walls Fall In. l The first explosion weakened the walls in the rear of the building and about ten
 minutes after the fire started they fell in, crushing in the roof of the Beatty build | ing in the rear, and setting that on ire.
 Three fremen, who had line of hose oil top of the Beatty buildings had mar
 row escape, and J. M. Loveless, one of
 them. was caught under the falling wall and badly bruised.
 When the building was crushed in 1t
 spread the flames and soon the Beatty
 building was burning. It was found im- possible to get a line of hose on the rear of the building for several minutes, on account of the falling wall one of the
 lines being cut. This enabled the fire to
 get strong headway in the Beatty build ing.
 A few minutes after the rear wall fell, | A.. cid nue fell and several fremen again mar rowly escaped. This was followed by several other sections of the wall falling. so that firemen were kept away from that | side of the building for several minutes | Two lines of hose were caught under the bricks and had to be shut off until other connections could be made. For a while l it looked as if the flames would get into the building occupied by Syd Smith Hard
 ware company. Streams were placed on | top of this and the Milner-Kettig build- ing to prevent the flames from spreading. Showers of Burning Paint. | As each section of the wall or roof
 would fall in the flames would shoot hun dreds of feet into the air Sparks and burning paints and oils were shot into | the air, falling on the crowd and cover ing many with small spots of paint and grease.
 With each explosion. and there were two-score or more of them during the fire, flames and sparks would be sent heavenward in big showers. The firemen were unable for a long time to enter
 the building for fear of falling walls, explosions and on account of the intense heat and great volumes of black smoke. The materials in the building made a fierce fire and at times the intense heat drove the fremen back half way across the street. At times the crowds were unable to get within 200 feet of the flames. Estimates of Losses. The estimates of the losses and the in- surance were obtained from the owners of the stocks and the buildings. Dr. Ali Eubanks and w. H. Priegel owned the Birmingham Paint Mills. They state that only few days ago eeae.s waA taken