The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1904-05-14
FIRE DESTROYS A
COTTON WAREHOUSE
Situated at Twenty'ftth Street
and Second Avenue
DAMAGE ABOUT $4,000
One Hundred and Thlrty-five Bales of
Cotton and Goods and Fertilizer
Damaged-Hard to Estl-
mate individual Losses.

The warehouse occupied by the Birming-
ham Cotton Storage and Commission COM
pany was almost totally destroyed by fire
which was discovered about 1O:4o o'clock
last night. About 1856 bales of cotton were
more or less damaged and a quantity of
furniture, fertilizer and some machinery
stored in the building were destroyed or
damaged.
1t is almost impossible to get at the
value of the goods in the building, or at
the insurance, as the cotton belonged to
farmers and merchants, and a dozen in
dividuals or firms had goods stored in
tho warehouse.
The building, which faced about 100
feet on Second avenue and runs back on
Twenty-fifth street about 40 feet was the
property of the Birmingham Warehouse
and Transfer company. of which Alex T.
London Is the largest stockholder. 1t cost
about $1,000 when built year ago, and
was covered by about $4,000 insurance.
Only the walls were left standing.
Cotton Damaged.
The cotton was valued at about $4,000.
and is damaged about % per cent. As
II belongs to a dozen or more people 1t Is
impossible to state whether 1t is Insured
The Birmingham Mattress factory had
about fifteen bales of linters, which is
worth about S25 a bale, stored in the
place. Other property was owned as fol-
lows:
DR.. McLester, several hundred dollars
worth of handsome furniture
Robinson Supply company. two engines.
W. A. Hermitage, ladders and house,
hold goods
Larner & Co., Of Staunton, Va, engine.
Temerson Bros, several boxes of dry
goods and clothing.
A. B. Vandegrift & Sons $50 sacks of
fertilizer.
S. f. league, several sackssof fertilizer.
Earle, Terrell & Co., ninety-five sacks
of PHOSPHORUS and other fertilizers.
L. Pizitz, several boxes of dry goods
and clothing.
A number of others who had goods
stored in the building.
Origin Of the Fire.
The origin of the fire is unknown When
discovered 1t had evidently been burn
ing for half an hour or more and the
entire building was on fire on the inside
before the alarm was turned in. The
blaze was discovered by some negroes.
They notified Policemen Baker and Nc
Knight who turned in the alarm Every
company In the city except Five Points
responded, and eight streams were playing
on the fire from three engines In a short
time.
The building consisted of four brick
walls covered by a light roof. The roof
was almost ready to fall in when the fire
department arrived, as the rafters sup
porting 1t had evidently been burning for
some time.
The building burned rapidly, and In half
an hour it was almost totally destroyed.
The cotton and other contents of the
building, however burned until after
midnight Chief Mulin left a stream of
water on, fearing fire would break out
in the cotton.
The fire was characterized by unusual
volumes of black smoke. and fierce
flames. When the firemen first arrived and
broke in the doors to the three entrances
to carry streams of water into the build
ing, they were forced back twenty-five
feet by flames and smoke. There was an
immense crowd gathered to witness the
fire. which illuminated the sky for long
distance and made very brilliant sight.
Policeman Mcknleht's Statement.
Policeman Mcknight. who was one sof
the first to reach the fire after 1t was dis
covered, said:
1.-THE entire inside of the building was a
mass of flames and smoke when I ar
rived, and 1t looked as If 1t had been burn
ing a half hour. The roof from end to
end was on fire. and the flames had just
commenced roaring / have never seen
flames burst through the roof so quickly.
1t seemed that in an instant they burst
out along the entire center Of the roof,
along which there was a skylight, or ven
tilator. l was burned breaking In the
side door so the firemen could carry the
stream of water into it."
Scarcity Of Fire Plugs.
The water pressure was weak. From
some of the plugs the stream would not
feet. Chief Mullin said:
TT is no more the fault of the pressure
than the fact that we have to run lines
such long distance to the plugs. The
resistance of line of hose is very great.
The water mains are too small to give
good pressure when two or three engines
get to work. ~
1T looks as IL these fires burn half an
hour before any one discovers them. ]
live only five or six blocks away. and
was at the fire in minute after the
ing was mass of flames. No department
can fight fires successfully and extin.
guish them when they are not discovered
for half an hour, and when there is de-
lay In turning in the alarm.
FLAMES were bursting through the
roof from one end to of the building tc
the other when the department arrived