The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-05-04
THE 32ND GRAND LODGE
ALABAMA PYTHIANS MEET IN
 BIRMINGHAM.
Reports of Officers Show Gratifying Condition of the order-New Grand Chancellor is
 E. P. Nichols.

Grand Chancellor is
 E E. P. Nichols.
 Birmingham, April 3.-(special .)-The
 thirty-second grand lodge of the Knights
 or Pythias of Alabama began its session
 m this city this morning with almost
 every lodge in the grand domain repre-
 sented.
 The meeting is being held in Magnolia.
 hall and Grand Chancellor Alex M. Gar
 Der of Tailadega presides.
 rank had been conferred on nearly 10o
 members of the order, the reports of the
 Grand Chancellor. Grand Keeper or
 Records and Seal and the Master of the
 Exchequer were presented. The reports
 show an excellent condition of affairs
 of the order. The membership Is S.656 and
 the financial conditions of the domain are
 splendid. The Grand Chancellor recom-
 mended better appropriation for field
 work and it will be allowed.
 The following officers were elected for the ensuing term Grand Chancellor, F.
 F. Nichols of Roanoke; Grand Vice
 Chancellor, Thomas F. Knight of Greens semer; Grand Keeper of Records -and Seal. c. c. Niles. of Montgomery; Garnd Master of Exchequer, J. M. Dan- nelly, of Talladega; Grand. Master-at- ner Guard, T. D. Sanford of Opelika: Grand Outer Guard, H. M. Beck of Birmingham.
 The present session of the grand lodge promises to be one of the most im- portant held in years, Tonight there were two large meetings held by the local lodges at which the rank Of Knight" was conferred.
 According to the report of the Grand Keeper of Records and Seal. the finances of the grand lodge are in good condition, the net balance being over s11,500. The Grand Chancellor during the past term made forty official visits; the Grand
 Bush Goes to New York.
 Colonel T. c. Bush, president of the Shelby Iron Company. left last after noon for New York, where he goes to attend the annual meeting of the com pany in that place on the 5th inst. The Shelby Iron Company has two charcoal furnaces at Shelby. While one of the fur naces is now undergoing repairs, the other is ip full blast. The two furnaces during the past year made large amount of iron and the same brought good price, The affairs of the company are in good shape. The corporation is a close one and the management Is to be complimented for the happy results ment of the company.
 S25, ,ooO Fire On First Avenue
 The most disastrous fire without an atom of insurance to cover, the loss, | wiped out the two-story plant and lum- | Der room of the Lockwood Manufactur- l ing Company at 25l1 First Avenue this morning shortly after 5 o'clock, entail- l ing loss of S25,000 Three negro cabins | and a one-story white boarding house | were also burned almost to the ground, | being adjacent to the factory. An in- surance Of $400 was carried by H. R. | Hardy. owner of the boarding house. | while no insurance was carried by J. l. | I 10 the negro houses.
 James Gothard and S. W. Baldwin, two | employees of the company, who were | sleeping iii rooms on the second floor of tho plant. narrowly escaped with their lives. As it is, the former has broken nose and face and head slightly burned. He exercised remarkable presence of nund and dashed through smoke and tame to First Avenue. Gothard was awakened by the roar of the flames and the stifle of the smoke which enveloped his bed. Without seconds delay he lea ped from his bed and rushed out of than plunging out of his window to the pavement below. But after groplng less than a minute, all the while holding his breath, he located the mouth of box shute through which he shot headfore- most for fifteen feet. As he struck the ground between the blazing plant and the lumber room, dazed and overcome by his -acking efforts. he was picked up by two ,r three people who saw him drop out ,f the shute. His nose was broken by he slide down the shute and his hair nr ged by the flames.
 The escape of Baldwin was also thrill ng. He had a friend named Williams, who was among the first to arrive on the cene of the fire, residing in less than a ,lcck of the factory. Williams thought lat Baldwin must be asleep in the room n the second floor, and he rushed about Ike mad for less than a minute until he ound a piece of lumber, which he raised D the window of the room where his riend slept. The pane of glass was rashed by one stroke and the noise | reused the lone man from his sleep. AL .ost instantly Baldwin's face peered ] trough the broken sash. He leaped out nd jumped at the scantling, which had cen propped against the wall. He land d upon it, but it was too weak to sup ! cPt his weight, and he tumbled to the | round near the sidewalk. Fortunately, he fall caused only a slight injury, 2 plinter being driven into his right hand. ! The Lockwood Manufacturing Company fas engaged in the manufacture of boxes, askets and mill products and wood ovelties. The establishment has been in 2 xistence for several years in Birming- ann The fire is believed to have start 5 in the boiler room, as the first flames l ere seen by negroes to flash out of the cor admitting into the boiler depart lent. Either failure to extinguish the t shes of yesterday or the work of an in- endiary accounts for the disaster in most l.ndS. f