The Corvallis times. (Corvallis, Or.) 1888-1909, 1905-02-18
IN THREE PLACES.
Torch Applied IN Deliberate Effort to
Burn Corvallis Sawmi11. =

was uoSo Wy LIZ 1hSNhNAAeAiJ Ill shS
effort to carry out his purpose. The
torch was applied at midnight,
while watchman F. A. Pierce was
at lunch. Fortunately, discovery
OF the three blazes was prompt and |
the complete destruction Of the mill
property thereby prevented The
loss is placed by Mr.. Strong at |
$1,000.
The most destructive of the three |
fires was in the lumber yard. There
a pile of sticks used between layers
in stacking lumber lay between two
big tiers of maple and fir lumber.
Coal oil was poured On the pile and
the match applied. Evidently the
nightwatch had just sat down to
his midnight luncheon when the
torch was used. The frebug had
evidently been watching him. In
lighting his fire he also took into
account the location of the night
watchman. The latter left the mill
and went to the mill Office across
the street to the so! tn to eat. The
incendiary then selected a place in
the yard where a fire would be
| most difficult for the nightwatch
man to see. Between the spot where
it was set III the pile of stickers,
and the watchman, there was a
house and the highest piles of 1um-
/ Der. AS soon as the stickers were
Lighted, the incendiary hastened
across the street to the lumber shed
and at the north end of that struct-
IRE proceeded to light another fire.
The north end Of the shed was Sc
1ected, first because the wind blew
strongly from the north, and sec
ond1y perhaps, because there too,
the blaze would be more or less OBJ
scured from the nightwatch. A
pile Of shingles was there, and pour
ing coal oil on them, the fire bug
applied another match. Unfortun-
ate1y for his purpose, the shingles
were more Or less green and damp,
and would not burn sufficiently to
make the attempt successful. 9th
erwise, hundreds of thousands of
! fine dry lumber woh1d have been
burned, and the loss to the mill
people been carried far into the
/ thousands Of dollars.
From the lumber shed, the in
cendiary went to the engine room
in the mill proper. There were
other places better adapted to start
ing fire. The planning room was
| full Of cornbustibles and in every
way advantageous for starting a
big and deadly blaze. Itwas, how
ever, in full view of the mill office
where the watchman was eating
his midnight meal, and there a
fire could not be lighted. So, the
rascal went into the engine room.
There he punched a hole in cans of
oil used about the machinery. The
Oil ran out on the floor and into the
sawdust and to this mixture. the
match was touched. It blazed ur
readily, but its discovery followed
SO soon afterward that it was ex-
itinguished before it had gained
much headway- II fact, E. w.
Strong, appearing on the scene, got
SO close TO the hrebug thai he
heard the man jump out of the
window III making an exit from
the office room. Footprints found
there yesterday morning show
where the frebug landed as be leap.
ed trom the window.
Meanwhile, the first Of the fires
set out had been discovered. Rob
ert Campbell lives in the house
just north of'the yard, and he was
ast1r on account of the illness Of 6
daughter. At FIVE minutes to II
he saw the blaze, and hurried out
2 to give the alarm. He found the
= watchman in the Office. Pierce
5 hurried over to the fire while
5 Campbell went to arouse - the
Strongs and ether neighbors
Pierce saw at a glance that the fire
, was far beyond his control, and hs
hurried up town to give the alarm
E In but few minutes, he and ofic
\ er Osburn had the fire bell ringing
The department was quickly OF
the scene, and by using all th.
hose available, managed to get +:
stream on the blaze. The fir
however, had got in between th'
. layers of lumber and had spread t.
such an extent that its complete
extinguishment was difficult.
was far into the morning, before i
was finally put out.
At the other places, the fire
t were easily controlled. There wa
r no draft in the engine room ant
a the shingle pile at the north end Q
, the lumber shed was green. Meth
er gained sufficient headway to d.
l Al