The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-01-03
A Hard Fire to Fight.

A Hard Fire to Fight.
 Fire Chief Browder said that the fire was one of the hardest to fight and that 1t would have been impossible for any fire department to save the burn- ing buildings under the existing water conditions and the distance from the city.
 The pump that the company has here Is a good one," he said. but it Is, of course. too small to compete with a fire of such magnitude and force"
 The Montgomery Lumber Manufac- turing Company was organized about a year and a half ago, and was capital ized at $50,000 and has 30,000 worth of bonds. Its plant occupied eight acres of land in Irmadale and was consid- cred to be one of the most complete of its kind in every department in the South. Every precaution deemed nec- essary for fire protection was provided and conveniences of every kind were installed in the establishment. Ele- vators, push cars. and other devices for handling the product combined to make the plant complete.
 The dry kilns. stocked with lumber and the machinery therein, just south of the mill. the brick shaving vault ad- joining the boiler house, the stables and several stockA of rough timber were the only properties on the ground that were saved from destruc- ton.
 The several buildings composing the retail department of the company, some several hundred yards south of the main plant, were not near enough for dangerous exposure.
 The fire was discovered by the watchman. c. L. Tucker, few min utes after he had punched his time- clock register for 6 o'clock. He had just come from the second floor of the mill building and had gcse to the boiler house in the rear of the mill He said that he heard a locomotive whistle on the tracks nearby blow wildly and he rushed out to see what was the trouble. The cupola was then in flames.
 T do not know how it originated he said. When I left the second floor. I saw no sign of fire aud I am always careful in making my inspec- tions. The blaze came out of the draft hole in the top of the building, which sucks the shavings up to the fiue that delivers them into the bpick vault believe that the fire originated from a spark alighting in this fue from a passing locomotive, but this is merely supposition.
 When I discovered the blaze I got the pumps to working and crief to Pa, Marvin in Burton's plant to turn in the alarm. The place was deserted except for the engineer and myself and we were hampered In our work of fighting the blaze"
 Two Companies Combined.
 The Montgomery Lumber Manufac- turing Company is a combination oi the old Montgomery Sash, Door and Blind Company and the Alabama Hard wood Company, which consolidated interests about eighteen months ago The officers of the new company are R. L. Wood, President; J. c. Crowson General Manager. and H. c. Davidson R. l.. Wood. Charles w. Buckley, J. c Crowson, J. F. Dennis, T. L. Jones and J. C. Haas. Directors.
 The company employed about 10t men and was in a fourishing condi. tion. Asked if the plant would be re- built. President Wood said that he could not say definitely whether ii would or not, but he thought that z meeting of the directors would be helt soon and that the plant would in al probability be rebuilt.
 The plant was situated near the To- cation of the Alabama Rift Floorins Company which was destroyed by firt last July, entailing a loss of abou 1 $75 900.
 The fire attracted a large crowd tc the scene and up to 12 o'clock las night the embers were still glowlns and breaking Into occasional littl, bursts of flame while the firemen pa tiently worked to extinguish every vestige of the fiery demon.