The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-01-26
Bremen Suffer Greatly From the Gold, Hunger and
 High Wind FLAMES ORIGINATED
 FROM DEFECTIVE FLUE Bremen and Buildings Are caked With Ice--other Alarms Came In During the Course of
 the Big Fire.

Fire practically destroyed the large warehouse of the Crane company. which recently bought out the Milner & Kettig company, and caused a loss of between s4O,OOo and s5O,0O0. The amount of the in- surance is not definitely known, as the Crane company had placed 1t all with companies in Chicago. However, it is be- lieved here that about three-fourths of the loss is covered. The building destroyed is just back of the main building on South Twentieth street.
 By falling wall, the engine warehouse of Charles T. Lehman, just west of the Crane building, was damaged about $4000 or s5oOo, the loss being fully covered by insurance.
 The fire originated in the north end of the warehouse from a defective fiue and seemingly 1t had been burning about a quarter of an hour before an alarm was sent in. The first information received by the fire department stated that 1t was thought there was a fire in the Crane building, and by the time the alarm had been sent in the wind, which was blowing dliiOSl d Sdlc AlOHl lhc HOElu, lldQ DWtpl the flames straight through the building to the south end. The building is -OOx168 feet, facing the railroad tracks.
 The firemen went in both ends of the building and streams were also playing from either side. but the flames could not be checked for more than two hours. The alarm was turned in at 12:45 o'clock and the fire was not under control until 3 o'clock.
 A Strong Wind.
 Yesterday was the worst day of this winter for large fire. Not only was the wind blowing straight from the north at a speed of about thirty miles an hour but the mercury was playing around the zero mark, and the firemen suffered untold pain. At times their coats were solid cakes of Ice, and their ears, hands and faces were almost frozen The water froze in the pipes whenever a stream was shut down for a few minutes, and a num- Der of sections of hose burst on this ac- count
 Everything in the shape of fire appa- ratus in the city was in use except a re- serve hose wagon at Southside, and with in an hour after the Crane flre two other alarms were turned in, calling out this reserve wagon and calling some of the f1remen from the big fire.
 MT. KettIe's Statement.
 Lates yesterday afternoon W. H. Ket- tig. manager for the Crane company, gave out the following statement of the losses:
 Loss on building sSOoo to s1O,OOo
 Loss on merchandise $30,0O0.
 MT. Kettig did not know about the insurance. The warehouse was filled with pulleys, wooden and Iron, bath tubs and hydraulic machinery of various kinds. MT. Kettig stated that he had telegraphed the loss and facts to the Crane company at Chicago, but had not received a reply from them.
 "The fire caught on the second floor" said Mir Kettig, and 1t was the worst day of the year. The firemen did excel lent work, but they could not beat back the flames which were famed toward the south end of the building by that aw- ful wind from the north When this was the Milner-K Kettig company we carried between s25000 and $30,000 insurance on that building and the contents with the Underwriters company, but that was canceled by the Crane company and the risks were placed with a Chicago com pany What the insurance is I do not know. Only last year we made extensive improvements in the building. hoping to make it fire proof and we never ex- naotah that If wo1iId hiru
 Wall Falls.
 Ahout .20 o'clock the wall on the west