The Paducah evening sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1906-1929, 1906-12-27
Loss Will Aggregate $500
Without Any Insur-
ance---Origin
DEPARTMENT DOES GOOD WORK.
Saves Surrounding Structures From
Catching and Controls Flames
BY Hard Work. 49,


nv Sheoiiihb INC iooo " lPvs''vI
In material. building and rnachIpery8
destroyed the spoke factory of q e.
Bell & Sons. located on the east,side
of Third between Bsshman and HIS
bands streets, betwi ben and "a
O'Clock this morning: narrowly miss,
ed destroying the tobacco storage
warehouse of the w. c. o'Bryan com
pany, scorched the auxiliary plant OF
the Paducah Ice company and set Are
a dozen of times to the steamer, Mar
tina n. Hennen, moored just back Of
the mill. But for stiff wind from
the west the O'Bryan warehouse
would have been destroyed. and taxi,
ing II all in all, the work OF the Gre
companies, Nos. /, 2 and 4, was pfe1
nomenal.
At $3.50 o'clock this morning tha
Waterman on the docks of the West
Kentucky Coal company, at the foot
|of Ohio street. saw flames fast de-
vonriqR the Bell spoke factory. He
|rusheitto the call box and sent in an
alarnfto the Western Union Tele-
graph. company. The fire department
got it in an instant and all but com
pany No. 5, Tenth and Clay streets,
answered.
The fire. had gained great head
way and 1t was impossible to do any .
thing more than save the adjoining
buildings, the Ice plant and the
oBryan' tobacco Warehouse. Atten-
ton was also directed to the steamer
Martha II. Hennen, then "dead," and
the good work of the, night watch
man and volunteers saved her from
burning. Several times did she catch
fire on the roof, and brooms were
worn to the handles, sweeping the
embers off the roof, and muscles
we're worked to exhaustion to keep
the craft from burning.
The Bell mill was one-story
wooden structure operated by fur
mace and engine, but was closed Mon
day for the week, to start up again
January 8, There had been no fire
about the place, and no Waterman
was employed. The building was wir-.
ed and electricity was used for light
ing purposes. 1t is presumed sscross-
ed wire started the IRE.
"My loss will amount to about s3,-
500 with no Insurance." Mr.. Bell
stated. 81 did not carry insurance be-
cause the structure was frame and
rates excessive for this kind Of
building. l had orders far ahead and
will rebuild at once. My business win
be impaired, of course. can not
tell the extent of loss in time. Some
Of the machinery can be used again.
jbut very little of It,"
Alderman Bell Hurt.
| Mr.. Bell, who is member
OF the board OF aldermen, talked
while propped up in a chair encased
in quilts and with his right leg tight
lily bound for he was injured soon af-
ter the fire was extingulshed.
At Z o'clock when the fire compa-
MES returned to clear away the de-
bris and put out any remaining fire,
Mr.. Bell went over to assist. A heavy
timber fell on his shoulders. drove
him into the muddy sawdust and
badly sprained his right ankle and
his right knee. He will be disabled
for some time. but is not seriously
injured.
i Remarkable Coincidence.
i One year and eleven months age
To-day the Bell mill on the same site
} burned. entaillng about the same losl
} No Insurance. was carried the tlrs'
time. The mill building was frame
} 1t caught from ;unknown rsQ111
Bell rebuilt a1ia-srs 4
ayfs:k
Hnk Work,