Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1906-12-27

~ hS1Scoois ~ cOpG Will
the fire and he turned in two more
alarms. The Central and East End
companies responded and soon a
dozen streams were playing on the
building.
Handicapped by a lack OF water
pressure, the firemen. and the ship
yard workmen handling the shipyard
nose, were powerless to check the
steady advance OF the flames
through the big building and soon
the oakum loft. located In the center
of the structure was ablaze. AS the
fire ate through the top OF the lott
flames shot heavenward and then
being depressed by tho strong north.
westerly wind. they bent in the di.
reotion of the Old Dominion liner
Jefferson, imperilling that vessel.
BY this time the entire building
was In flames and the heat between
II and the north side of dry dock.
NO. l, was so intense that tho
nremen could not a stream to
the side of the Old Dominion liner
JEFFERSON. which had ignited by the
intense heat.
Flood Dock 70 Save II.
Fire Chief Stowe, who had been
mere and there and everywhere di.
rect'ng his men, then had the North
End company take the two streams
being pumped from te tug Alice,
into the basin and fight the fire on
the ship from that point. When
the Jefferson caught fire, Superinten.
dent OF Hull Construction Homer l.,
Ferguson, who with Manager Post
and General Superintendent OF HUH
Construction nj. v. D. Doughty had
reached the scene q half hour before.
had dry dock No. 1, flooded to pre-.
vent the bottom of the basin from
igniting from burning pieces of scat.
folding that might fall from the side
OF the Jefferson. AS It takes an
hour to food the basin and half
hour to get the gate open and ropes
and tackles out. no attempt WINS
made to float the steamer out of the
basin.
Besides the two streams being
played on the north side of the ship,
hremen and workmen got two
streams aboard of her from the
south side OF the dock and the flames
OIL the vessel were soon extinguish-
ed. Considerable damage was done
the joiner work Oh the starboard
side OF the vessel, but the total
go Piooaoiy VIII mot cxCeeu
Machine shop AbIaze.
Three-Quarters OF an hour after
the first alarm was sounded the
roof of the carpenter shop fell i'm
with great crash and thousands
of sparks went Whirling over the
yard. A large piece OF burning
timber was carried across the yard
by the wind and lodged In a window
on the west end of the big ma.
chine shop. The window sash caught
fire. but half dozen men were
'dispatching to the scene and they
quickly eXtlngnished the flames.
Flying sparks ignited the joiner
shop. and several piles of timber
nearby, but firemen put out the
flames and saved the building and
lumber.
Many Spectators There.
Gathered around the two dry
docks, and at both ends OF tic
burning structure were several
thousand men, women and children.
many of whom remained until s.
o'clock that night
number of telegraph poles
standing on both sides of the build.
ing caught fire and dozens OF wires
fell to the ground rendering the
work doubly hard. Several OF the
poles burned and toppled over, but
no one was injured by them.
the great building burned like a
seeming furnace and so intense was
the heat that the firemen could not
get within hundred feet of It.
Awnings for Minnesota DESTROYED.
AT six o'clock all that remained
OF the big structure, in which the
fire originated, and which contained
the ship-carpenters' shop. pipe fit
ters' shop, sheet iron workers. shop.
all and rigging loft and oakum loft.
was mass Of burning embers and
twisted sheet iron. Thousands and
thousands of dollars worth of ma
chinery In the building was de.
stroyed. about hundred boxes of
tools, belonging to ship-carpenters,
ana stored in the carpenters shop
were ruined. and about 100000 worth
OF sails, awnings, boat coverings,
etc, for the United States battle.
ship Minnesota, the Old Dominion
liner JEFFERSON and armored cruisers
North Carolina and Montana, which
mad been stored In the sail loft,
went up In the flames. The sails
and awnings for the Minnesota and
Jefferson were completed and ready
to be put on the vessels. II Is
probable that the burning OF this
material will delay the finishing OF
the work on the JEFFERSON
Temporary Arrangements
The old mould loft In the unchiny
shed on the north side of dry dock
No. 2, will, it is understood, be
converted into a temporary sail and
rigging loft and the work of making
new awnings, boat coverings, gun
coverings, etc, for the Minnesota