The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1906-09-12
DESTRUCTIVE LUMBER FIRE.
Plant of Sumter Lumber Company
DESTROYED and a Million Feet of
Lumber Burned-Other Houses
Consumed BY Flames.

From the Daily Item Sept. 10.
The most destructive fire since the
| burning of the Epperson Stable some
years ago, broke out Sunday in the
plant Of the Sumter Lumber Com
pany. 1t is not known how the fire
started and it spread so rapidly that
there is some doubt as to where the
flames were first seen. However it
is supposed that a match or cigarette
was dropped in or near the planning
mill building. When the fire was dis
lowered the lumber plant was already
mass of flames and the fire beyond
control. This was about five O'Clock
in the afternoon. It continued to
make headway in spite Of the splen-
I did work of the fire companies, until
ten o'clock at night. From then on,
the fire was under control, but the
reel companies had to stay on watch
all night and did not get in until five
o'clock this morning.
Besides the three main buildings OF
| the lumber company, one belonging
to the Witherspoon Brothers & Co.,
coffin factory and partly used by them
as a warehouse, was destroyed with
| a large line of stock ready for ship
ment.. On the track il the lumber
ward. were number Of box cars, and
all Of these were saved by Agent
Cooper and Road Master Bruner. ex-
cept i've that could not be moved in
time.
The store and home occupied by
Mr. G. Ed. Richardson, and belonging
to Mrs. r. V. Richardson, was COM
pletely destroyed, while Mr.. Rich
ardson's marble shop, though next
door to the burning lumber yard, es-
caped with only a slight scorching.
-Four small houses in Ricker's Hun
dred were burned and one was pulled
down to save the rest Of the block,
These small tenements belonged to
Mrs. Lucius B. Durant and were pref
| ty we'll covered by insurance with the
Citizens Insurance Agency of this
CITY. The residence Of the Misses
Richardson were also burned; and
chis fills out the list.
The heaviest loser was the Sumter
Lumber Company. Their insurance, al
so with the Citizens Insurance Agency
was only twenty-one thousand. Their
| loss, including three large buildings,
with all machinery and equipments
and the yard with more than mil
lion feet of lumber on it. Will probably
aggregate $4,000. though Superin-
! tendent Jackson will not give out even
an estimate until he can go through
his books. The lumber firm will be re-
sponsible for three Of the five cars
| lost. as they had not been unload I'd.
| The ether two had already been
billed out loaded with drssed timbers
so this loss will fall on the At
lantic Coast Line. The loss Of the
coffin factory was about one thousand
dollars. This was merely in stored
stock and was uninsured.
! Mrs. Richardson had her two
houses insured, but for an amount not
exceeding four hundred dollars. Her
! propertv is valued at three thousand.
The Misses Richardson, toe, lost out
of all proportion to their insurance.
| Their home was worth a thousand
dollars. and the insurance will only
| cover three hundred OF This.
AS stated above, the two companies
of fre-fghters did all that was eX-
| pected of them, which was much, but
they were Handicapped IN several re-
spects. The rapid spread CT the ire
was to be expected With such inf1am-
| mable material to feed on; but when
the teams arrived it was cn!y by using
| the hose of the coffin factory and luni-
ber company that enough reach could
| be had to turn on two ctreams o.
water. The pressure IS weak in that
end of town and the low not good;
while to crown their distress, when
ever a train came by, water connec-
ton had to be cut off and the hose re-
moved from the track to let it pass.
Some talk is going about Of the coun-
ellis purchasing an engine in the near
future. More probably, however,
some hundred additional feet Of hose
will be purchased. so that what pow
| er is here can be utilized.