The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-04-18
VINEGAR BEND FIRE
LOSS ESTIMATED AT BETWEEN
 sIOO,OOO AND e125,0OO.
No Insurance Was Carried anA Ar. engagements Had Just Been Made for the Protection of the
 PrUperfy-Mobile NewA
Advertiser Bureau,

Advertiser Bureau,
 Mobile. April IT.
 One of the most disastrous sawmill fires occurring in this district in re- cent years was that of the Vinegar Bend Lumber Company. at Vinegar Bend. Ala. which occurred last night. Vinegar Bend Is located forty-eight miles north of Mobile, on the Mobile and Ohio Railroad and the town and mill is owned by N. F.. Turner, wko last week purchased the interests or his brother, Tyler Turner. thereby tc- quiring full title to the properties of the company. which include the saw mill and land and railroads at Dwight and Bradley. the latter In this county.
 About 9 o'clock last night the four men engaged at the mill. one in charge of the electric lighting plant which Eliminates the mills and town. another in charge of the furnaces at night. and two watchmen, discovered a small blaze in the vicinity of the boilers. Rushing thither the men began operating tte fire engine pump, but after few rev olutions of the wheels the entire lower floor of the mammoth mill, one of the largest in this section. was one masc of flames. Unable to reach the steam whistle, the men began diseharging their revolvers. This attracted attsn- tion in the town nearby and soon the church bell began ringing.
 Every inhabitant turned out and went to work with a will in an endeavor to save other valuable properties of the company. Knowing the fire protection from the pumps were cut off, the In.1 used buckets. They fought hard. but the flames were so intense that inc fire was communicated to the Ihres large dry kilns. two of which were filled to their capacity with lumber, the third being partly filled. These soon succumbed to the flames. which then caught the sizing shed. This, too. was soon heap of burning embers. to- gether with many thousand feet of fne planed lumber
 Mir Turner was in Mobile. and iiad arranged to go to Vinegar Bend this morning with an insurance agent to arrange all necessary details for iu- surfing the property. Efforts were made by his son, Rhett Turner, secretary and treasurer of the company. to reach him by long, distance telephone and by the Western Union, but for some time these proved unavailing. In the meantime communication was had with the Mo bile and Ohio authorities here and the Chief of the Fire Department and a special train was arranged for and steam fire engine promised. 1t being feared the fire would be communicated to the blaming mill and then to the res- idence portion of the town.
 Mir Turner was finally found. Chief Price of the Fire Department, after futile effort to find an experienced fire engineer, consented to allow Capt. John Dolle of Fire Company No. to go to Vinegar Bend in charge O. steamer No. 4. With the aid of Nignt Yardmaster Ching and his corps of as- ~;~ ha nIanad a flat car, fifteen lengths of hose placed in the caboose and engine No. 1S7, in charge of Engineer Weaver and the special in charge of Conductor Fra zier, pulled out from the Beauregard Street yard at 1:17.
 The special had the right of way over all trains and the engine got off slowly until the yards and the South ern crossing had been passed. Then with a straight-away run before him the engineer pulled the throttle wide open. It was a wild midnight ride. On and on the engine flew. pulling It's freight. Citronelle tank. thirty-two miles away. was made in fifty minutes. which, considering the more than 4oo- foot grade to be climbed. and two stops in the interim, was considered fine run. Here a few minutes was lost in giving the engine supply of water. At 2:37 the train was at the Bend. The steamer was soon placed where 1t would do some service.
 While several were injured, only one is seriously so. Grover Walker. an employe of the Vinegar Bend Company, while working on top of one of the dry kilns was overcome by the heat and smoke and in endeavoring to get to safety, stepped from the roof oi tine building and fell about thirty feet 10 the ground. He was picked up uncol- scious and a doctor after examination said he was internally injured and in a serious condition.
 MT. Turner this morning ordered au entire new mill outfit and said that as soon as the fire would permit he would begin rebuilding. Messrs. Leon X Green will also begin on their building at opCa