The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-12-30
Firemen Have Narrow Es:
cape from Being Caught
Under alling Walls.
ELECTRIC WIRES
IMPERlL LIVES
Damage Under $4,000, bit
Thrilling Work Saved Whole
sale Business Section-Ha1f-
Dead Horse Staggered
Out and Was
Shot. =

Out ana was
Shot.
Fire last night completely dsstsoyo1
/ the wood and coal establishment Of A.
Blacker. at Seventeenth and Cary
Streets and gave the department
thrilling battle to prevent a serious
conflagration in the wholesale business
district. The loss proper was hardy
more than $4,000. Childrey 6. Rein
| hart. pattern and model makers. had
machinery and workshops on the sec
ond story Of the Blacker building, once
occupied by the Trigg shipyard Com
pany. and everything was lost.
After taking desperate chances with
live wires that spanked and sizzled in
the street. the members of engine COM
pnny No. had narrow escape from
death when the south wall, next TO the
l.. y. Saunders warehouse. toppled over
lwithout the least warning. 1t guse
Iont quick sway. and then crashed IN
the ground. On a freight car a few
feet away SIX men were working a
those. and by sudden lunge they man
iiaged to save themselves as part OF tho
Idehris hit around their feet. Flying
brick struck several tiremen but no
boy Had Narrow Escape.
i When the alarm was turned in at
sIll.45 O'Clock the sky was red with
tile blaze from the burning structure.
Another alarm sent SIX engines the
scene. but the flames had gained big
headway. ana the main effort was to
cnniine them to the Blackcr plant an6
Thereby save the Saunders warehouse
and the sydncr Pump and Well Com
IA -. tu11 a1i i,ni
lRlacker's on the Cary Street side. The
i Wind sent clouds of sparks toward the
4 Gas Works. creating some apprehension.
4 although the distance was too great
I. to cause the possibility Of an eS-
plosion.
4 Just how and in what part of the
building the fire started was not clearly
determined. Strother West, employed
8 by- Blackcr. was asleep in the place,
and managed to get out and give the
alarm BY this time, however. the re-
Election made the police get busy, he
result being that the engines We're
soon on q he way. iad West remained
longer in his room he would have been
/. Killed. esr
Perhaps the most sensational incl
I. dent outside of the danger of live wires
and the collapse OF the rear wall was
: the wild antics of horse that stag
) gered out of the front entrance. half
dead from suffocation. Policemen and
outsiders were unable to hold the AMI
nal. and In a moment there would have
: Ebeen a stampede among the department
! horses. Taking the only sensible pre-
sNcaution, and mindful OF the condition
: of the suffering animal, Policeman Tait
whipped out u revolver and put an end
to his misery Five shots We're fred.
8 the explosions alarming the crowd ncar
by.
The horse dropped at the first shot
and remained there, almost buried un-
der a flood of water. Mr.. Blackera salI
this morning that he had only two
horses In the place, and he was not cer-
tain whether the other was saved A
gray horse and a gray mule We're res
J cued early and driven up Cary Street
but Mr.. Rlacker would not say posl-
,3tively whether one belonged to him.
Brave Act by Policeman.
There was considerable delay IN cut-
ting the, electric wires. Y made tina
i work OF the ftrer,en difficult and dam
gerous, ana right In the midst OF IL
: Policeman jennings did something
9 (which brought a a cheer from Lllel
II drenched and shlvertng crowd thnt
=. watched. Immediately elyEunder the Cllesa-
9 peake and Ohio yiaduct wire was
!, dancing on the pavement. Without ,{he5
-ileast ceremony or fear, Jennings lifted
lat carefully with IA nook, then held 8tt
lagainst a6pole and chopped It o with
Ian axe. 1t was clear OF the ground,
| but dangled II few feet above II ant
shot out blue and red streaks ot a.Ne.t. 1lse
: as the rain touched It. There We're
hundreds Of wires nearby. and the dam,
: re,. was constant until the circuits We're
: cut. X as4s :. s5j -
s Tho engines were pouring streams OK
!, wa ter into the Blacker building RON RON
:. fan directions. " was a wv, lWo-slors. ',s.
: Il,,ici structure, with many WIND oWs ~ ys
: ana doors. and for nearly an hour tne
water went in by the thousands OF
d rnlIons without subduinS the hre.g Dry
Q wood and 4 coal We're stored there In In
4 lnrre quantities. The division walls
! , ana the roof were quickly consumes.
i ths. heat fortunately. being kept Within
~ san sky ward. After the rear wall
II fsl,F The Saunders warehouse was badly
Y .tn.ed nnd scorched, and streamA
' ,,lnved upon 1t all the time TO 500 y set
= feet. 1T was the same with tue ssyoET ssya-
# nor house. The top ridges OF the,Lary i'',,,
Q street wall OF the burntns .pillulnS =
! over under the weight OF water pres. PRES
g S,,rs making a noise like the texplo-s
: :. r. VIXEN the second floor save NAY.
l. bringing down ths chtldrey nma m,ashesiIh WINCH
there were other ROARING SCUM. 'll's
created more or9leSs itlarul
Chief shaw sad this 8 \ nppnsn 81 Iran, sN IS :
q | ooS ot,S to- 10 $4,000. He did not knoWate 9
wlat extent the Sydho. propeyty and
machinery had been aamasfSa ,aSs eSSrown * M,
q. IN "a !, means ot otproteeIion Mr. Rlack-
~ az ~ h had a policy for $500 on his build.
a ing With one OF the companies Ne nrse repse-
Il ed a S,poiicy for $500 On Ills stock.
o bMt was not certain whether " ,a nag
ibeen actually issued, He hay appasea ss.
n ia the agent of the Realty Bond Sano
IS Trust Company, the agent haNing 8 IN.
d formed him. he said. that he " ould
r cali by In a day or two for ths s money .e! .
n Ijg' II could not be sascertained d what was
.el the value OF the &Childray OUTFIT or
i tie amount OF Insurance. carried al y
IS any, 81 s, 81 S. y. ~. s9 \. !,
Ia the property owned and occupied tof
IL many years by the Tnlhotr Mach
" Work After tho fai lure of \ his com.
Eany, " was rented Dy the hsiFs NJ 81