The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-10-13
MATTRESS
FACTORY BURNS
Actual Loss will Exceed
Seven Thousand Dollars
The COTTON PICKER
Believed to Have Struck Fire
from a Flint.
Edward Z. Smith, Manager of the
Factory is Badly Burned While
Fighting the Flames.

The plant of the Smith Mattre $
company. one of Marions important
business establishments, was visited
| by a disastrous fire Monday evening,
which resulted in almost complete
wreck of the ia tory building and a
total damage to the stock. The am
age will aggregate $1,000
One of the mosth unfortunate fea-
lures Of the fire was the serious az
cident which befel Edward E. Smith
manager of the factory. In his des
perate attempt to overcome the
flames. Mr.. smith sustained ser
ious burns about the face. shoulders
and arms. His face wa burned
raw, while beneath his arms and
about the shoulders the flesh was
converted into blisters. Although the
burns are of a very serious nature,
the attending physician states that
the victim will recover.
The fire broke out about $3.50
O'Clock. The cause OF the disaster is
not definitely known but is thought
to have been due to piece OF flint,
steel or match passing through
the cotton picking machine, which
was being operated on the second
floor. 1t is believed that one of the
needles on the machine came in con-
tact with either flint or steel, thus
creating a spark, or ignited a match
oh n
the cotton.
One of the factory boys was feed
ing the picking machine at the time
the fire broke out. The boy declares
that as he turned around to secure an
arm load of cotton, he heard a sharp
crack which sounded as though one
of he machine needles had come In
contact with something hard. AL
most in an instant, flames leaped
from the cotton bin which was locat-
ed about six feet from the machine.
The spark must have been thrown
into the cotton, starting the confia-
grafton,
The flames spread with great rap
idity. Frank Griffith, a driver, was
at the barn at the rear of the build |
ing and instantly noticed the fire.
Rushing into the factory he spread
the alarm among the employees of
the first floor and a fire fighting
brigade was Immediately formed. A
half dozen fire extinguishers were put
to work and hose connected with an
immense water storage tank was also
used. In fighting the fire, Griffith
was also quite seriously burned
about the face and hands.
The central fire department was
called out about Ave minutes after
the start of the fire. "A second
alarm summoned the assistance OF
the West End and Huber and Steam
Shovel departments. Too much can
not be said Of the excellent work or
the fire departments. Their work |
was fast and exact. Even after the |
owners OF the factory bad given up
all hope of saving anything, the fre
laddies jumped in and coralled the |
flames, saving machinery and tick
ing valued at $4,000.
With the exceptions OF the north |
room on the second floor, the factory |
building was practically destroyed.
This room contained the machinery |
and quantity of ticking. 1t was
not damaged in the least.
The factory building was struct- |
ure sixty by fifty feet in dimension
and two stories in height. The ca
pacity OF the aggressive little factory
was from fifty to one hundred and |
twenty mattresses per day. The
firm had been carrying on a success
full business in the city for more than ,
nineteen years. within the past few |
years the business has greatly in
creased and the Smith mattress