The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1908-11-26
ANOTHER COSTLY BLAZE
PLANT OF COTTON OIL COMPANY
DESTROYED BY FIRE.
Lost About $75,OO0-Charleston and
Orangeburg Send Help-Spec-
ial Train Free.

1al Train rec.
Again has Bamberg suffered a
heavy loss by fire. Last Thursday
morning about eleven O'Clock fire
broke out at the oil mill, and as soon
as the alarm was given number Of
people hurried to the scene, but the
fir burned so rapidly it was little they
could do in the way of saving the
property.
The fire broke out in the ginnery.
while the gins were running, and
Immediately the flames got beyond
control. Mr.. L. B. Fowler had been
running the gins this season, but he
was not running the ginnery last
week. He was running the mill at
night for Mr.. Richardson, who was
serving on the jury at court. The
mill was equipped with water works,
but no headway could be made
against the flames. Soon the fire
spread to the large seed house and
the oil mill plant proper, then to the
hull house, supply house, Office, etc.
Every building on the ground was
burned except the cotton house OF the
cippery, which was situated on the
East side Of the ginnery, and as the
wind came from this direction, the
house did not burn.
All the office f.fniture, safe, ETC.,
was saved, but practically nothing
was saved from the other buildings.
A number OF bales of cotton around
the ginnery were burned, as well az
about seyenty-five bales of ltntefs
which were stacked on the ground
in rear of the seed house, next to the
Office. The linters belonged to the
oil mill, but the cotton around the
gin house belonged to other parties
who had it ginned there.
The loss is complete, as none OF the
machinery will be fit for use again.
The oil plant withoutthe ginnery cost
s33,5O0, and a number of additions
an improvements have been made
since the plant was built. The COM
plete plant cost over $4,000, and the
total loss is easy $4,000. There
was insurance of $4,000 on the
plant, ginnery, and products, divided
as follows: On the oil mill, $17,60O;
on ginnery, $4,000 on products, $l0,-
600. The loss to the company will
be about $4,000. The seed house
was full of seed, and outside there
was about an equal quantity piled
on the ground, as there was no room
in the seed house. Never nave we
seen so many seed at an OIL MILL
plant.
The tanks containing oil did not
burn, and it is not likely that the Oil
on hand is damaged. In the meal
room there were about 10000 sacks
of meal, in fact practically the en-
tire crush of the mill this season. A
large portion of the seed will be saV-
ed practically without damage, as
the fire did not burn more than about
ten inches on the top of the pile. brt
a large part of the meal will be a TO-
tai loss.
AS soon as possible Charleston and
Columbia were asked for help, ana
about ten O'Clock Thursday night an
engine, hose wagon, etc., in charge
of a SQUAD of men, arrived from
Charleston on a special train. Or
angeburg was also called on for nose
and they kindly sent $50 feet, some
gentlemen from here going over for
it Thursday night in automobiles. AS
soon as this hose arrived, line OF
hose was strung from the cotton mill
reservoir, a half mile away, the en-
CINE being placed on the Fitting
School campus, this being halfway
ground, and the firemen went to
work to put out the piles of seed and
meal which were still burning.
They worked all Thursday night
playing only one stream of course,
and until late Friday afternoon. The
seed pile was put out without much
trouble, but the meal was hard
proposition. Friday evening the en-
cine was brought back down town
and the hard worked firemen got
some rest. Saturday morning the
engine and other apparatus was re-
loaded on the special train and went
back to Charleston. Fire Chief Dlb-
BILE, of Orangeburg, also came over
Thursday night and spent Friday at
the fire, doing everything possible to
help.
The work of sacking the meal is
now going on, and it is thought the
salvage will be about $4,000. Ad-
iusters have not arrived yet, but 1t
ia certain that the loss will far ex-
ceed the insurance. The meal on
hand will be sold, and as many OF
the seed as possible will be crushed
at the Denmark plant Of the COM
pany.
During the fire, while trying to
save some bales of cotton from being
burned, a negro man named Hender-
son had his leg broken below the
knee by bale of cotton falling on it:
He was given medical attention at
once and the limb reset. He is get
ting along nicely. Mr.. G. Moye Dick