The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-05-09
BREWERY DAMAGED
FIRE DEsToRYs rARr OF LOCAL
 PLANT -
Cspitai Brewiaw and Tee Company sus- fsins Loss Esfinafed To, Re s20,- '' eeo-0risin of Fire Net
 Known.

Fire at 1850 o'clock yesterday after noon destroyed q large portion of the east wing of the building of the Cap
 ttal Brewing and Ice Company, situated
 at the foot of Decatur Street. in East
 Montgomery.In In that part of the structure
 burned were stored some barroom fix-
 lures and quantity of hops recently | purchased, the loss constituting, the greater percentage of the damage, es- | tir1ated by the owners to be about $20,
 900 The loss. 1t Is stated, is fully GOV. cred by insurance. se .. The fire originated in the cupola al
 the very top Of the building, and. was
 visible from all of the higher points
 of the city, several people observins
 the blaze before the alarm was sent | in. Starting at the top, tho flames
 bored their way into the body of ths structure with q rapidity almost fin comprehensible. giving lise at one time
 to the fear that the entire plant wal
 doomed.
 The first alarm received by the de. partmont was from Box 14, located some distance from the scene of the | blaze. and this circumstance occasion | ed a slight confusion, somewhat delay ] ing the arrival of the companies, who were further handicapped by the fact that several of the water plugs which had to be utilized were distant many hundred feet from the scene of the nrc The origin of the blaze in unknown but 1t is suggested that spark from a passing locomotive may have set the
 structure afre. ' 5..a.
 when the department arrived fupon
 the scene, the fire had gained great headway, and the flames were leapina high above the roof of the structure.
 The part of the building attacked is devoted principally to the uses or 2 storehouse for hops and furniture, ana with It's rambling construction, undi-
 vided by partitions, burned liked tn. der. The burning portion, nanked on the north by brick wsfl, towers oveI
 the rest of the plant, thus anoroinR inc aepartment an opportunity of fight ing the fire, partially at least, Iron
 ali sides. Even with this advantage
 the firerinen playing four streams con
 stantly upon the blazing mass. nao tc contend almost frenziedly against the steady encroach of the ncrce flames TOT more than an hour before the saiety of the remainder of the plant was az sured. The negroes employee a,. e brewery assisted the hrefnen In. handl' inc tha hose and further combat. tInr the progress of the flames, and their aid was factor Sn conftAinS the Tt was two hours after the inception of the fire before the companies xsi' that 1t was entirely safe to leave tne scene. ''
 Several of the fremen narrowly es. caped serious Injury and possible deatf during the early part of the hEht' Surmounting the cupcla. standing per hans thirty or forty feet high, was flag pole, which undermined by ths flames, became overbalanced, and Tel
 with a terrifying crash upon the rcol below, occupied by Captain Grimtht and half a dozen hremen. Just previously
 to It's fall. shouts from the spectator surrounding the scene made then aware of their danger. and they nse from beneath the totter4ng mass bare lytin time to avert a tragedy. = shortly after this incident. host
 was carried daringly into the furnace like interior of the burning structure and among those watching the per | formance an accident seemed tmmln ent, but none occurred.
 The manufacturing plant of th' | brewery was not damaged and whtl'
 Ht Is probable that serious inconvsn | fence will be felt as result of th'
 fire, Naham Greil stated yesterday tha
 the operation of the brewery Woulu no
 be discontinued. ?. The building of the Capital Brewing
 and Ice Company Is located on the stt' | of the old structure built and occupied 1 about 1882 by the Alabama Ferttltze Works. When the present f;owneri bought the property, the original build | ing was torn down, wholly orSin part | and another better suited to the re | ouirements of the brewing business erected. Since then improvement
 have been added.