The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-01-19
Building Occupied by the.
Richmond P resis De
stroyed Last Night.
FIRE MEN FOUGHT
BLAZE FROM ROOF
Battle 10 Save Great Buildings
One Of the Fiercest in. His
tory Of CityBasement OF
Planters Bank Flooded
n. L. 1. Blues Again
Threatened. r.
Threatened.

N. L. II. Dues AGAIN
Threatened. &.
Fighting from every foothold that
It could gain. q vantage point from, the :
Richmond Fire Department last night
contended with ono Of the most dim
cult and dangerous Ares which has
threatened the heart OF the business
section Of the city for a number OF
years. l5
Originating in the top floor OF the
Richmond Press Company, Incorporated,
where the flames were confined in the
main, the fire in It's early beginning
threatened the whole business block
extending from Twelfth to Governor
Streets, on Main. and the department
faced serious problem. For two
hours the fire ragged, and during that
time 1t consumed the entire plant OF
the Richmond tress Company. practi-
cally2ruined the building. and damaged
by water: Kirkwood.s Restaurant. the !
ciii;sr Wholesale Supply Company ana I
the Southern Stamp and Stationery
Company The basement Of the Plant
ers' National Bank was flooded with
several Inches OF water.
Fought Flames From Roof.
Having only aboutsa thirty foot front
entrance, facing on Twelfth Street, and
running back for a distance OF sixty
or seventy-five feet. the building atira
lay nestled securely among some OF
the largest and most prominent busl-
ness houses In the city. and was so
N 10,
flames practically secure against the
efforts of the fireman until. the rear
wall had fallen. the roof had crumbleil
into shower OF ashes, and wit all
the surrounding buildings drenched IN
a continual spray, the blaze had no
further foothold to gain and its force
was spent III limited boilnd nds.Ss
From house top and roof the firenIen.
played their hose on every point within
their. reach. AS far down as the kirk
wood restaurant. which the rear wall
Of the building destroyed almost abuts,
Acting Assistant Chief Raffo led his 1
men through q burning building to
It's roof, and thence turned two pows
erful streams into thu very heart OF
the fire. IS ss
Other companies followed his exam
pie, and soon the roofs OF the Eppas
s. Snider Company, book khInders, on
the opposite side Of twelfth Street. and
the Planters National Bank were
gained. and from them deluge OF
water was hurled into the burning
building. Now and then the flames
seemed to gain the best OF 1t. and curi-s
GUS thousands who gathered would
grow excited as the sparks flew up In 1
added force, and 1t seemed as II the
fire could never be controlled. 81
Danger From Wires.
Apparently waging hopeless battle
from the outset, the firemen. under the
of Chief Shaw and the Svari-s
ous captains fought steadily on. Wires
covered the place, and thlssS
but added to the danger. Captain
this. called up the power house OF the
Passenger and Power Com ~.
pany and peremptorily, ordered : the
clerk in charge to cut off the current
in these wires.
The clerk refused because he could
receive orders only from his company,
Then Captain Thompson threatened the
and his demand was COM
olied with. Mr.. 5Gullett,8c connected with
The City Electricians D department, cut
Ill the wires in his jurisdiction, and
after a time. the danger OF electrocussis
ion was eliminated from the general
peril. n Il.
After an hour Of steady fighting,
when the odds as between the fire.
men and the flames were on an even
basis. the rear wall. facing an open
space. In the rear Of the Kirkwood
trenbled in the middle,
quaked, and then crashed downward
with a roar that could be heard and
felt for squares around. Flames gusIl-S
ed out and upward. dense volumes pfs y
smoke were belched from the ruins.
sparks went up In showers. and the
fire gainedE new headway.
In the rear of the building We're five
linotype machines. One fell out and
stuck in the rear wall of the restau.s
rant, and In the wide-open cash could. q !.
be discerned the others, molten, bent
and twisted into absolute wreckage.S
Finally the roof caved In. the whole
building cracked, but 1t was thu sal-
walton of the block. for the firemen
now had uninterrupted view of the
flames. and opportunity to play their
streams. i i.sSt5 s. ssss
Other Places Damaged.
1T was bat matter of. Vine then.
though flames conttnualI lIy belched
forth from the Twelfth Street side.
licking out to the buildlngsof OF the Q, Ii
Il. Flnnhart Printing Company, which
was Eutted5s py nre 81 some days ago
Adjoining this building was the plant
of Councilman Charles r. Davis, theS
Richmond Type ana Electrotyps Foun-
dry. which was burned on the same
date two years ago. Il 1nsid % i Mr.. Davis
paced upg and own. fearing that at
any moment his place would be has
sieged again by / the flames. Il. ss
Six eng Ines stationed at various
points all around the threatened block,
poured in floods of water. and though
the fire did damage practically only
to the burning building itself. the was
ter flooded the Kirkwood restaurants,
tho liller5 supply Company. the South -ll -sl
ern9 Stamp and Stationery Company,
hundreds of dollars worth Of
damage was IN flictsd, II.
After two hours nf ndispntnd po =
session, the fire began to give IL WI aysssst
ia the water. Firenlen sweatsd and Il
swoSe softly. but they had cams can-sss