The Prescott daily news., 1909-09-04
ARkADELPHIA FIRE
 LOSS IS $l5O,OOO
Various Estimates Place Damage by the Flames as High as $200, 0,000-
 Partially Covered by Insurance

Philadelphia. Sept. 3.-As the re- | suit Of fire which started at 1 o'clock this afternoon on the fourth floor of the main building of the Philadelphia Milling Com pany, the milling company's plant the Iron Mountain passenger and freight depot and s box cars are in ashes, the city is in darkness on account of the damage done to the electric light plant and the Bproperty loss is variously estim ated at from S15O,OOO to about $2OO,OOO.
 It is supposed the fire originat- ed through some piece of machin- cry becoming heated by friction. The fire had probably been burn ir;s 15 minutes before it was dis covered. The Fire Department re sponded promptly and with the aid Of volunteers began to fight the fire. It is said that the fire could have been controlled if the water pressure had been maintain ed. Although the water pressure 'S supplied by standpipe and a pumping station it is declared by those who helped fight that the pressure became so weak as to be practically useless for fire lighting purpoes.
 Under the influence of A high wind the fire spread from the main building of the milling com pany to the ware house and off ces. Seeing that the depot was doomed the helpers made an effort to save the co;nuany records and it is believed that most of the val uable records were saved.
 The Iron Mountain depot was q modern structure and was worth at least $5, GOO. The company sus tained a fire loss on the same
 "a few years ago and the new lepot was modern one.
 On one of the companys' side tracks were $ cars which were burned. Five were empties and the others were filled with mer- chandise freight. Being filled by mixed freight it is impossible to tell what loss the company sus- tained on the cars.
 | The fire was communicated to 1 the railroads,water tank and for about an hour the flames played around it. The top of the tank was burned off and the sides of the barrell were charred. but it vas not destroyed.
 X small lunch stand just across the tracks caught on fire several times but each time the fire was smothered out and the building ,ayed. The Vendome Hotel near the fire was also saved with much difficulty.
 The Philadelphia Milling Comy pany is owned by number of To- cal capitalists. J. M. Adams is president w. w. Adams is secre- tary and general manager, and E. Nowlin is the assistant mana ger and treasurer.
 The plant was on of the larges st flour mills in the Southwest and did an annual business of about $1 100000. 1t had a pay roll aver aging about $7,000 month and employed about 300 persons.
 w. M. Adams and E. Dowlin of the milling company estimate a loss to the company of about |$125,0OO. The exact amount Of insurance on the plant is not re- msmbered by the officers, and the policies are locked in the fire proof vaults which are now GOV cred with the smoking debris. The officers are certain that between $65, ,OOO and 10000 of the insur- ance was carried in mutual com panies of the milling trade.
 The company has already laid plans for rebuilding. Tempory of- fices will be secured and new bui- dings will be put up as soon as possible.
 The town is in darkness tonight because the electric light plant was part of the milling companies system,
 The fire temporarily, stopped railroad traffic and the wires