Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1909-02-27
FLAMES DESTROY
EVENING JOURNAL
Newspaper Plant Totally Wrecked
by Fire This Morning.


unknown destroyed the plant OF The
Evening Journal two hours and a
half before daybreak today
The loss to the Journal Company.
Incorporated. the publishers is said
20 approximate $4,000 There is
Insurance amounting TO $4,000 on
the plant
James Hartley. owner OF the build
ing, after viewing the premises this
morning. estimated the damage done
To the structure at between $4,000
and $4,000. The total OF his in
surance is about $500
An hour after the working forces
OF the Journal reported for duty
General Manager a. r. Holderby and
President Charles r. Cooke. OF the
company. had secured the store
building at the southwest corner OF
Broad and Sixth streets. furnished
and equipped the store floor and
installed the editorial and reportorial
forces in temporary quarters.
President Cooke said this morning
that with the exception OF a single
edition. the o'clock edition Of to-
day. publication Of the newspaper
will suffer no interruption.
The blaze en- the Journal building
was discovered at 3:45 by Policeman
Parkinson, who was patrolling his
beat Through the plate glass win
dow In the front OF the building he
saw flames and smoke rising from
the rolls Of paper stored I'm the room
on the street floor between the bus
mess office and the press room
The policeman ran up the stair
way leading from the street TO tho
second floor. where were located the
editorial and renortorial rooms and
the linotype machine room The door
NJ the head OF the stairway was lock
ed. The only occupants OF tho
building were Jefferson Berry. n lin
otype operator who had been work
ing an night az his machine. and
Sidney r Gates. a urintcr. working
at the cease"
The hat-a-tat OF Pcrkinson's night
stick on the panel brought the
printers rushing 20 the door. As the
door opened and the policeman
started 20 enter Berry pushed the
muzzle OF a revolver under PerlSin-
sons nose. installing him for a night
prowler bent on mischief.
The policeman save the alarm as
soon as he recovered from his aston
ishment az the reception he had met
and the three men ran u tho storage
room. which was then dense with
smoke.
With n few small tin vessels picked
MP IN the rooms on the street floor.
which thew filled with water from q
hydrant. they endeavored 20 extin-
guish the FIRE IN the rolls OF paper
The thickening clouds OF smoke
drove thcm from the place In n few
minutes. The policeman ran 20 the
firm alarm box 20 Fifth and Broad
streets and turned IN an alarm This
was fifteen minutes after the FIRE was
discovered and the flames had made
rapid he0dwey. The fire was eating
Its way through the ceiling OF the
storage room when four companies
OF firemen arrived Engine Comma
mics Nos. 3. 8. and 9. 4 few min
utes later Truck Company No. ! was
at the scene OF the Ere.
Assistant Chief Wise led a score
OF hremen into the storage room and
directed their operations there until
the heat and smoke drove them
out
The FIRE was then raging on the
floor above and the flames were
bursting into the business ONCE on
the ground floor
From the front and the rear OF
the building streams we're turned
upon the building. For twenty min
utes the five companies fought the
flames seemingly without checking
the progress OF the stubborn fire.
At 4:30 o'clock a second alarm
was turned IN, bringing Engine Com
panies Nos. 6. Z. and 10. and Truck
Company No. 3 TO reinforce the fame
fighters.
Several times the fremen with
hose we're driven from the second
floor by the unbearable heat and the
rolling smoke.
Chief Joynes took command OF
the men shortly after the first en-
CINE arrived.
Just after the firemen were driven
for the first time from the storage
room. a few moments IL was thought
that they had succumbed 10 the
smoke.
Captain Wise sent six men back
into the storage room 20 rescue the
missing men. They CROPPED through
the smoke. crawling over the floor
on their stomaches until almost over
powered staggering out into the
street. where they we're met by the
missing firemen. who had retreated
through the rear door OF the paper
room, which was now a furnace OF
fame.
The aoor OF the second story.
weakened by the steady progress of
the fire, collapsed and the FIVE limo
type machines were dropped 10 the
floor below, totally wrecked Flames
and falling debris had in the mean
time made a wreck OF the big print
ing press.
The fire was gotten under control
about $3.50 o'clock. an Your and a
half after the arrival OF the first
engine.
GILL BROTHERS. LOSS.
f. w Gill. foreman Of the Evening
Journal composing rooms, and his
brother. w. s Gill. suffered a loss
of probably 1000 They conducted