The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-03-30
THOUSANDS OF GALLONS
OF GASOLINE ESCAPED


Ninth avenues. The estimated loss was
s1cO.00c The property was insured for
SIS, O06.
The cause of the fire is supposed to
have been a pile of cinders raked out OF
an engine which ran into the lumber
yards on the Frisco switch yesterday
afternoon. The building and stock of the
company are a total loss. not thing
being saved.
Before the eyes of thousands of people
who had gathered about the place to see
the flames, the fire department of the city
last night struggled against the largest
fire anG against the biggest odds of any
fire thar has taken place in Birmingham
for many years. The western part OF
Birmingham was lighted up almost like
day by the mass of blaze. The crowd OF
people, which filled the streets for blocks
about the place and occupied the hill TO
the northeast of the fire, with their faces
lighted up by the flames against the black
background of the night, with the seeth-
ing, darting, boiling mass of fire occupy
ing whole block in their center made
wierd anc strangely beautiful scene.
Discovered BY Waterman
The fire was discovered at ITO o'clock
by Waterman Martin Hudson, who works
for the Gulf Refining company. He
turned in the alarm and in few minutes
the flre-fghters were on the scene. But
they were already too late. The fire had
spread like magic, leaping with lightning
rapidity from lumber pile to lumber pile.
The blaze started at the south side of
the Yards The wind was strong from the
south and drove the leaping tongues of
fire continuously toward new piles of
lumber and buildings.
The lumber yards were separated from
the grounds of the Gulf Refining COM
pany hy a switch running from the Frisco
tracks On this switch, and within 80 feet
of the mass of fire, sat a tank car of gas
olne holding 5000 gallons The heat be-
came SC intense from the fire that the
gasoline actually boiled and dubbed out
of the top of the car, yet did not eplode
or catch fire. Just a, short distance fur
ther away were four stationary tanks con-
tanning 5000 gallons of lubricating oil
EACH II the gasoline had exploded the
which were hundreds of barrels of oils
and gasoline, and these four tanks, would
have been certain to have caught fire also.
The fsremen realized this danger immed-
lately, and seeing that it was useless to
fight the flames proper in the lumber
yards. they concentrated all their efforts
on preventing an explosion of the gaso-
line and keeping the tanks of oil from
catching fire.
Met Barrier at Tracks
A few minutes after the alarm rang In
the entire lumber yard. when took up the
whole block, was burning. At the north
side of the yards the flames met a bar
rier in the tracks of the Frisco railroad.
1t looked for a while as If the fire would
not spread across the tracks. There was
a large pile of railroad ties on the OPP
posite side, however. and the wind drove
the blaze so strong that it leaped across
the space and the ties caught fire. The
entire storage plant Of the Birmingham
Light and Power company was
row threatened and the outbuildings and
piles of poles were soon sending volumes
of flames and smoke toward the sky.
Here is where the firemen got in some
good work. They dragged several lines
Of hose up the tracks and In that furnace
of heat and fire, hidden entirely at times
by the flames. attacked the new outbreak
Of the fire and succeeded finally in get
ting control of it,
The heat was so intense between the
yards of the lumber company and that
Of the street car company that the wires
melted off the telephone and telegraph
poles. While the fire was raging the
one side OF the track than on the other
that the railroad track was raised on
its side by the expansion or the out
side rail. A piece of track 80 feet long
lifted itself in the air and stood the ties
on end The tracks were so warped
and damaged that traffic will be hindered
on the Frisco road until repairs are made.
1t was stated that trains will come into
and leave the city by means of the Belt
line Of the Frisco.
Wood and Norris ON Scene
Mingling with the crowd and walking
from place to place. inspecting the new
outbreaks of the fire, were two men,
their hands deep in their pockets, a set
and weary look on their faces, who were
most Interested in the fire, not from a
point of curiosity or wonder at its great
ness. but because 1t meant loss to them
Of wears of toll and thousands Of dol
Lars-they were w. d. Wood 300 High
land avenue, and s. H. Norris, 1929 North
Thirteenth street. the owners of the lum-
her yards. 1t is stated that Mr.. Wood and
Mr.. Dickinson owned the land and the
buildings, while the stock belonged to Mr..
Wood and Mr.. Norris. 1t was also stated
that the fire was an especially heavy blow
to Mr.. Norris, as ali his interests were
in the lumber business. Mr.. Wood, while
feeling the loss greatly, has sarge interests
In several other concerns.
Mr.. Norris said: Il was eating supper
when the fire started and when 1 heard
Of It rushed down to the lumber yards
lust a few blocks from where | live. IL
seemed that The whole yard was burn
ing and / did not have any hope OF part
of it being saved from the beginning l
can make no statement about my affairs
now
Mr.. wood was also at his home when he
received word of the fire. He said: 1T
is impossible to make an estimate of the
loss. All of our books, ledgers and ac-
counts are In the vault and until we find
them nothing can be said with accuracy.
The vault Is fireproof and anything that