The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1910-11-04
Millersburg Suffers Big Fire
I.nSS.


Loss.
The beautiful little city of Millers-
burg suffered one of the most disas-
trOus and destructive fires in its his
tory when on Tuesday morning aoout
nine O'Clock, flames, which originated
in the warehouse of Mr.. r. B. Hutch
craft, Of..Paris, and supposed to have
bean the result of spark from loco
motive, which was switching, swept
away three blocks entailing loss up
wards of 100000.
The fire was first discovered IS a
snail blaze On Ike fCOf Ct the Hutch
craft warehouse and the alarm sounded
but before the volunteer conn., any
could get the engine into action the
building was mass of flames. The
building contained quantity of to-
bacco and an effort was made to get
some of the hogsheads out. This at
tempt was futile as the rapidity with
which the flames gained ON the build
ing drove the workers back.
Famed by brisk wind that was
blowing from the East and before the
firemen could begin active work on the
Hutchcraft building, the flames spread
to the lumber yard Of Butler, Clarke
& Miller and were leaping in their mad
fury across Fifth street to the cOlOred
Methodist church.
A few minutes later the warehouse
of Mr.. j. H. Stewart occupied by the
Burley Tobacco Society, the l.. & N.
depot, water tank, and the Miller
warehouse were enveloped in one hide
GUS sheet Of flames. By this time it
was realized that facilities were to-
tally inadequate to cope with such a
confiagration. The Paris Fire Depart
ment was notified of the imminent dan
ger and was on the scene within an
hour, rendering valuable service.
The telegraph office was soon out of
business and both of the telephones
were kept busy answering and receiv-
ing calls from interested people in the
surrounding towns.
The fire took everything in its path
between Miller street and the railroad
from Fourth to Seventh. The stiff
breeze which was blowing, slightly
shifted and the Northern part of the
city was saved. When the alarm was
given that the barn of Mr.. j. G. Allen
was on fire which stands at the North
ern extremity of the city, people were
almost panic stricken, and many
thought that all the intervening prop
erty was burning.
Owing to the area that the fire was
covering it was hard to keep men
enough at the various danger points.
1t was not until the main part OF the
force had been concentrated at the
electric light plant aid the roofs of
the small buildings beyond kept cover
ed with salt and saturated with water
the flames were finally checked in
their onward flight about IL o'clock.
When the smoke had partially clear
ed away and people could collect them
selves it was realized that three cut
of the four large tobacco houses had
been destroyed. containing Sill hogs
heads of the Burley pool of 1909. The
Hutchcraft house contained the 1910
crop of Mr.. W. S. Judy, the Miller
house the crops of Peed and McClin-
took, Ashby Leer and u. S. G. Pep
per. Some of the books and tickets
were taken from the L. & N. depot
but a lot Of freight and express went
up with the building.
The colored Methodist church,
Green's Hall and ten small residences
occupied mostly by colored people with
their contents were total losses. Mr..
j. G. Fightmaster, who had just Cum
pleted his residence, was perhaps one
of the heaviest individual losers. He
carried no insurance and was going in
to it the next day. The loss of But
Ter, Clarke & Miller in coal. salt and
lumber will not exceed 81 ZOO. No in
surance.
The Stewart and the Miller ware
houses had been rented to Mr.. j. C.
Leer, who expected to begin receiving
tobacco for the Louisville Tobacco
Company. about November Is. Mr..
Leer is making an effort to secure all
the available property that will tide
him over temporarily until some of
the buildings can be replaced. AL
larger part of the property burned |
was without insurance and very little !
of it fully covered. Mrs. frankie Col
Inns sustained partial loss and had it |
not been that her building was brick
with metal roof would have thrown
the fire on to Vimont street and there
is no calculating as to where it would
have ended. This house was occupied
by Mrs, Maggie Mitchell as a boarding !
house.
After the fire was under control the
streams from the engines were turned
on the burning tobacco. 1t was
thought by so doing that large part
Of it might be saved. The Paris en-
CINE gave up the. work at five O'Clock
in the afternoon and was brought
home. The Millersburg engine work.
ed on ali night. Mr.W. S. Judy, man.
ager the Burley Tobacco Society was
on the scene until after three O'Clock
in the morning. 1t is still believed
that small part of the tobacco is |
still merchantable. President LeBus
of the Burley Tobacco Society and
number of the directors were on the
scene Tuesday and Wednesday.
Most of the colored families were