The Goldfield news. [volume] (Goldfield, Nev.) 1904-1911, 1910-04-09
CONSOLIDATED MILL SUFFERS FIRE
LOSS OF APPROXIMATELY 100000
Explosion of Oil in Refinery Put Entire Big Plant in Danger Of
Desuction-M Will be Tied up For About 90 Days. Pend
ing Repairs--A Summary of Damages and Plans OF the
Big Company--Penty of Money in Treasury

| Fire which started in the refinery plant of the
mill of the Consolidated Mines company about
IL clock Friday night damaged the mill by actual
fire loss to the extent of $4,000 to $250000, and
necesstates the closure of the mill for period Of
Approximately 60 days. The refinery and equip
ment the belt conveyor from the railway ore bins
through the sampler and to the stamp feed bins,
the storehouses and contents, the sampling depart
ment and equipment, the change room and cloth
ing of the men working on that shaft in the MILL
and number of outbuildings went up. The south
east corner of the big mill, against which the re-
fnery was built and into which the belt ore con-
veyor entered, is today mass of burned and twist
ed steel and iron and the heavy ore crushers, too
heavy for the strength of their whtehot steel truss
supports, are laying the ground in wreckage
of steel beams carried down by the great weight
There no insurance upon the mill.
The fire was caused by an explosion OF the dis
tillate that is used in the refinery furnaces, and
although there several stories as to the manner
in which the fire started, the one which seems to
be most generally accepted by the Consolidated Off
cals is that there explosion in one OF the
big burners or its feed pipe, that destroyed the oil
control and allowed the entire iow under pressure,
from half inch feed pipe, to go into the flames.
These were forced by an air pressure through a
separate pipe, of 40 pounds to the square inch, and
the result that in an instant after the explo-
sion the entire refinery filed with sheet OF
(which it came in contact.
By the time the alarm could be sounded the in
terror of the refinery a mass OF flame The
might shift at the mill, and the officials and EN-
poyes who reside in the neghborng cottages,
promptly started work with the mill fire hose.
There was million gallons of water under high
pressure in storage but it could not be utilized.
In few minutes Chief Schatfnit of the town, de-
partment and number Of volunteers, were on the
scene, and taking charge of the fight 1t was seen
that there was no hope for the refinery. In the
meantime the fire had entered the big belt eonveyor
that takes ore from the bins to the stamp feed
bins and the long chute, acting chimney, was
sucking the swirl of fire into the mill proper. Where
the conveyor entered the southeast corner OF the
mill above the stamps, was where the lirst stand
was taken The fire came in here, spread to the
battery floor below, and the oisaturated wood
work began to burn like tinder. Barrels sitting III
leach section, where waste cotton and oily refuse
were thrown caught fire, and were carried out
lby the workers, at imminent bodily risk. In
the meantime all the hand grenades and small ex-
ltingushers al the mill were in use here and on
the upper tier of tables, and couple OF automo-
ibiles from town out laden with like small fire
lighting apparatus. By the use of these, and the