The Wenatchee daily world. [volume] (Wenatchee, Wash.) 1905-1971, 1910-07-07
W0RTHEN MILL WENT UP
IN FLAMES LAST NIGHT
Loss Will Approximate $4,000 Partially Covered by In
surance-Fire Made Spectacular Scene and Wenat
chez Canning Company Had Very Narrow Escape
Fire Team and Driver in the Danger Zone.


were congratulating themselves that
they had gotten over another Fourth
without fire, the squeek and squawl
of the locomotive and the black
smoke rising into the air told them
that they had another one to contend
with-how large a one no one was
able to say until fully half an hour
later.
1t was H. S. Worthen's mill. At
5:45 the whistle blew. 1t was five
minutes before the fire department
could reach the scene. But it would
have been too late if they had been
there one minute after the firt start
ed. The lumber and shavings, and
the boards and boxes, were as dry as
finder and five minutes after the
alarm was sounded the mill was prac-
tically destroyed.
d. J. Griffin, switchman working
for the Great Northern, who with
Chas. Ewanson, engineer, first saw
the fire, said: when we first saw
the fire it was shooting through the
roof at the north end. 1t seemed but
a minute till the whole thing was in
flames. / never saw anything burn
faster
Cannery in Danger.
AS the great flames swept south
ward in veritable whirlwind of
fury, it looked for awhile as though
the cannery would be destroyed.
With the fire department close at
hand, however, this danger was
averted.
But the great danger was to
the oil tanks. Beside the oil house
a box car was standing which was
loaded wits gasoline. Its sides were
smoking with the intense heat, and
it was feared for a few minutes that
the whole thing might explode.
The Ubiquitous Small Boy.
Gus and inevitable small boy was ION
the danger line" And when those
who were on the engine feared that,
as they pulled the car of gasoline
out of the heat, slight jar might
cause an explosion, several specimens
of the genus kid" were hanging to
the cool side of the car.
Fire Team i'm Danger.
The intense heat of the big fire
came near destroying the Wenatchee
fire team. When first driven be
tween the fire and the oil tanks the
heat was such that the horses be-
came almost unmanageable. The
side of one horse was scorched and
his nose blistered. Sam Campbell,
the fire driver, had the side of his
=
came near being overcome by the
heat.
Loss Is Heavy.
The loss will approximate $4,000.
Everything in the mill was burned.
About 10000 boxes were stacked in
the north end of the mill ready for
use and they were all sold.
Mr.. Worthen was quite overcome
by the loss last night and does not
vet know the exact extent OF his loss.
The place was insured but insurance
companies never insure any where
near the value of the property in the
case of saw mills.
The destruction of the mill will be
somewhat of misfortune to Wenat-
chez, as the institution was saving
MANY boxes and employing a goodly
number of men.
Mr.. Worthen had stayed with the
mill night and day during July 3rd,
4th and 9Th, to be sure that no fires
would be started He left last night
when the mill closed down at
o'clock and he had just reached home
a few minutes before when he saw
the smoke.
Tho mill was q new one and had
been running but short time. Mr..
Worthen came here last year from
Seattle and was doing a fine bust
ness.
Nearly Lost Fire Horse.
Few people realized how narrow
an escape one of the fire horses had
from being burned to death last
night at the fire at the Worthen
mill. The horse is now in bad shape.
He was scorched all along one side,
His right eye is nearly swollen shut
and the side of his nose looks like
the snout of rhinoceros. The
burns on his neck, side and legs will
cause the flesh to drop.
Was Terrific Heat.
The heat from the flaming mill
was terrific, Notwithstanding the
fact that the horses were from so
to rs yards from the blazing build
ing. The awful heat was so great
that it was with difficulty that the
driver, assisted by others, succeed
ed in getting the team away from
the heat.
Rio Fire Sale