The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1910-01-05
BRIGHT PROSPECTS BLIGHTtD
Entire Plant Of the Crystal Ice, Cold
Storage and Canning Company
Burned
FIERCE FIGHT AGAINST FLAMES
By Heroic Members of the Fire De-
partment All that Saved that
Section Of the City

The most disastrous fire in twenty
five years visited Ocala last night
when the entire plant of the Crystal
Ice. Cold Storage & Canning company
was totally destroyed.
The fire broke out about ): A. o'clock
and in very few minutes, in fact
before the alarm was sounded the
firemen had left the station. il was
too late to save the property so ra pid-
" did the flames spread in the wood
en- building.
The loss of the plant can hardly be
estimated in dollars and cents to this
section of the state. as there was
about to be opened a new industry
which gave promise of a new era in
Prosperity among the people of the
rural districts as we'll as Ocala. In
actual loss at the plant. Mr.. Amos w.
BraZelton the sole owner of the prop
erty valued his investment at 5000.
and there is nothing left but the lot.
two or three small cottages. the sta
bles and a lot OF iron junk. on which
a few hundred dollars may be realized.
The insurance was $4,000. on the
three-fOurths value clause. however.
as the canning factory was not yet in
operation or the machinery installed.
so there will only be about $4,000 net
loss about $4,000
Never were prospects brighter or
the outlook for big and valuable in
dustry better than for this business.
1t had been wirely advertised and
most favorably commented on all over
the state by the papers. and great
things were expected of it.
The Ocala Fire Department. paid.
volunteer and citizens did a grand
piece of work last night. There was
no chance from the first to save the
burning plant but if the fire had
spread to the adjoining buildings. the
manufacturing part of the city. with
the big Jake Brown wholesale grocery
business might have been wiped out.
To appreciate the good work done.
one had to be on the scene and see
the seething furnace and the scorched
buildings around it. The big Masters
warehouse is just across the railroad
south of the burned building. and the
Meffert & Taylor storage warehouse,
filled with crate material is just
across the track east. Both of these
were in imminent danger of burning.
and the Masters warehouse was so
badly burned on the north side that
the platform. half the side of the roof,
though of iron. will have to be rebuilt.
1t looked like for long time that
nothing could save this building Hal
| it burned the fire fighting apparatus
would have been entirely Inadequate
| to have saved the Meffert & Taylor
plant. and everything along the track
| towards town.
Meffert 4, Taylor. most fortunately.
| had splendid fire fighting plant Of
| their own They had several openings
| and a lot of two inch hose and some
| hand extinguishers. Their factory
| building was all scOrched and would
| have broke out in flames but for the
| constant streams of water from the
| small hose. one of the lines of hose
| was kept playing on the end of the
/ storage warehouse. which was nearer
| the burning structure. and in this way
| kept the building from igniting. A fire
plug with however. only a four h
| main. was recently placed between the
railroad and the Meffert & Taylor fac
tory A line of city hose was attach
| ed to this and the firemen We're ena
| bled to do valiant work. But for this
| hvdrant the fire could not have been
! controlled.
| The fire drew half of the people OF
the city to the scene and much good
! work was done by citizens not mem
| bers of either the paid or volunteer
! departments. Old fire fighters like
| +. G.. 3 Weihe. r. f. Yonge. a. G.
| Gates and others of the old-time de-
| partment worked like Trojans. 1t was
astonishing how the boys could work
| so close to the fire when spectators
| 100 feet away had to shield their faces
| to bear the heat of the flames. Shields
| were rugged up for the firemen to
| work behind. One man would hold
| the shield in place and two men hold
the hose. Big doors and shutters Were
| brought for this purpose and one lady
living close by sent heavy quilt
| which was saturated with water and
F.! within its folds little Frank Bishop 81
| the volunteer department fought the
| flames until he was completely eX-
! hauSted and had to be carried away
| The boys stood to their work behind
| the imprOvised shields until the WOOD
| was so badly burned in several in
! stances that new doors had to be OBJ
| tanned.
| The company had large quantity
| of meat in cold storage belonging L
the farmers of this section. Most oi
this will be lost though a lot Of it war
removed this morning and there vii
probably be some salvage. Among
heavier losers We're Mr =. r