The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-04-03
Nine Hundred Tons of Ba|ed Hay to Up In Smoke
 On NOrthSide
COY. COMER IS PART
 OWNER 0F THE COMP ANY
Fire Was Very Spectacular md Drew Large Crowds to Scene-Firemen Have Trouble on Account of
 Rnpidity of Spread


 night completely destroyed the ware house of the Western Grain company, situated at Twenty-third street and Ninth avenue, at an estimated loss of $50 900. It is stated that the building and contents were fully insured. The building was filled for the most part with baled hay and from the very first the fire was beyond the control of the firemen.
 The Western Grain company is com posed of E. Wilkinson, who lives at Idlewild and is president and manager and Coz B. B. Conner, who has been a parti with MT. Wilkinson in the grain and milling business for many years.
 Five minutes after the alarm rang in the fire department had four streams of water playing on the fire but was unable to save the building because the instant they changed their stream from one place to another the fire broke out right behind them. The heart of the fire seemed to be in the very cen | the flames leaped 100 feet into the air. The fire was all over the place. however, and the fremen had to fight it from the outside, while standing on the ground. This made it impossible to get at the real seat of the flames.
 Cause of the Fire
 The supposition is that the fire start | the Frisco tracks. A switch engine, it is claimed. was backing in the neigh borhood of the building just before the fire started It Is evident that the fire did not start from the of | flee of the warehouse, as this was at the end of the building and one of the last places to catch. The fire was fire department has had for some time and in this respect was similar to the burning of the Wood Norris lumber plant last Tuesday night. When the flames had once got a start in that solid mass of hay any amount of wa ter apparently could not put them out The fire would cease burning as soon as line of water was thrown on it and a s soon as the line was directed to another part of the building it started again as f1ercely as ever President Wilkinson TnIks | Edward Wilkinson, president and man. | ager of the company, said last night: | Tt is impossible for me to make an es- | timate of the loss until an examination of the accounts and books of the com pany is made The building was almost full of hay, cotton seed and all kinds | of grain and feed I have been paying demurrage to the railroad company for the last few days because we had no room to unload cars into the warehouse. I think 1t is fully insured but cannot tell the amounts, nor in what companies until I have access to our books. We have insurance on all our property and it would be impossible for me to say how much was on this certain building and contents now'
 Many hundreds of people gathered | about the place to watch the fire. It was spectacular blaze, the flames leaped very high into the air and the burning hay made thousands of sparks that shot out into the night like miniature skyrockets. It was feared that these sparks would set fire to buildings in the immediate neighborhood but such was not the case. They went very high into the air and as there was but little wind they were not carried a great dis tancc.
 The building itself was not of much value as compared with the contents The building was made of rough siding lum- Der and had an iron roof By far the greater loss was the contents. as it Is estimated that there were 900 tons of baled hay in the storage house. without mentioning the grain and feed of all kinds. There was an office in the build ing but it was claimed that there were no valuable books kept there and none were lost The building was used entire ly as a warehouse and there was no ma chinery or equipment lost to speak of The fremen finally succeeded in get ting control of the flames but not until the building had been practically de- stroyed and its contents ruined by the fire and water The estimate of the loss was a mere guess. as 1t is impossible to nation of the books is made. It is re- garded safe to say, however, that it will be in the neighborhood of the estimate made.