The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-02
FIRE DESTROYS
 WESTERN GRAIN COMP ANY PLANT Twice in Eight Months Has
 Calamity Befallen
 the Firm PRESIDENT WILKINSON
 COULDN'T STATE LOSS Fire Wns of Unknown Origin and only the Gallant Work of the Bremen Saved BIock-Piant Grain Filled

For the second time in the past eight months the plant of the Western Grain
 company, at Ninth avenue and Twenty
 second street, north, was totally de
 stroyed by fire, which broke out at 1O:15
 o'clock last night and which caused 3
 damage estimated at near $5o,00O, which
 is covered by insurance
 The building was filled with baled hay,
 grain and feedstuffs and was burning nercely when the fire department arrived on the scene. In spite of the desperate
 efforts of five crews. personally directed
 by Chief Bennett, the fire destroyed the
 building and it was only by magnificent
 work that the flames were prevented from spreading.
 The Western Grain company is headed
 by Edward Wilkinson, as president and
 manager Coy. B. B. Conner is a heavy
 stockholder in the company | The alarm was received at the central
 station at 10:15 o'clock and in four min | utes five streams were playing on the l blaze and In 10 minutes more the com
 bined crews of five stations were fighting
 desperately to check the ravages of the | flames. As in the former fire, the blaze | seemed to burn from the center outward | and 1t was impossible to check 1t. In | an incredibly short time after the blaze
 was discovered the entire building was spouting smoke and flames which defied the efforts of the firemen. The high wind | and internal pressure dashed the fire in
 the faces of the firemen and prevented l l Origin of the Fire | While it was impossible to ascertain
 accurately what caused the fire, on ac- count of the start which 1t had gained | before discovery, it is thought that 1 spark from a passing switch engine set | the building on fire. Once started there
 was no stopping 1t until the entire place | had been gutted. As in the previous fire
 the spark caught from the center of the
 building and at all times the hottest part
 of the flame was In the center of the | building.
 The fire was the most difficult to handle since the former fire which destroyed
 the Western Grain company, in April of | last year. Owing to the rain the men
 were forced to fight in mud ankle deep l and in water knee deep. | The heavy rainfall of last night and yesterday was probably the only thing | that kept the fire from doing greater | damage than 1t did. On the south side of | the building a row of houses stood and
 the men were forced to watch them to | keep them from burning. The Frisco | freight house was in danger of burning | and the houses on the west side of the | building also grew very hot. That all the
 buildings were soaked by the rain is
 considered very fortunate. President Wilkinson Talks
 Edward Wilkinson, president and man ager of the Western Grain company, l was told of the fire and hurried from
 his home at Idlewild to the scene. MT. | Wilkinson made the following statement last night:
 'I am unable to say exactly what stock | we carried or what the damage will be. | We were very heavily stocked with grain and hay and the building was filled with | other feedstuffs. While I know that we
 carried insurance on the building and | contents I am unable to say how much. | The books and papers are all in the
 safe in the building and it will be neces- | sary for me to go over them before | can obtain anyA accurate knowledge of 1 what the loss is"
 The blaze was spectacular in the ex- treme and in spite of the rain that was | falling several hundred people assembled | to see the fire. The blaze lowered a | hundred feet in the air and shot sparks | in all directions. As the wind was high | the sparks were carried for some dis | tance and had 1t not been for the damp | ness of the roofs several other fires would | probably have resulted from the original | blaze.
 The building occupied by the Western | CIT -ampany is the old cotton mill | by lS- of Governor Conner and is not l ~ .,felered of very great value. The roof
 was galvanized iron and the sides also
 of iron. The heaviest damage was
 caused by the loss of the contents of the building.
 No accurate estimate of the damage | could be obtained last night, but it is thought the loss will not fall far snort
 of $50.00o.
 | Origin in Doubt | While it is possible that the fire was | caused from a spark from the stack Of a | locomotive, 1t is possible that the fire was | of incendiary origin and the possibility
 will be looked into by Chief Bennett thls | morning.
 l If is pointed out that fires from sparks l do not usually start on such rainy night as was last night Another sus- | picious circumstance Is the fact that the fire statred from the center of the build l ing.