The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1911-12-08

The alarm was turned-in and the Pa
Iatka Fire department responded
promptly, but in the meantime the COM
pany's hose had been attached to the
mill yard hydrantS and employees were
shooting streams of water from all direc-
tionS into the now roaring mass of flames.
There was now no hope of saving the
mill and the real fight was to save ad-
joining property OF the company in
close proximity. The Shingle mill close
ly Joined to the saw mill had caught and
was burning licrccly, but some IS feet
away stood the planning mill. On the
other side of the saw mill stood the ma
chine shops. Beyond the planning mill
were immense piles of drying lumber,
and out and over the water on piers
there was several acres of lumber in
piles, approximately totalling more than
16, 600, 900 feet, and at conservative es'
innate, valued at 1920, 900.
The city firemen worked like trojans
and the mill hands, though not so well
drilled, were not far behind the fire boys
in the effectiveness of their work. Sc
fierce were the flames and so great the
heat that the fire fighters underwent tor
ture and were in constant danger. Blu
they stood TO their posts and fought the
flames advance and--well, in time they
were rewarded. They had saved the
planning mill, the office, the barns, the
machine shops and the great piles o.
lumber. They had even saved some o.
the great platforms that lie TO the ives
end of the saw mill and attached thereto
Across River street and TO the west o
the Wilson mills stands the great factory
of the Seldom Cypress Door Co. This
was not even scorched as the wine
blew the heat and flame and flying Gin
ders in an opposite direction. Had thi
great institution with its piles of lumbei
and stores of finished product also beer
DESTROYED Palatka would indeed be il
the dumps today, for this Institution
like the Wilson mills employs man!
hands.
The Wilson Cypress Co. has in it
employ something of 400 men, these o
course including its logging camp a
Hunter and one smaller camp on I'M
Oklawaha. The mills, themselves, EN-
ployed about 200. These with the pos
sibie exception of certain heads OF de
partments will be laid off indefinitely.
AT the time of the fire Mr.. F. II. vii
son. who has been with his mother
Aiken, S. c., was just leaving that plac'
for home, therefore telegrams sent Il
Aiken failed to reach him and the firs
he learned of the fire was on his arTiva
here about midnight following
A. E. Wilson, his father, ana genera
manager of the business, was in New
York, but arrived here Wednesda
night
MIR. F. H. Wilson informs the New
I that the directors of the company hay
ali been notified of the fire and vii
probably reach here in time for direc
or's meeting next Saturday. He est
mates that the loss TO the company
= about 500, 900 on which there is Sol
:. 600 insurance. The mill was built {
( 1898 TO replace smaller mill, and il
{ capacity was about so, 600 feet of lumbe
: per day. OF course this is total los
the electric lighting plant with its gre'
. DYNAMO, the engine and boiler room
|. the machinery in the saw and shingl
mills being mass OF junk.
"Nothing definite as TO the future ca
e be said at this time, stated MIR. +. 1
!. Wilson TO the News on Wednesda.
s'and of course cannot be said until aft.
: the meeting OF the directors, probabl
!. next Saturday. Il is probable, howeve
that the mills will be rebuilt as We haV