The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-01-18
Big Plant of Binswanger and
Company Furnishes
Spectacular Blaze
FROZEN PLUGS AND
ICE HINDER FlREMEN
Loss Is Given At $4,000 on
Building, $3.50, 900 on
Stock--Rebuild
At Once

With the staccato exhaust Of th4
steamers rising above the roar of the
flames and ice encrusted firemen pour
ing Thousands OF gallons OF water from
high pressure nozzles into the gaping
nav OF veritable furnace, ten thous-
and spectators lined Sixth. Byrd and
Third streets, for hours last night and
one of the most spectacu-
lar fires Richmond has seen In q
long time. the total destruction OF
the Binswanger & Company plant at
Sixth and Byrd streets. entailing =
loss Of nearly 100000. notwithstand-
ing the valiant work of the firemen
who. although they realized from the
frst. that It was a losing fight. kept
up the struggle while the lettering
walls crashed to the ground. scat-
tering bricks In every direction.
With every available piece OF app
paratuA except the reserve, on tho
scene and Chief Joynes and Assistant
Chiefs Ratio and Wise directing tho
movements Of scores Of fire fighters
the Richmond fire department was
taxed to It's utmost. but the $4,000
worth of stock, mostly doors. sashes
and bttndA, Furnished excailant food
for the IRE demon and the firemen
could do nothing more than to pnuSs
water into the blaze until the flames
had had their MI, and the once stE
story brick building was q n,ase -
ruins.
Three Alarms Go In.
. The plant. which b used - . neofA
house for plata and window gfar4
mifrorA sashes. doolev and otindss
With work roosn on 30 fourth noor
for s.lysrins miFrofs q cic:sa dcwn
sssss ~ - Sssrss q " - aa.nS1fv H. &
ilS,I sfse SaSSs = q Ssl' ~ 4 Z
steam heated, th4 St1lth b9l1o fo1~
nfDhsd by tn AllaG3l any box -
tory across ~ stress snd y slects1o
lighfed and - theret ~ no faxnAce
and boiler In the structure 8attan
knew the smoke was alien. and rum
ming to the corner sent IN an alarm
from Box No. AIT. Engine Companiee
Nos. 8, I. and Q and Truck Mo-
responded.
Az soon as they arrived and Chief
Wise saw the extent of the blaze he
turned In a second alarm, calling eae
Engine Companies Nos. 2. s and
and Truck No q Thirteen minutes
sitter the first alarm was-tHrned IN
Z third alarm was sent In. from Box
No. AIT with Engine Companies Nos.
and 10. Chief Joynes was early
on the scene and he saw It was 1osn9
to be a stiff fight, turned In the three
skies, or general alarm. calling On
every available piece OF Apper1t11@~
except the reserve.
Find Plugs Frozen.
When the frst steamer coinpaH1e9
arrived the flreHep found the water
plugs frozen. While men were thAw-
ing out the plugs tiremen took their
axes and chopped hole In the canai,
1t was found. however. that the 60
Mt that point was 20 thick that tn
volume OF water under Il did not xur-
nish suction enough for the engines
and other holes were chopped IN tno
ice farther down stream.
In q short space OF time SIX hlgn
pressure streams were turned on the
burning building, and as soon AZ tbs
frozen plugs were thawed tho rest
Of the steamers were pumping water
through the hose noxzies. Tho two
trucks with swivel ladders were place
ed one on the Sixth street side ana
the other On. the Chesapeake ana
Ohfo railroad tracks, with nozslesa On !
the top rungs Of the ladders. These
sent water through the top floor win-
dows and flooded the building Inc
spray from the streams froxe a. soon
az 1t touched anything. and the nre-
men were covered with coatin8D q
ice. while the electric wires and poles
In the vicinity OF the blase were
masses Of glitteriIfN ice. notwtths
standing the intense heat OF eae
flames.
m Walls He9in EnllinG.
L Shortly Aftef., o o'clock the. north q
wall Of the building along the canal
fell with terrific crash. scattsrine
bricks in every direction. many
plunging through the ice into the O.
nal About 10 o'clock the south VAN
of the fiatiron shaped building
The Sixth street wall began to bulge
and orders vera MaUHd TO mn -
men TO get the water tower txucR y
back out of the way. a. Il looked -
II the wall might fall ut any min..
ute. willing hands Htdsd and tn
truck was pushed down the strea&
out Of the way OF falling bricks
During the heighth Of the conllan
grafton Iadderman Edward Hail. a
No. truck. had his hand smAsA9G
by a ladder. but refused tQ ahandoa
his position. and after the intuSez
member had been dressed Continues
1t his post. ss
A the foor. Of the burning stru0
ture gave way one after the Gel
the crash OF their contents. In scu4S
casas naAchinary, could b. heard $3.50
blocks. The bla1e lighted up 0
sky for miles and threw hEilaM
glare ovar the nre hghters and 1po&
tatorp arOund tho building, Hee4sgj
the flames had reached their hstGA
the dromen reeRrfed TO thelr Aoae
leae neAschnghtq. but these wee9 s
ahanAoaAd, % thu naMaa
throhaA III r0o8 and wtndowss ~
49,