Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1914-07-02
Flames of Unknown Origin
Destroy Storerooms, Yards
and Offices.
ESTIMATES PLACE
LOSS AT $685. 900
tbdut 300 Bales oi totton, Horse and
Mule Burn Loss Said 10 BE Full,
Covered by Insurance aud MODERN
Structures to BE Built.

Little Rock, July l. Flames Of un~
known origin this morning DESTROYED
the warehouse, sample rooms, Offices
and yards OF the Lesser Goldman Cot
ton company n Second and tumbcr-
land streets, causing loss estimated
at $25, 900, fully covered by insurance.
The blaze was discovered about 9.l5
O'Clock by negro. who waS working
in the cotton yard Within H. minutes
II had spread to the cotton sanpling
and storage buildings and the stables.
approximately 700 bales Of cotton
were burned or damaged
The yard was filled with loose cot
ton and in addition many bales were
stored in building formerly occupied
by the Arkansas Fertilizer company
at the south end of the yard. The
first indication of fire was seen by the
negro who says he saw dense columns
of smoke issuing from tho loose cot
ton in the east end of the yard.
Though an alarm was turned in i'm
mediately. the fire swept across the
heaps of cotton with such rapidity
that before the fire apparatus arrived
the entire yard VAS mass of flames.
and the fire was eating its way
through into the storerooms and Office
building.
When the smoke was the thickrst,
small black mare, which had been
hitched TO "A buggy and tied in the
stables, came snorting and plunging
from the yard. More intelligent or
Co ut, |,
animals, a saddle horse and mule,
she escaped from the flames. The
other two animals were burned to
death.
For several minutes it seemed that
the flames would get beyond control of
the firemen. The rapid work and ten
acity with which the firemen stayed by
their hose, despite suffocating smoke
from the cotton and the fierce heat
coming from the inflammable cotton,
conquered, however. Fer an hour the
firemen working in the cotton yard
stuck to their positions and poured
thousands of gallons OF water into the
warehouse on the west and the offices,
sampling rooms and stables on the
north and west. Only part Of the
walls of the samping rooms and sta
bles remain. while the office rooms
were damaged by smoke and water
only. The cotton I'm the warehouse
was burned considerably, but the
heaviest loss was from water. The
tightly packed bales withstood the at
tack OF the flames.
In the stable, in addition to the two
III
wagon were burned Stable access
SORES and harness also went to feed
the flames.
Volunteers rescued the books and
records OF the company, throwing
them from windows when II seemed
inevitable that the office structure
would burn.
Ad Hamburg, manager OF the COM
pany, stating that he was unable to
ascertain the origin OF the fire.
"'rhe loss on the cotton will be ap-
proximately $4,000" said Mr.. Ham
burg. There were about 200 bales in
the warehouse and in the yards. The
cotton was fully covered by insur-
ance. as were the buildings"
The loss on the buildings and equip
ment will aggregate about $4,000.
The officers of the Lesser Goldman
Cotton company are: J. d. Goldman.
president; Harry Lesser, vice presi-
dent; J. ID. Goldman, treasurer, and
Milton Holman, secretary. Mr.. Ham
burg is manager and Fl. NJ. Bennett,
assistant manager.
The flames in the stables and ware
h t,k M
moving vans were hauling the COM
pany's office fixtures, books and pa
pers to the Skillern building. Second
and Scott streets. where a temporary
office was opened.
According to an announcement by
Mr.. Hamburg, the old building will
be torn down and replaced by modern
structures. The work will be begun
Immediately
The more valuable records and