The citizen., 1914-03-27
MT. AIRY FIRE SWEPT.
Ten Buildings Destroyed - Loss
800, ,OOO-Business District
Almost Wiped Out

was destroyed on Wednesday afternoon
March 2sth, by a fire which started in tn,
Farmers Grain and Milling Company
and within half an hour was eating III
an entire block of buildings.
The flames spread with incredible ra
pidity, and Mount Airy citizens were
forced to stand helplessly and watch the
devastation. There was absolutely nc
available water with which to quench the
flames. One man. when the first puff
of flame was discovered, grabbed a
bucket of water and threw it desperately
at the fire. When that was gone, all was
| gone.
From the Farmers Grain and Milling
| Company, the flames jumped to the
lumber and coal yard of E. NJ. Moles-
worth. and in lew minutes had leveled
that building to the ground, Mr.. Moles-
worth's business. with all OF its stocks
and fixtures, had Just been purchased
by the peoples Lumber and Supply
Company The loss of the concern, in
actual computed figures. amounts to
ST4, 6S9.
The only dwelling mouse that fell
prey to the flames was that occupied by
w. w. Baker, his wife and six children,
and which was owned by the Peoples
Lumber and Supply Company. Nothing
was left standing of that but the. stone
foundation and the chimney. The Baker
family saved nothing but few blankets,
some articles of clothing and "a couple
of clocks
Runkles' and Wagners' ice plant was
completely destroyed by the fire
MIR. Runkles places the loss at SIS, 900.
About 500 tons of ice were stored in the
building.
Watkins and Banks grocery and
general merchandise store was COM
pletely destroyed. and the loss is placed
by the proprietors at about SIS, 900.
r. L. Runkles' hardware store and
the warehouse adjoining it were burned
to the ground. The loss is estimated at
$4,000.
The First National Bank, two-story
brick structure, was completely gutted,
and nothing was left standing but the
cement vault and the outside walls. All
deposits, securities and office parapher-
MALTA were removed before the fire
reached the bank
Skeggs grocery store was burned to
the ground. The loss was about So, 900.
a quarter of mile away from the
Ice plant, which was farthest from the
origin of the fire, a cluster of barns, a
garage, hen houses and pigeon houses,
belonging to Arnold Fleming, caught
fire from the flying sparks, and converted
them ipto heaps of ashes. Mr.. Fleming's
house, although it was within fifty feet
of the destroyed out buildings. and al
though it caught fire several times, was
unhurt. A number Of horses and an au.
tomobie in the garage, were removed be-
fore the buildings were destroyed.
Mount Airy people are thankful that
the wind was blowing strongly from the
east. If it had shifted, at least one-half
of the town would have been wiped out
Business houses and stores directly
across the street. were charred by the
flames, and windows were smashed, but
the flames for the most part were blown
towards the east.
In the deep hollow, besides the rail.
road track where before there was a
cluster of almost all new buildings, is
now a mass Of smouldering piles OF
charred lumber and blazing coal. The
coal will probably burn for days before
IT is all consumed.
If Mount Airy had had an available
water supply the whole catastrophe
would have been averted. Not one drop
of water could be secured until the tank
cars Of the Baltimore and Ohio Rail
road brought it from a watering station
at Mount Airy Junction, over a quarter
OF mile away. Into these cars the
end of the hose was thrust and the
Independent engine on a platform car
alongside pumped the water onto the
fire. When the car was emptied, it re-
turned to the watering station to be re-
filled, and in the mean time the flames
gained new headway. Thus all of the
work of the firemen was undone almost
as soon as it was finished.
Robert Runkles, the postmaster of
Mount Airy, discovered the fire as he
passed the Farmers Grain and Milling
Company shortly before IL O'Clock ON
Wednesday. He saw puff of flame
shoot from the roof of the building, and
Immediately shouted "Fire!"
A hurry call was at once sent to Fred
erick, and the Independent and United
fire companies responded without. delay.
The United automobile engine started
on the eighteen mile trip, under its own
power, and arrived on the scene twenty
minutes before the Independent Com
pany's engine, which had to be loaded
on truck and then go to the fire over
the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
Both fire companies were TO late to do
anything but keep the flames from
spreading. Gangs of fremen dragged
the hose from one part OF the devastated
section to another, flooding everything
within reach with water 1t was inn
possible for them to get to the center of
the block, for the hollow was blocked
up on all sides with great masses of hot
tin and piles of cracking coal.
On the hills back of the town were
groups of women and children and piles
of bed clothing, beds, chairs. bureaus,
clocks and household furniture. which
had been taken from the nearby homes
and trundled up to the hill in wheel
barrows. Not a dwelling in town ex-
cept that occupied by Mr. w. W. Baker
was tonched by the fire.
Mr. Bakers house caught fire in the