The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1914-06-26
Two Plants, North Eighteenth
Street. Destroyed and Adj
joining Buildings Damaged
Big Crowd Views
Spectacular Blaze
Mayo Barrel Manufacturing
Company and Crystal Bot
ting Works Suffer Heavy
Losses-Chief Joynes' Mar
row Escape

With the electric current turned of
for blocks and heavy clouds hang q
overhead, the FIRE department taHeht
IN darkness lit ~ by unusual flashes
Of severe lightning, one uf the most
dtsagfeeante fires which mas broken
cut in this caty for some trnc, when
the Mayo Barrel Aanufactur e9n-
pany plant and the plant q the
trystaI BnttHug works on North
Eighteenth street, were consumed Ia 81
ught and other adjoining buildings
damaged. eniaillns IRE lass of some
thing over $4,000.
Several people on an 0akwood and
Broad car which was blocked up GA
East Broad on account ~ The mann
Inc of hose stretched across the street
were seriously frightened when bolt
II tightening struck he trolley Of the
car with a violence and bounced off
iufo thp street The noise WIS heard
for biocwkS The bolt was seen 70
deceud from the heavens By those
standing In the front door Of tine ttrst
police station Straight downward II
came ami many people shut their
eyes. thinking that no one on the car
would survive The st8eke which e*erN-
orc thought weuld crash through the
roof \ team standing on Seventeenth
street. anIy 3 half block from the
u
and ran away People standing on
the corner Of Seventeenth and TREAD
streets watching the blaze IN pour
ing down rain had tn dash cit Fl the
way Of the flying animals
caused by Lightning.
Lightning was said To have caused
the fire MYERS Lew who lives two
doors away from she burned build
ings, stated that he heard severe
stroke Of lightning and q second later
tfa.. entire block seemed Ia a slaaa
The alarm was turned in At S.a2
O clock. and this seemed Ia he the
signal for the heavens TO break loose
Rain poured in torrents An ocea-
sional flash Of lightning lit up the
burning section If the CITY Crowds
some ~ them without raincoats or
any protection, whatever, from &he
downpour. watched the fire. From
above the fire, crowds gathered on
the Marshall street sviaauct Of the
Richmond and Henrlco railway and
watched the blaze. AS a stroke OF
lightning lit up the section surround
ing the burning district, the people
on the vladuct would gaze down upon
the struggling masses below fghung
behind the fire lines esfa oashed by
the police. with clothes wringlng Wet
trying 10 gain an advantageous point
from which they could see the blaze
Five minutes after the first alarm
was sounded. Assistant Fire Chief
Ratio was asking for assistance Fire
company No was already on the
scene Engine cnmpa mics Nos ], 3
and : answered Mr. Baffo's call, The
All Out" was sounded after two
hours Of hard work at 10 3h o'clock
Alarm system Our of Nhsck
Hardly had the first alarm been
turned in when X was discovered that
the alarm current had gone wrong
Somewhere in South Richmond the
wires were down Every alarm beN
i'm the city began 70 ring and SOM"
confusion was caused The companies
were aware Of the fact that there was
a IRE somewhere. bat as ali al the
boxes, were ringing, the FIRE was only
located after using the telephone. This
caused little delay IN rushing the
last companies 10 arrive to the scene.
The loss Of Nave company incor
porated, Is estimated by MIR. Mayo 10