The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1915-08-18
BIG BUILDING BURNED.
SHAW MOTOR COMPANY AND
SUMTER TRANSFER COMPANY
BURNED OUT THIS MORNING.
New Ford Car and Several Old Cars
Dcstroyed-FOur Mules and Jack
Burned--Ffre Said to Have Started
in Side of Building Occupied by
Sumter Transfer COmpany-Firc-
men DO Fine Work i'm Saving Other
Buildings. r--e. ,assss;. a

FRO mthe Daily Item, Aug. 16.
The large wooden structure occu-
pied by the Shaw Motor Company and
he Sumter Transfer Company was de-
Stroyed by fire this morning about 3
o'clock. !:
The damage done was as follows:
ID. Jennings, building occupied by
Sumter Transfer Co., valued at s3.-
500 and insured for $4,000; l.. d. Jen-
nings, private stables and barn, VAL
ued at 500, with insurance of $500:
building owned by DR.. E. s. Booth.
occupied by Shaw Motor Co., valued
at $4,000 (same as part owned by L.
ID. Jennings), insured for $4,000:
Shaw Motor Co., new Ford car. seV-
eral old cars, buggies, wagons and
other vehicles, Ford car parts, tools.
Office fixtures and other supplies, vail
ued at between $4,000 and $4,000 with
insurance Of about two-thirds value:
Sumter Transfer Co., four mules and
jack, feed, vehicles and tools, valued
at not less than $3,50O, with insurance
of $4,000; l.. B. H. Darr, SIS damage
on household furniture, with insur-
ance to cover loss; and damage to
house not known, but insured, max,
ing a total of $20,275 loss with $13,-
S75 insurance. The Sumter Transfer
GO. was owned by stock company i'm
which l.. ID. Jennings was the chief
stockholder and Eugene StansilI was
manager. D. c. Shaw was owner Of
the Shaw Motor Co
The fire alarm was given by Zach
Darr this morning at fifteen minutes
to 3 o'clock, Darr having been Sleep
ing in room adjacent to the stables.
which were all ablaze when he dis-
covered the fire. About the same time
roomers at the Y. NJ. c. A. discovered
the fire, being awakened by the blaze
and heat, and fired a pistol to give the
alarm. At this time the part Of the
building occupied by the Sumter
Transfer Co., according to their report
was ready to fall in and the other part
was in a blaze. The firemen did ex-
cellent work on their arrival in saving
adjacent buildings. The house occu-
pied by l.. B. H. Darr was on fire and
was extinguished and saved from fur.
ther damage. BY their hard work the
blaze was confined to the buildings
already burning, and other structures.
besides being scorched by the heat
were uninjured. Six streams were
played on the fire and used in pre-
venting it's spread
so far had the fire spread when the
alarm was given in that it was i'm.
possible'for policeman, who arrived a.
few minutes later, to save any of the
stock of the stables, or get out any Of
the stuff from the Shaw Motor Conn
pany quarters. Mr.. Plowden manag.
ed to get into the office of the Shaw
Motor Company and save a batch of
notes which he had taken out of the
safe on Saturday to deposit in the
bank, but had later left in a drawer
in the office. Fireman Ryan White ON
request Of Mr.. Shaw managed to save
Mr.. Shaw's desk, but all of his cor
respondence and mail for the past
week was burned. Efforts were made
to save anew Ford car in the build
ing and 1t might have been saved. but
Tor the fact that the hose was i'm
danger of burning and when it was
removed to a safe place, it was too
late to save the car. 'ar
The building was an old one and
burned with great rapidity. 1t was
dry and hay filled the loft on one side
and the oils and paints used in the
Sahw Motor Company made the whoIa
place like tinder. The heat was FMS
tense and the firemen had this to con-
tend with in fighting the fire. The
steamer was not put into operation
until late, when the fire was most over
and the worst was over. The Y. NC.
A. suffered a large number of cracked
window panes from the heat, but 9TH
erwise was uninjured
What caused the fire is not known.
There were various reports as to
which side 1T caught in, but the state
ments of those rooming at the Y. M.
c. A, TO the effect that the side oc-
cnpled by the Sumter Transfer Com
pany was ready to fall in when they
iirst saw the fire, would indicate that
1t started In this side. 1t was stated
py policemen this morning that sever
al gentlemen had been in the side
occupied by the Shaw Motor Company
at few minutes before 1 O'Clock this
these being tho last narSon.