Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1915-11-29


 ln cooling that section of the fire side of the building.
 Building Was Large.
 The building destroyed covered an area of about four acres. being PTS feet wide and 665 feet long It con- sisted of series of sheds, fifty feel wide, extending around the four sides, With a courtyard in the center. In these sheds. the cotton was stored, tier upon tier. in a great mass.
 Comparatively a small amount of the cotton destroyed had been finally compressed, having been ginned and try-compressed only This con- dltlon was partly responsible for the rapid spread of the fire, and especial ly for the fact that the individual bales burned with great speed, as compared with the time necessary to consume a fully-compressed bale.
 No City Hose Used.
 1t was explained by Fire Chief Briener last night that none of the clty's hose was used in fighting the ire, because there are no city water hydrants at or near the compress.
 A fire protective service is mann tained at the compress, but it consists of Pinch piping and hose. The standard fire department hose is 21a inch, hence the city's hose and noz- zles would not fit. There was plenty of the company's hose. however, to be used by the fire fighters.
 "Even with plenty of city water, and the use of the city's apparatus we could have done no more than we did," said Chief Briener. "We could not have extinguished the fire itself, and could only have saved the main compress building. This we did, any, how"
 Cow Causes Excitement.
 A sleek. Well-fed COW caused con- siderable excitement during the fire, as it appeared intent upon commit ting suicide in spectacular manner, by walking into the very heart of the fire.
 Hundreds of people, gathered on the Iron Mountain right of way near the blaze, watched the progress of the COW with growing concern, mad especially were interested in the eff forts of 9 number of boys to dis snade her from her foolish course.
 A southhound Iron Mountain freight came along at an opportune time. however. The train crew stop ped and considered the matter of rushing past the flames, finally de- ciding to do so. At the approach of the train, the COW started east-and the last seen of her she was still mov- ing eastward, at a gallop.
 Confidence in Fire Wall.
 Confidence in the fire wall, because lit was certainly good fire wall and excellently constructed" was ex- pressed during the fire by one of the contractors who constructed the wall when the east shed was erected the summer of 1912.
 The wall was built by Crunk & Me- roney of Pine Bluff, and their confi- dence was not misplaced, as was dem- onstrated plainly by the manner in which the fury of the flames was checked by the brick and cement structure.
 Ice Cream Man Busy.
 Urging his horse as near the fire line as he dared, really stout negro drove into the midst of the crowd and announced that he was prepared to sell ice cream cones. He did a land office business. The weather was some cool yesterday afternoon, but the heat of the fire caused many persons to feel that an ice cream cone would not be half bad, and hundreds purchased the midsummer delicacy.
 Telegraph Poles Burn.
 Several telegraph poles, especially along the Cotton Belt right of way, close to the fire. were burned in twain. Several strands of wire were destroyed by the heat, but these were quickly repaired by linemen who were on the scene early.
 Cross ties on the Iron Mountain were charred and burnt on their north ends, from the small blazes which starte dthere. Huge pieces of blazing cotton were carried by the wind a considerable distance, and on the roofs of a number of negro homes, southeast of the compress, bucket brigades were kept busy, preventing the starting of other fires. From many of these houses the furniture had been removed, and placed some distance away, as precautionary measure.
 Takes Moving Pictures.
 Cecil Sparks was Johnny on the job'' during the fire and was on the scene with his moving-p picture ma chine, to take number of pictures for the Pathe Weekly These views. therefore. will be seen all over the country, and folk elsewhere will get an idea how Pine Bluff can have a million dollar fire-all in one build ing and in one afternoon.
 There were lots of cameras on the ground. and many dozens of films were exposed yesterday. Photographic souvenirs of the big fire, therefore, will be numerous, even if only the usual percentage of the amateur ex- posures can be developed and print ed.
 uy lInrnor Socrotarv If tha