The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-04-11
Some Reflections Suggested By the Serious Fire
Reported in the Columns of 7oday,s Vhginian
FREQUENTLY SUBJECTED
TO THE ORDEAL OF FIRE
Richmond's First Serious Fire Was
In 1877 When Nearly Ha1f-Hun-
dred BuildinGs Went.
FIRE IN 1888 DELIBERATE

Biggest Fire, BY Coincidence, We're A
City Became Capital and When 1t
Ceased Being Greater Capital-Jef-
ferson Hotel Fire in 1901.
TVyHILE Richmond has never SUI
w fered a calamity commensurate
W with the few examples given.
mono the less she has been sub
jected to the ordeal OF fire frequently.
Her first serious fire, 90 far a. history
records. was in January. 1887. At that
time between forty and fifty buildings,
comprising both dwellings and stores.
were destroyed Among the buildings
lost wns the celebrated Byrd tobacco
warehouse. 1t contained upwards OF
seventy hosehsads Of tobacco ready
for export to England. Even today
a fire Of these dimensions would be a
most serious affliction, but at that
date, when Richmond had scarcely
arrived at maturity and was prepar-
Ing to make her debut As the capital
of the state, II must have been dis
tressing In the extreme to her inhabi :
tants.
By a strange coincidence Richmond
was visited by a devastating fire on
both the eve Of her being made q
capital and on the eve of her ceaSing
to be a. stir1 greater capitalize capi-
Aal Vi TIC NohAC1CI0Nt h0diiS WV
centuries later. The great Richmond
fire In 1855. like the Moscow fire, was
deliberate. BY destroying the ware
houses, bridges and workshops OF the
city the Confederates lessened the
value of the prize to the Federals.
General Ewell. by whose orders the
torch WAS applied. gave expression, IN
his own way. to the poets familiar
sentlment--he could not have loved
p s%1p f FOL Gil hHA r.
his cause ytiil more.
Coming down to recent years. Rich
mond has had a. number OF disas-
trous fires. though for the most part
the excellent work Of the city fire
department has confined them to their
place Of origin. Several OF tho con-
nagrntfons were spectacular TO q de-
gree. This was notably true of the
Jefferson Hotel fire in 1901. When
the alarm was received, at I8:4s p
NJ. on March 20, there was no indica-
tion as to tho seriousness OF the out
break. Even when the first engine
arrived and II was found that tho
FIRE had originated on the fourth
floor. Il was hoped that the flames
could be prevented from eating down
ward. though II was realized that the
damage by water to the contents of
the floors below must he considerable.
However. the furniture. bedding and
hanstngs proved too good a medium
for the flames to resist and they
spread with alarming .rapidity. AL
together the loss was estimated at
$4,000. that on the furniture alone
being over $4,000.
OF the many thousands who wit
messed the fire, there was not one
who was not torn by conflicting emo
tons. Everyone was fascinated by the
spectacle. for the huge hostelry never
looked SO imposing as when fllumi-
mated by the fierce flames. Every line
OF Its graceful architecture Was sharp
ly outlined AGAINST lurid background.
every window wore it's fiery halo. 1t
was as though a devils carnival was
Ut Its height within. And yet, no wit
ness could repress an exclamation Of
deep regret, whispered to his neigh
Dor, that one OF the show places Of
the South. the very symbol and picture
Of Southern hospitality At Its best. had
fallen victim to the element that
spared meaner structures
A Reign OF Fra
After serious fire everyone takes
unusual precautions against q similar
calamity--1ust a. for the first rev
days the owner OF . new suit Of clothes
brushes and presses 1t with scrupulous
care. and thereafter treats II with con-
tumely and neglect. After the JEFF
ferson Hotel fire every housewife in
Richmond spent her evenings in
sniffing imaginary smoke. sending her
husband over the house on needless
errands OF discovery. Yet notwith-
standing these precautions the year
following the jefferson calamity was
remarkable for the number and mag
nitude Of tn conflagrations. The
month following there were three big
fires, entailing an aggregate loss OF
100000. besides many smaller out
breaks. The Hogan Dart Tobacco
Company sustained . :oss Of $4,000.
Sons At 1-3-5 East Broad Street, on
building and stock lost approximately
t206.000: and the American Cigar
Company lost $4,000.
Through the summer months. with
the natural REDUCTION OF fire risk, the
number of outbreaks decreased, but
In the fall, and early in 1901. they
again became disturbing. In Novem-
Der the fires ut the Virginia Electric
and Development Company's premises
and at Starke's moulding shop, In De-
cember at the Whitehurst planning
mill, and ir the following January
and February ut Cameron and Came
ron's tobacco factory and at Cordes
4 Mosby's dry goods store on Broad
Street. consumed another $500, 900
worth OF goods into smoke
But perhaps the liveliest fire within
living memory. from the firsff4hters'
point Of view. ut least was that at the
Adams Exprese C0mpany's building,
Cary Street, In January, 1907. The
premises, Of which the Express Com
pany occupied part. also contained
the armory Of the famous 'sBiues.''
AZ the Armory contained ouantities Of
ammunition the exploding sheiis made
very striking battlefield effect. AZ
though the ghosts Of departed Blues
with undimlnished bravery, had made
a sudden incurstop from the abode Of
shadeA To complicats matters. three
other fires broke out At the same
time and It began to look as though
Richmond was In for widespread
mare. Fortunately the skill and judy