Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-04-17
ONE DEATH IS CAUSED
BY FIRE IN WAREHOUSE
William CroIton, Seventy-Ycar-OlG
Negro, Is Suffocatcd by
Smoke.
i. w. Wood & Son Suffer Loss EsG-
mated at From $4,000 TO S50,-
900, Covered by Insurance-Firc-
men Troubled With Leaking Hose.

men Troubled With Leaking Hose.
FiTc'nen struggled for nearly Two
hours yesterday afternoon with blaze
which broke GU, in the tour-story
Fourteenth stree. warehouse OF T. W
Wood 6 son. seed dealers. just a. the
close OF the noon hour, when prac-
tcaNy all OF the employees were out.
The iirst alarm sounded az 1913 o'clock
ana a. $40 tho gong tapped that the
fire was under control. y seventy
year old negro. William Croxton, Of
1905 s.. James Street was carried from
tho TOP floor, sunocatcd from smoke
lie died Oh tho sidewalk At tho corner
OF Fourteenth and Cary Streets be-
fore the ambulance arrived. Loss in
tho value OF the building and stock
Will approximate $4,000 10 $4,000.
covered b. insurance. No one could
state the precise origin OF the fire, but
1t was believed by members OF the
hrm that exposed wiring leading from
a motor used in an electric elevator
was the cause OF the FIRE. IL Is thought
TO have started on the top floor. The
idea OF a German plot or an incendiary
fro Is secuted by the firm.
The warehouse and principa! oflccs
.! the concern are located at Scs. IL
-. - and IL Fourteenth Street II
Was IN the fourth story OF No Is
which is used as warehouse, that
the blaze is believed 70 have started
IL. b!!!ird. who. with his daughter
Eunicc. were in the testing room abou,
o'clock. saw smoke issuing from
stairway. ard sounded the alarm .,
hr"' Thomas W. Whittct. "A member OF
the firm. also stated ti.st he saw flame,
issuing from a sccond-story window
OF No. 10.
DELAY IN GETTING
STREAMS on BLAZE
Rs l;2o O'Clock companies No. /, ..
., 4. 3. :. Q. and Nc and . trucks
we're at the scene Of the fire. j, took
from ten TO fifteen minutes before
streams OF any considerable force or
height were playing on the blaze. Th.
street in the from. OF the building uae
Uttered with masses OF coilcd hose
and trucks which wcre needed nca-
Fourteenth and Cary Streets wcre
Obliged To drive over il. Al Four
iccnth and Main Streets "A connection
with on. OF tho FIRE engines s,r,,nc
bad leak because Of tho BURSTING
"herc hose bursted delayed the decar,-
'ncnt. The police from the Firs, p;s-
trict roped an area from Cary to Main
Streets and held tho crowds wi,b,n
these lines
firSt two. and a, the height Of tho
ola@c seven. streams were playcd uno,
me building. The extension truck lad.
ocr3 and equipment were used efec-
tion. Heavy streams were shot int,
INC upper windows of the building from
the front by mca on tho trucks and
'io'" me streets In the rear two
stfeams were directed from the top ot
a" a"1''hihs building into the blazing
building.
Inc government warehouse recently
iccatcd at 14l. Cary Street. in the
''e"fE' hughes Co. Building. which
Is used 'or storing supplies for the
AVIATION section OF the signal CORDS
was guarded by soldiers white m,
nearby building was ablaze.
Shortly after . O'Clock the crnvJ u.as
alarmed whe'i they saw Captain j. +.
Finnegan. Of Steamer Truck M ?
with James Gianotti, Of No. Truck.
ana conroy Thompson. of No. Truck
ihS 'Ht poUN OF 4 man from -
building. lie was carried to the corner
and Captain e. 4. Sherry, O. the FRS,
Police District, ordered the ambulance
called. Policemen administered first
aid to the man. Upon the arrival OF
the ambulance DR.. I1inchman said that
he had likely been dead when carried
from the building. lie was found on
the fourth floor. where nc had been cal
ing his lunch when the blaze started
y burn on his left wrist was the only
external injury. The body was claimed
by his Son-in-law, and following
viewing Of it by Coroner Whitfield il
was turned over TO an undertaken !
BUILDING RECENTLY
REAIODEI.l;D AT SOME COST
The structure in which the fire oc-
Cured was recently rcmodclcd for tho
purpose Of conducting the distribution
Of seed and grain on largo scale. and
IL was estimated that loss of the build
ing alone would approach $4,000
Water did much damage to grain and
garden seed OF all kinds stored in