Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-06-25
Fires SPREAD WAS QUE
TO LACK OF CITY WATER
Could Have Saved Spotlcss Building
With Adequate Supply,
Says Joyncs.
HoBsoN ANSWERS FIRE CHIEF
Orders Full Report From Water De-
partmcnt - Says l'ircmcn Could
Have Pumped From Raceway OF
Powcr-IiouSc.

Fun report OF the water available
III combating the disastrous fire which
destroyed the plant OF tho Virrini,
baklns Company and the building oc-
curled by the Spotless Co. on Sunday
was sought yesterday by Commission
er Graham T. Hobson. Of the Admin
istrative Board. in charge of water
ana electricity. He requested Super-
intendent Eugene +. Davis. of ,bc
water Department, to conduct a
thorough Investigation and report 10
MN IN writing ut once. Mr.. Hobson
was Inclined to criticize statements
that sufficient water was not avail
able with which 10 fight the fire.
Not moro than two blocks away
there Is the raceway of the Virginia
halfway and Power Company" he said.
and the Fire Department could have
paced all its engines here and oh
tanned an abundance of water. II
seems that firemcn selected the small
est Plug they could find. There is n
pug connected with an eight Inch
main. and that is the one they first
used. There were other plugs con-
nected with larger mains nearby. The
matter will he thoroughly investi-
gated"
Fire Chief W. II. Joynes declared
yesterday that with sufficient water
available when the department first
arrived at the fire the blaze prob-
ably could have been confined to tho
Virginia Baking Company's plant. He
also called attention to what disaster
might have resulted had the blaze
broken out in the wholesale district
adjacent to Thirteenth and Cary
Streets. and said that the whole dis
trict might have been destroyed
COULD HAVE SAVED SpOTLESs
PLANT WITH MORE WATER
Had the water supply been adc-
ouate at the start. when It was need
ed. the FIRE would have been confined
to the building in which it originated"
Chief Joyncs said. "If the fire had
heen located around Thirteenth and
Cary Streets, with the same water con-
ditions. there is no telling what would
have happened Probably that whole
section OF the city would have been
destroyed.
The fire could have been prevented
from Spreading from the baking con-
nahNs plant 10 the building occupied
~ the Spoiless COMPANY II there had
eten suniciert wafer Fi-A-7sr v.-a
Hl lA'o he Snotiess building
asate!T upon theiT arrival. and 80,
IT'S vantage Dciut began 1ou-irr
nou Sahds ~ gallons OF wate- into
turning building IS rap!dlv as
"tio''ional equipment a--jvas -
S-'oas@ q second and No. -.
th+ aTaie- PRESSURE want dow y-;.t
isfT minutes -fs- IN .n4 S-,-is
!44c-Hs wsr+ throwing water Jess
th@H 'hi-;r feet"
Sti7a.es o: tre damage -z-,s.s nv
re IRE remained practically The s.,rs
TdaF. since 10 thorough !rves-f-
ra'to0 had been raads y viii -Ao-y-.
ifS' IN" losses
William I-aw;o- J.. assis,an. 81.
@-Tintendsnt of thu Water T,eu.r,r.r.
WAS engaged yesterday Afternoon IN
77klne = courlete rc0ort on tho e-a
Hs said he had bean summoned IN tho
scene OF tho blaze shortly after -
CLOCK sunday morning. and had
nuAd Inc water supply Inadequate
Mr. l.awton said he saw i,rr,etiia.aIv
the situation was one which r2,aa
necessary the opening OF the valve al
Madison and Cary Streets which nor.
m'ts water from the New Dosoryoir
to flow into the mains feeding the
wholesale section
RWRITERS' ADVICE
HAS NOT BEEN FOLLOWED
He drove to Madison Street immo-
hiateIy In his automobile and the va I've
was opcned about - 80, o'clock. The
are started shortly. after - O'Clock so
&c least one hour elapsed from tho
time the fire started until greater
supply OF water was started through
the mains Mr. Lawton said the Fire
Department had not communicated
with him. II was stated however
that the Water Department required
NO such notice. since an official was
supposed TO Keen closely in touch with
all fires In tho Citv
Mr. Lawton said that only on three
occasions in his ten years experience
with the Water Department had il
h"en necessary 10 opcn valves to sup
My surplus water for Nchtinr fires.
The district in which the fire occurred
s said To be supplied with eiGht-inrh
mains. while other sections IN the
downtown district have tcu-inch
mains The Old and Eew Reservoirs are
not connected so as 10 supply water
in the downtown district. and the Ma
tiona Board Of Fire Underwriters has
recommended that they both he thrown
together and water pcrm!ttct 10 flow
10 the downtown section. II would
he necessary i, was said. TO lay Il con
siderable amount Of mains 70 effect
this Improvement
oot 0hCI lee CDEkKC