Lexington dispatch-news. [volume] (Lexington, S.C.) 1917-1919, 1918-09-18
$4,000 BARRELS
BLAZING BOOZE
Grcca River Di>tillcry And Warehouse
Burn With Contents At OwcnSboro
LOSS ESTIMATED S9..65,OOO

OWENSBORO, KY.,-Aug. 27-
The Green River distillery and ware
houses were burned Saturday night,
together with approximately $4,000,
600 drinks of whiskey contained in
$4,000 barrels that were stored in
bond
The whiskey alone was valued at
S2.S40.00O while the tax loss to the
United States Government through its
destruction by fire is approximately
sG.75e,000.
The value Of the buildings and ma
chinery was estimated roughly at
$4,000 making the total loss in ex-
cess Of 9,765, 900.
The blaze started at o'clock Sat
urday night in a pile of trash along
side the distillery bottling plant,
which burned first. The flames then
communicated to a warehouse contain
ing 5000 barrels Of whiskey. and then
TO the still house. Two other ware
houses containing $4,000 barrels of
wniskey burned despite every effort
that had been made to chck the blaze
The fre was spectacula" in the eX-
trcme. flames mounting hundreds OF
feet in the air. Every Few minutes
a blazing barrel Of WhiSkcy, driven
upward by the explosion Of other bar
rcls would rise 10 a great height and
then fall. When it struck, the whis-
key it contained would be spread over
the ground in a blazing sheet for
many. yards.
Burning streams Of whiskey ran
through the bitches OF the open fields
into the Ohio River the whole surface
Of which seemed at times to be on
fire.
The difference in the value placed
upon the whiskey and the amount Of
tax estimated to have been lost by the
Government is accounted for by tro
fact that the international revenue
tax had not been paid on any of 1t
and the valuation placed upon it was
the value of spirits taxed unpaid. The
tax on whiskey is $500 a proof gallon
and the average contents or abarrel OF
WhiSkey when first placed in the ware
key when first placed in the ware
house with no outrage allowance is
- II gallons.
The fire started shortly before To-
clock and in three hours all of the
buildings were in ruins. The plant
consisting of three warehouses distil-'
lery and bottling plant fell easy prey
to the flames, as it was without fire.
protection. There had been no steam
in the boilers since last September,
1Uhan the Government Dlaced ban
on the manufacture of alcohol, and
employees of the company residing
near by were unable to utilize the fire
, fighting equipment maintained in the
distillery premises
According to the watchman on duty
thief ire had its origin in rubbish and
is believed to have been due to the
carelessness of a smoke. When dis
covered the fire had spread to a car
of whiskey on a siding and from the
car the flames spread to the bottling
plant and one after the other.
The distillery property was built by
John W. McCulloch in 1902 and con-
sisted Of three modern warehouses Of
! brick constructions bottling plant
built Of corrugated iron sheetng and
wood, and the distillery itself which
was Of wood constitution.
Nj. McCulloch sold the property
and Whiskcy in storage 20 the New
York company two years ago. His
profits greatly enhanced by wartime
conditions. amounted to S1,5O0.G0O it
is said: