Smyrna times., 1930-12-24

the water SpOuts. There was not
a man to spare, deficiency of one
might have produced a very diff
ferent result. When the main
building fell in and the heat abat-
ed, the thermometer of hope rose
high in the scale for, if saved to
this point, it would have to be an
untoward event that would now
baffled such determined effort. The
fire was now considered under con-
troll and Mayor Almond was tele-
graphed to this effect. When the
dispatch reached Wilmington the
Water Witch, Reliance, and Della
ware Companies were loaded to
start in a few minutes. They were
kept at the Depot for several
hours to respond at a moments
call if needed. They have the
grateful thanks of our citizens just
the same. The store house to the
west was the next to follow, as
was expected after friendship"
gave out. Within thirty feet of it
was the residence of Mrs. Jane
Hunter, closely connected with
which were the residences J. S.
Taylor and r. M. Johnson. With
such large fire so close it SEEM
ed too credulous to hope to save
this building, (like all the rest,
frame), but James Mcdowell
mounted the apex next the fire
and applied water as fast as it
could be handed him. He with the
men who operated so determinedly
below, fought for nearly an hour,
until it was considered safe to
leave Mr.. Griffin's house, when the
4 Delaware" came to their relief.
BY nine o'clock the danger of any
further extension was over and
congratulations and expression of
thanksfulness took the place of the
terror and alarm of few mo-
ments before. Several houses on
Cummins Street in the rear of the
mill were in nearly as great dang
er as the others but those watch
ing them were largely aided by the
tin roofs. At the time when it
seemed as if there would be sim
ultaneous breaking out on all sides
the goods were removed from over
a dozen houses on Commerce street
and about the same number on
Pearl and Cummins streets. The
mill and store house belonged to
Messrs. Tschudy & Cats. they
having purchased it Of the Build
/ ing Loan two years ago. The mill
was built by William Worden fif-
4 teen years ago at a cost, including
4 the costly machinery of some $40
900 to which subsequent additions
and improvements had been made
\ to a cost of $4,000 The store
house was built by Worden & Son
four years ago, and cost about ST.
O00 The former was bought for
/ $4,000 and the latter $1,000. There
was an insurance on the mill of
/ $4,000 and on the store house of
$500, both in the Kent County
Mutual. Messrs. Tschudy & Cats
I estimate their loss at $4,000 in
cluding the valuable machinery
put in subsequent to the purchase.
The loss in material baskets,
lumber, ship timber, nails, basket
forms, crate material, etc. was
about $4,000. Mr.. Van Fossen's
house was insured in the Farmers
Mutual Of Wilmington, DR.. Will
liam Cummins, agent, for $1,000.
The origin of the fire in the mill is
unknown but supposed to have or
| iginated from heated journal.
! the planer, which runs a very high
/ speed having been in use just be-
fore quitting time. 1t was only a
providential combination of cir
cumstances that saved this part Of
the town. If any one thing of a
half dozen had been different, the
surrounding properties must have
gone. 1t was almost dead calm
with just enough wind to bear the
/ cinders to the south. Had the wind
been at any point from the other
side, Commerce street across and
down or up would have been fired.
AS it was with the slight rise of
the wind of two hours latter, sew
eral houses would most likely have
/ been lost. Had it occurred late at
night or even under just the same
circumstances in the summer time,
the heat could not possibly have
been endured. 1t is a great bless
ing that it is no worse and that a
large part of the town was not de-
stroyed cannot in any sense be put
down to the credit of the author
tiles or the foresight of otherwise
prudent capitalists. The burning
of the mill is a loss to the COM
munity of one of its best industrial
enterprises - giving employment
usually in the summer to from fif-
ty to seventy-five hands. 1t was
by all odds the best paying invest
ment of any enterprise in the town
Messrs. Tschudy & Cats have not
fully decided on their future plans
L