FIRE! FIRE!!
Loss, $20,000. Partially Insured.
Cause of the Fire Unknown.
The most destructive fire of the season occurred on Thursday evening, July 26th. This time it was the paper mill of Mr. Isaac Ellis on Walpole Street. At about 6.30 fire was discovered in the beating engine room; it was first seen by Engineer E. C. Campbell. He had as usual gone to the room below to see that everything was all right before emptying the engine, was there possibly five or ten minutes, and as he ascended the stairs he found the room so full of smoke that he could not enter. He then tried to enter from the other side; he intended to open the engine hydrants and flood the room with water, but he was unable to get into the room from any quarter.
The alarm was quickly given, whistles were blown and fire bells rang, but the fire spread very rapidly, and before a stream could be got into the burning building a part of the roof had fallen in, and in less than one hour from the time the flames were discovered the whole mill was a mass of ruins. For the benefit of our out-of-town readers we will state that the water works do not extend to this mill.
It is stated by those present that had there been a hydrant near when the fire was first seen the damage could have all been confined to one end of the mill. Messrs. Winslow Bros, went to the nearest hydrant and laid their hose as far as it would go, and as soon as the Fire Department arrived two lines were run a distance of fourteen hundred feet, and were kept busy in saving the surrounding buildings. The building was of brick, and was erected in 1879. It was 40×80 with an L 30×10 and a finishing room 26×50, and contained one engine of 100 horsepower, and one of 25 horse-power, two large boilers, one 56-inch paper machine, turning out 117 feet of paper per minute; four beating engines, paper cutter, roll cutting machines, etc., also about thirty tons of paper. The mill had recently been repaired and was never in better order.
The loss is estimated at $20,000, and the insurance $13,000, The cause of the fire is unknown. The loom where the fire originated is over the engine and boiler room, but contained no combustible matter. The origin of the fire is at present a mystery.
Mr. Ellis was in Sharon at the time of the fire, and returned about 9 o’clock to find the mill completely destroyed. He has won by his honest and fair dealings the confidence and respect of all who have done business with him, and they feel sorry for him m this his last affliction. It is not decided yet whether he will rebuild or not.
(this article originally appeared in the Norwood Advertiser)