FIRE DESTROYS MILL AT BALL
Sweet Home Lumber Company Loses Entire Plant
Occurred Yesterday at 4 P.M.
Damage was $90,000, Fully Covered by Insurance in the Chase & Gremillion Agency
Fire was Caused by a Hot Box
|
The Sweet Home Lumber Company sawmill, lumber yards, and office, located at
Ball, La., on the Iron Mountain Railroad, eight miles north of this city, was
totally destroyed by fire at 4 O'clock yesterday afternoon. The plant was
the property of the J. F. Ball & Bro. Lumber company of this city.
The fire was caused by a hot box of some of the machinery situated under the mill, which caused sparks to ignite inflammable material nearby. Two men who were standing within ten feet of where the fire originated, turned and got a couple of buckets of water, but before they could get to the flames, the fire had commenced burning so fiercely, that they were driven away by the heat. The fire spread rapidly from the mill proper to the lumber yards & office all of which were totally destroyed. The commissary, which was on the opposite side of the railroad tracks was not burned. A box car of lumber standing on a side track was destroyed and the ties of the railroad track for quite a distance were burned out and the steel rails twisted out of shape by the heat, on account of which the southbound passenger train due here at 10:30 p.m. did not arrive until 3 a.m. today. The damage was $90,000 and was fully covered by insurance int he Chase & Gremillion Agency of this city. Three million feet of lumber on the yards was destroyed. Mr. J. F. Ball, of this city, states that the mill will be rebuilt at once. |