Richmond, Virginia Fire

March 26, 1882

A BIG FIRE AT RICHMOND.

THE JAMES RIVER BRIDGE AND SEVERAL TOBACCO FACTORIES DESTROYED – A LOSS OF ABOUT $600,000.

RICHMOND, Va., March 26. – One of the most destructive conflagrations which ever visited this city , and second only to that which destroyed the business portion on its evacuation by the Confederate Army in April 1865, occurred here today, resulting in a great destruction of property, the loss of one life, and several minor casualties. A number of poor people are deprived of their homes and household goods and the traveling public inconvenienced by the loss of the main bridge connecting the northern and southern systems of railway crossing the James River at this point.
At 12:30 to-day an employe [sic] of the Richmond and Petersburg Railroad Company discovered a small blaze near the southern end of the company’s long bridge over the James River, and immediately started to give an alarm. In a few minutes a portion of the Fire Department was on the ground, but by the time it arrived at the fire, aided by a heavy gale from the south-west, had made such a rapid progress that the bridge was wrapped in flames and in less than half an hour the whole structure fell a mass of ruins, into the river, leaving nothing standing but the granite piers upon which the bridge was built and which are placed at interval across the river. The bridge was originally built in 18[??], an was destroyed by fire at the time of the evacuation of Richmond and rebuilt in 1866. It was a “Howe truss” structure of the old style, with a frame trunk about 18 feet deep, upon which the track was laid. To the combustible nature of the bridge, combined with the high wind, was due its swift destruction. When the flames reached the Richmond end of the bridge they immediately seized upon the large four-story brick tobacco factory of T. M. Rutherford & Co., which also quickly fell a victim. From that point the fire continued to spread with frightful rapidity, attacking and laying in ashes in quick succession the large brick tobacco factories of R. A. Patterson & Co., T. C. Williams & Co., the three tobacco stemmeries of J. A. Huchinson, two stemmeries of C. R. and F. D. Barksdale, the stemmery of Aborn & Edwards, the Vulcan Ironworks, operated by Bruce & Archer; 20 tenements houses, occupied by poor people; about 300 feet of trestle-work connecting the Tredegar Iron-works with the Richmond and Petersburg Railroad, 10 new freight cars, belonging to the Tredegar Company; T. P. Smith’s grist mill, a number of other minor buildings, and a quantity of coal and lumber at the southern or Manchester end of the bridge. The Virginia Mining and Manufacturing Company’s Kaoline works were also destroyed. The total loss is now estimated at between $500,000 and $600,000, about half of which is covered by insurance. The following are the heaviest losers; T. C. Williams & Co., about $100,000; insurance, $74,000. R. A. Patterson & Co., $60,000; insurance, $48,000. T. M. Rutherford & Co., $25,000; insurance, $20,000. The Richmond and Petersburg Railroad Company, on bridge, $160,000; insurance, $50,000. C. R. & F. D. Barksdale, $20,000; insurance, $15,000. The Vulcan Iron-works, $25,000; insurance, $15,000. The Tredegar Company, $10,000; insurance unknown. The Virginia Mining and Manufacturing Company, $30,000; insurance $27,500. Several of the largest buildings occupied as tobacco factories and stemmeries were owned by James Thomas, Jr., which has no insurance on them. His loss will reach $50,000 or $60,000. The following is a partial list of companies holding risks on the property destroyed: Liverpool and London and Globe, $45,000; Queen, $7,500; North British and Mercantile, $10,000; North German, $5,000; Hamburg-Bramen, $2,000; Star of New York, $10,000; Manhattan of New York, $10,000; Home of New York, $2,500; Williamsburg City, $7,000; Phoenix of New York, $10,000; Hartford, $5,000; La Confiance of Paris, $3,000; Connecticut, $5,000; Underwriters’ of New York, $3,000, and Scottish Union, $2,200. This list is as yet incomplete, owing to the difficulty of finding the insurance men today.

When it became evident that the bridge was in imminent danger, second and third fire alarms were sounded and the whole Fire Department was called out, but the efforts of the firemen to check the flames were entirely futile, fighting, as they were obliged to, against the fierce winds, which, driving the flames, cinders, and smoke into their faces, forced them back foot by foot. At 1:45 P. M., Mayor Carrington telegraphed to Washington for assistance from the Fire Department of that city, but later, when the fire was finally under control, another telegram was sent to Washington to that effect. The Washington department had responded promptly and had placed several engines on a special train when informed that their services were not needed. The fire occurred at about the time the churches were being dismissed, and the alarm being immediately given by every fire apparatus and hall in the city notification of the calamity spread with rapidity, and in a short time the hills and house – tons and every elevation affording a place of view were densely thronged with old and young, white and colored. The heavy wind added more than ordinary vitality to the flames and carried large pieces of burning cinders for long distances, which in some cases set fire to distant roofs.

The President of the Richmond and Petersburg Railroad Company has telegraphed to various Iron-works, North and South, asking for bids for the construction of 19 spans of Iron-works, each 150 feet long, and to South Carolina and Florida lumber dealers for the timber necessary to reconstruct the company’s bridge. In the meantime passengers traveling north and south over this route will be transferred in vehicles over the James River free bridge.

Charles Betts, 15 years old, was killed by a falling wall. Two men, names unknown, are reported to be buried in the ruins of Patterson’s factory. Isaac Gentry, book-keeper in the same factory, barely escaped suffocation in the building, and had to jump from a window, injuring himself severely.

New York Times, New York, NY 27 Mar 1882

There is no change to be made in the estimated loss by Sunday’s great fire in Richmond, Va., which destroyed the Richmond and Petersburg Railroad bridge over the James River, seven large tobacco factories and stemmeries, the Vulcan Iron-works, many tenement houses and a large amount of other property. The loss will certainly no fall short of $500,000. The insurance foots up to nearly $300,000. The following is a revised list of the companies outside of the State having risks, together with the amount of their losses: London Liverpool and Globe, $48,000; New York Underwrites Agency, $25,000; Royal, of Liverpool, $10,000; Imperial and Northern or London, $15,000; North British, $15,000; Hartford, $10,000; Connecticut, $12,150; Scottish Union and National, $14,200; Manhattan, $16,200; Williamsburg City, $12,000; Phoenix, of Brooklyn, $10,000; British American, $10,000; Fire Association, of Philadelphia, $11,500; North German, $5,000; Star, of New York, $7,500; Niagara, $3,500; Queen, of Liverpool, $2,500; Home, of New York, $2,500; Lion, of London, $1,000; Phoenix, of London, $5,000, La Confiance, of France, $4,000; London and Lancashire, of Liverpool, $2,500; Hamburg-Bremen, $2,000, and nearly $50,000 in home companies.

New York Times, New York, NY 28 Mar 1882

Articles transcribed by Jenni Lanham.  Thank you, Jenni!

Search for more information on the Richmond Fire and other disasters in the  Historic Newspapers Collection.  The number of newspapers on line has recently doubled - search over 1000 different newspapers. Use this Free trial to search for your ancestors.

Search for ancestors in Richmond, VA among billions of names at ancestry.com. Use this Free trial to search for your ancestors.

Virginia Marriages 1851-1929 Use this Free trial to search for your ancestors.