LAMBERT’S MILL DESTROYED

[The Welland Tribune and Telegraph, 1 March 1921]

Saturday Night Fire Caused Damage of $20,000

             S.L. Lambert suffered a severe loss on Saturday night when fire broke out in his planing mill on Burgar Street. The alarm was turned in to the department about ten-twenty, when W. Bates, Queen Street, was passing the building and noticed flames and smoke issuing from the windows and roof. He immediately sent his son to notify the yard watchman who got into communication with Central Fire Station. The department made an immediate response, but upon arrival found that it was absolutely impossible to save the planing mill as it was completely enveloped in flames, having broken through the roof.

             For a time however they worked on the mill like fiends and did all that was humanly possible to check the progress of the conflagration, but without avail. Seeing that better results would be by obtained by saving the adjoining building, they concentrated their efforts to this end with successful results, confining the fire entirely to the planing mill. Control over the mill was obtained about half an hour later.

             Considerable havoc would have been done had the flames reached the adjoining buildings which were stocked to the roofs with Georgia pine and large quantities of dressed, dry lumber. The value of the lumber in these buildings was estimated at about $25,000 by Mr. Lambert yesterday, and it was stated that very little insurance was carried on this stock. The firemen are to be complimented on their successful efforts in saving these buildings which would have added largely to the large loss.

             Another thoughtful move was made by the crew of a passing Canadian National (Grand Trunk) freight train, seeing the predicament of two cars of dressed lumber that were standing alongside the burning building, unhooked their engines and rescued the two cars from the siding, where they would almost certainly have been burned had it not been for this brilliant move.

             The Welland Fire Department were helped to great advantage by the Empire Mills Fire Company, under the direction of J.D. Payne. They stretched a line of their hose from one of the Mill hydrants, thus making it possible to fight the flames from the east side, where they were at this time rather fierce and dangerous. The Welland city firemen did wonderful work.

             The cause of the fire is at present not fully determined, although it is generally supposed that it was caused by the wiring on the west side of the building, where it appears that the fire started, as it was at its worst at this point when the brigade arrived. There is still however the possibility that the fire could have been started by a spark from a passing engine, as residents of that section report that a heavy engine was seen to pass the mill a half hour previously throwing out sparks in large quantities. There was at the time no possibly way the fire could have started in the building from heating appliances as the mill was heated from a boiler room some distance away, and there was nothing else that was ever alight except a glue pot, and that had not been alight for several days.

             Mr. Lambert’s loss will hit him very heavy as he values the mill and its contents at $20,000, the machinery used being valued at $18,000 and the building at $2,000. Mr. Lambert told the Tribune and Telegraph that the property was not half insured only having $7,000 on the machinery, and $2,000 on the building. Had the contents reached the stock sheds the loss would have been enormous.

Fire: 27 February 1921