Fire! Narrow Escape of the Woolen Mill

This story is from The Ypsilantian of Thursday, June 21, 1888.

The new fire bell sounded its first alarm yesterday afternoon; when dense volumes of inky smoke were seen rising over the woolen mill and knitting factory of Hay & Todd. The fire proved to be in the picking house, a small building containing a picking machine and a quatitl of wool. That was entirely destroyed before the engine arrived. The fire which attacked the adjacent windows of the main building had been fought back by the mill hands with buckets, and no fire was inside the mill; but before the engine was got to work the flames had eaten through the cornice at the eaves, and soon gained access tothe attic, to reach which the hose had to be taken up through the building. Considerable delay ensured before this was accomplished, and it looked for a time as though the whole building would be on fire. The enemy was finally reached, however, and subdued with comparatively small damage to the main building from the fire; but the floors and machines were drenched with water, and the stock by hasty removal

Tje total damage will foot up about $5,000, with insurance suffcient to cover all loss.