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Show Page Sunday, March 26, 1973 THE HERALD, Provo, Utah 2A A Wild Cry of Fire Spells Doom we go JULY 30, 191S-- As to press, tbe Knight Woolen Mills, which for nearly a half century has been considered Provo's leading ludnstrial institution, is a smouldering rein. Nearly half a million dollar worth of property has been destroyed, 22S people have been thrown out of employment, and great government contracts will be held op tx an indefinite time. Just what will be done about the mill cannot be given out at this time, bat some hope is held oat that it may be reboot and resume Its work for "Uncle Sam." Provo has suffered the heaviest industrial blow in its history. The 1917 the Mill had finished its first profitable year in a long time. Thanks largely to the capable direction of the new plant manager, John S. Smith, the mill had finally begun to make a profit for its investors. Mr. Smith had been brought to the mill in 1916 by its controlling owner, "Uncle" Jesse Knight, to attempt to keep tbe industry from going in the red. Mr. Knight had poured well over $300,000 in the mill since he gained control of it in 1910 in order to save it from bankruptcy. He had called Mr. Smith in as plant manager in one last ditch attempt to make the mill into a profitable investment before closing it. Fortunately, under Mr. Smith, So begins the newspaper account of the greatest disaster the mill had indeed began to Sales totaled over by fire ever to occur in Provo's prosper. 1622,685 for 1917 and, more history. On the morning of July 30, important, thanks to the done by Mr. Smith 1918, the Knight Woolen Mills of his time as manager, the during full at Provo was running cost of cloth and capacity, filling war orders for woolen producing goods had been cut the United States Government. Juu 19 hours later it was, as the considerably. Engaged In War Production newspaper account states, "a The mill had also benefited smoldering ruin" with only the weaving rooms and main offices from the increased demand for left standing. war supplies. 1917 the Federal In Government and the United States Army took over the plant for war production. All the goods the mill could produce were to the directly shipped Quartermaster Corps in San Francisco. The mill was running at full capacity producing cloth for and uniforms officer's regulation army blankets. With government forces buying up every scrap of cloth and clothing the mill could produce, and with the plant finally producing at a profit under the capable' direction of Mr. Smith, it seemed that the sound future of the mill was finally assured. Then the fire struck. It was under these conditions had soaked into the boards on the walls and floors of the that the fire struck. Cause of The Fire building until, as former mill accountant Clayton Jenkins Although the cause of the fire states, "If you pullet out a board has never been positively you could almost twist it and determined (local citizens ring the oil out of it." suspected everything from the A few unguarded sparks would spark of a broken bolt to the suffice to create an emergency. work of a German spy) Clayton The building also lacked any effective fire Jenkins offers the following was which explanation, fighting proposed by several of the plant equipment. The one old fire hose which hung there was rotten and full of holes, according to a history of the incident compiled by the fire department When plant workers later unwound it to fight the inevitable blaze, water squirted out of it from all sides and never even reached the end of it. supervisors: The fire began by internal combustion in a high which was wool dryer completely covered and made of wood. The dryer was located in a adobe building small used for sorting and washing wool. Because the dryer was covered) one was able to six-fo- Under the heat in the dryer, it burst into flames and was blown by large fans through a large shaft up three stories to the top floor of the main building into me carding room. Waves of Flame When these waves of flame, which were rapidly increasing, flew out onto the floor of the carding room, they mixed with the years of oil which had collected on the floors and walls of the building. And the fire was soon out of control Workers in the room were baffled by the blaze. The flames filled the room, chasing everyone from the building, and, eventually bringing destruction to a firm which had been one of the mainstays of Provo's SO No Water Available A Waiting Tinderbox years. notice the blaze until the industry for almost Soon floors of the the old hot that on so would have luck machine grew Certain existing conditions, they Also, as it, however, which had been the day of the fire all tbe water in felt the beat. By men it was far building collapsed, allowing the fire and heavy clothing ignored or unnoticed up to that the mill creek which ran through too late. Wool is a equipment to sink to the lower time, spelled disaster for the the Woolen Mills block had been mill. The mill was, in many taken out of the mill race. material. It seldom ignites levels. And while the fire spread ways, a literal "tinderbox" Federal Food Administrator W. under friction, and is very hard from building to building, local waiting for the slightest spark to W. Armstrong had ordered the to burn. But in the drying and residents found themselves burst it into flames, a former water out of the creek in order to picking machine, this pure wool without any water to fight it. Within 30 minutes the fire had mill employee commented. irrigate the farms in Wasatch was mixed with highly Years of handling oily sheep's County. There was consequently flammable cotton and other spread to the storage plant, the wool had saturated the walls and no water available to fight the "shoddy." dying plant, and all the smaller floors of the old building with a flames when the fire truck Cotton is highly flammable. In buildings in the factory. Flames (Continued on Page JA) fact it is often used in explosive... heavy coat of oil. Oil a..d grease finally did arrive. one-sto- ry rjiiir Vm, t I ' ' ALARMS CLANGED, THE FIRE TRUCK BELL BANGED, and everybody called the fire department Provo's largest industry, in full wartime production was up In THE flames! The day was July 30, 1918. And, as lock would have it, there was no water in the old mOl stream to help firemen fight the blaze. FIREMEN BATTLED the blaze for over 19 hoars. Bat they were only able to save the weave shed and office buildings. Hundreds of men and boys answered the caD for help, but ;:;:" '"' a water shortage and the grease covered walls of the building soon made all efforts to save it helpless. (Photos furnished by A.W. Ad&mson.) Vfc Furnish and Change the Oil for As Long As You Own the Car . . . New or Used 1972 CHEVROLET 1972 CHEVROLET 12 TON CHEYENNE Regular M95860 - Stock No. 3653 Regular M39488 ASHTON'S ASHTON'S CELEBRATION CELEBRATION rKlis Air com!., heavy duty rear leaf springs, pewer disc brakes, 400 VS engine, turbo-trans- ., power steering, chrome hub caps, 70015 tires, AM radio. ly 175 North 100 West Provo 34 TON PICKUP PRICE 4 Wheel Drive. 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