William Brunt factory fire

A BIG EAST LIVERPOOL FIRE.

One of the most disastrous pottery fires that lias occurred in the past few years badly damaged the Wm. Brunt Pottery Co.'s factory on the night of Jan. 26.

The blaze was discovered by the night watchman about 9:30 in the eastern end of the glost warehouse, and had even then assumed dangerous proportions, and it was not until 11 o'clock that the department had the stubborn fire fully under control.

The blaze was communicated from the decorating kilns and completely gutted the three-story structure extending for a block along E. Third street, with the exception of the end in which the office was situated. The loss of selected glost ware, and the destruction of a large part of the decorating department on the fourth floor was a serious blow to the company, from the fact that they were crowded with urgent orders.

The money value of the destroyed property will run close to $35,000, which was fully covered by insurance, but the firm will lose fully $5,000, from inability to handle orders in time.

Interior After the Fire. (Taken Especially for the Glass and Pottery World)

The appearance of the factory the morning after the fire was disheartening in the extreme, the contents of three floors having gone down in one mass of ruin in the basement and presenting a scientific problem for the adjusters.

A description of the plant at the time will be of interest:

The main buildings are about 240 feet in length and about 180 feet in width. All of them are three stories in height and are built of brick.

The plant has, in all, seven up-draft kilns, one 18 feet, two 16 feet 6 inches, three 15 feet 6 inches, and one 13 feet 6 inches in diameter, and also four decorating kilns.

Fire at Brunt Pottery. (Taken Especially for the Glass and Pottery World)

Of the ware kilns, four are used as bisque and three as glost kilns. The slip-house and engine room are located at the right of the building; the clay bins are located near the slip-house so that the clay is loaded into the charging car after being weighed.

The officers of the William Brunt Pottery Company are William Brunt, president, adn W. S. Brunt, secretary and treasurer.