Fires in Mt. Pleasant

- Flames Discovered Shortly Before 5 o'clock by Woman Living Opposite.

- Fire at 5:15 o'clock Saturday morning totally destroyed the plant of the L. E. Smith Glass company located about one fourth of a mile from Mount Pleasant on the Duncan plan of lots. The loss will be $50,000, partially covered by insurance. Only the molds were saved, and they were taken smoking hot from the ruins. The fire was discovered shortly after 5 o'clock by Mrs. Nelson Christner, who lives opposite the plant. The kiln was on fire and blazing fiercely, Mrs. Christner notified her husband, who ran across the street and routed out the watchman, Peter Weaver. The two men sent in a fire alarm and then with several workmen, formed a bucket brigade. Firemen were handicapped badly by the lack of water and were unable to check the fire. Two hundred workmen are thrown out of employment. A meeting of the stockholders will be called for an early date. William Smith, of Mount Pleasant, manager of the factory, was unable to state after the fire, whether the works would be rebuilt or not.

Charles Wible, of Mount Pleasant, is superintendent, L. E. Smith of Chicago, and Earl Gilchrist, of Mount Pleasant, are the two heaviest stockholders. After the fire, workmen removed molds from the ruins and it was found that they can be used again. The plant has been in operation for two or three years. The insurance on the plant was carried by J. J. Wirsing and Son.

 
 
  On Saturday morning, April 3, 1913, the former Anchor Glass plant burned from one end to the other, with only a steel frame visible. That same afternoon, at a hurried meeting, the directors decided to rebuild immediately because there was little damage to the tanks. The employees returned to their jobs within ten days, and until a new roof and building was erected, worked in the open with straw hats and in shirt sleeves. 

It was on May 15, 1913, exactly six weeks after the Anchor Company fire that the Searchlight plant was burned to the ground. The citizens of Mt. Pleasant, fearing that the industry might leave town for lack of fire protection, raised eight hundred dollars to build a water pipe line and two fire hydrants to the factory site.