Gorman Wheel Company in Oxford Nearly Destroyed by Fire, July 12, 1924

Oxford Plant Was Nearly Destroyed by Fire Yesterday. . . $40,000 Damage Done to Gorman Wheel Company. . . No Lives Were Lost. . . One Member of the Oxford Fire Department Was Overcome by Intensive Heat

Oxford, July 12—One of the largest fires that have visited Oxford in many months was experienced today when the Gorman Wheel Company was practically destroyed by a fire of unknown origin. the damage is estimated at about $40,000.

The fire alarm was sounded at 12:30 p.m., and when the firemen reached the scene the west end of the plant was a roaring furnace. The fire, which is thought to have caught in the southwest corner of the main floor of the plant spread with fury until the whole of the main building was a seething furnace. The rapid work of the firemen prevented the office and the room next to the boiler room from catching fire. The firemen though working under a handicap of low water pressure confined the flames to the main building. There was a considerable amount of raw and partly finished materials together with machinery destroyed. It is estimated that there was more than $2,000 worth of finished products ready for shipment. The damage was partly covered by insurance.

All the employees had left the plant, and so far as can be learned no one was at the plant when the fire started. Lee C. Taylor, a member of the Oxford fire department, was overcome by the intense heat. With this exception there were no casualties.

From page 2 of the Durham Morning Herald, Sunday, July 13, 1924