Bozeman avant courier. [volume] (Bozeman, Mont.) 1872-1882, 1874-09-25
INCENDIARY FIRES.
Five Attempts to Fire une OA'S
Last Night.
rrrem the Helena HeI al, 2lsta.J

Five Attempts to Fire the CA'S
Last Night.
-U~-
| rTrem the Helena Iei al, 2lstd.1
The fire alarm was ruEg forth from TN
] tower last night between the hours OF II a".
II o'clock. and the Fire Department and CIT
zens spring to arms quickly, and as quickly
auenched the flames without serious d:mase
to property. Before the people hao agar
sought comfortable repose. second a'ar"
was sounded, which second cause u a'ara
was also subdued BY copious application o
water. Not many minutes thereafter thirt
fra was discovered under rapid Roadway
and this vas also, after some delay, extln
guisl,ed. Two other incipicnt fires were
kindIed in Ahe town. which were smotheree
wi, hout material damage. With the above
exceptions we have no fires or attempts
thereat to chronicle, except the one ut the
Hot Springs, which last enc diei out Only
when the building in which it was set was
entirely consumed. This is total OF oh's
six fires in one night, but We have II 10 rec"r'
that our own residents and the hundreds OF
the outside people of the Territory now here
have had the cheek to find deal OF faul'
about these little eccentricities OF certain par
ties. We have taken some pains to investi'
gate the causes of these several attempts to
burn the city, and We here give them In de'
tail.
The first fire was in the loft of w. G. Bal
ley's jewelry store, situated ON Main street,
few doors above Broadway. 1t was Inc WORK
Of an incendiary. and was most diabollcaI
attempt to again destroy the main business
portion of Helena, it being situated in the
centre of the largest section OF frame build
ing in the city. An examination this morn
ing showed that the incendiary had entered
the lof: from Jackson street with gunny
sack filed with combustibies soaked with
kerosene oil. and also with .'loose" gallon
or two of the same material, with which he
saturated the inside Of the root sufficient or
dinariy to have started fire difficult to con-
troll, Lnt which the early discovery thereof.
and previous dampness. overcame. Loss.
about $4,000.
Fire No. was sisnal!ed by the Waterman
about halt past one this morning-or about
two hours after the inception of the first-it
Il dwelling on Broadway between Mr.. Par
chen's and John Watson's residences, Which
building was unoccupict at the time. This
fire WIS started IN the most desirable place
tor speedy destruction of the main resident
portion Of tie town. and was evidently pre-
pared with dcliberatiOn. In this. as IN the
/. rmer attempt. kerosene oil was freely usc',
Il cupboard in tie back Kitchen being the re-
ceptacfe Of material saturated with the same.
which cupboard was nearly CONSUMED, and
The ceilings nicely warmed up before it conld
he extinguisl,cd. The damage b. this ser-
onl fire was abnnt $500.
At about a quarter past two. just as the
lire department had got their engine and par
,phernalia housed. the Court House was dis
covered on fire, and the people were this
line brought out hastily, And each individual
person Of the thousands who turned out
.huw.d determination to conquer the
lanes and leave Helena intact. 1t required
.uperhuman exertions from all to keep the
ire confined until the engine got to playing
upon it. but it was done, and the building
.IVcu. III WIS tUuu dttctnpt Tic SduiC NEW
enc oil man seemed to have governed, and
he closet under the rfght-hand stairway v As
he receptacle. Had this fire escaped obser-
'ation five minutes longer the Court House.
oget,icr with all of the records and archives
# Lewis and Clarke county would have now
,ecn among the things Of the past.
The citizens about this time thought they
would '.look little out" and from o'clock
Until dayligli: q patrol of 100 men guarded
lie town. In this interim two more attempts |
o fire the town were k,hwarted-on of them |
n Clore street and tn. other back of Hotter |
,ros.' block-in both Of which kerosene was |
scd.
The horrors OF the night were thought to |
c about over, when in came a messenger
nd reported that the Hot Springs House had
cen Set on fire. and the billiard hall, saloon
uildlng. large stock of liquors, fixtures.
tc.. had ''gone up tho spout" from an incen-
iarism. all Of which occurred at about three
CLOCK this morning. The loss to Mr.. Good.
er and to Mr.. Wasswciler was, altogether,
bout $50
We understand that three Or more persons
gainst whom strone suspicious exist. are
nder surveillance. and may find themselves
J arrest before another day. The people are
determined to find out the gang.
nd if they are gotten hold Of they will Oe
kelly to suffer the penalty OF their crimes in
summary manner.