The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1882-12-15
BIG LOCAL BLAZE
TOTAL DESTRUCTION OF THE r. l. a p.
RouND-HoUsE.

Il
| Shortly before nine o'clock last evening,
while considerable wind was blowing,
| fire was discovered issuing from the round
house occupied conformity by the Rock
Island and Peoria and the Rock Island and
Mercer county railroad companies. An
| alarm was promptly sounded from the
Third ward house, and the response by
| our fire laddies was equally sharp. The
| house. which was situated near the inteisec
ton of First avenue and Fifteenth street,
was a substantial brick building. with
/ eight locomotive stalls the four on the
/ east end being for the use OF the b. |. d
P.sngines. So far as can be learned to
| day the fire originated in the second stall
| from the east. in which engine No. 5. of
| the R. l. 81 P road, was standing, and is
said to have owed its origin to the careless
| handling of oil which an employe was
drawing from barrel, Inquiry at the
Rock Island and Peoria Office this morning
neither dissipates nor confirms this re-
port.
At the time of the breaking out of the
fire
NORTHWEST WIND,
almost reaching the proportions of gale,
was sweeping across the river, and the
space intervening between il and the bluffs
aud in an almost shorter time than is re
quired to write it nearly the whole of the
interior of the building was afiame, 1t is
easy to see that if the burned building had
been located away from the river bank.
and in the midst of thickly settled neigh
borhood. goodly portion of the city
W ,uld have been in ashes this morning.
such was the fury of the wind.
In addition to No 3. R. l. & P. engine,
which was in the house at the breaking
out of the fire, there was an engine belsng
lug To the Mercer county road which had
only been run in short time and had
sufficient steam to run itself out of danger
The flrenIen made heroic efforts TO save
the r. l. & P. engine from serious damage
and kept it fairly deluged with water but
they wanted to save the building, also, if
possible therefore they abandoned the
locomotive for the time being and en-
deavored to extinguish the flames which
were roaring about them like those of an
Inferno. itself When it had. become evil
dent that all further efforts to save the
building would be futile attention was
again directed toward No. and having
attached one end of rope to it the other
end was fast ened to the Mercer County
dead" engine wouldn't bulge an inch.
Then the wat cure for the latter WAS
again resorted to until a big c. B. s. Q
engine could be obtained when the help
less on was drawn out Of the ruins, but
not before it had been damaged to the ex-
tent of about $500.
LOSSES, ETC.
The building which had for roof what
is known as truss, had been rebuilt dur
ing the past season and was reckoned
worth not far from $4,000 Its destruc-
ton was so nearly complete that only two
stalls were left unburned. With its equip
ment, but without the engines the build
ing was worth at least Sc, 600 and il is
thought that the loss is nearly covered by
insurance.
INCIDENTS.
The alarm, which consisted of bell ring |
ing. yelling and the footing of whistles of |
all grades and kinds was one of the most |
general we have had in years and every |
body was tty thoroughly startled. At |
Harper's theatre, where the Professor
was holding forth, there was considerable |
uneasiness and at one time it began to be |
whispered about that the theatre itself was |
aire. Included in the audience was Supt. |
GRANGE of the G. B. & O., who was told |
that it was the C. B. s. Q. round house |
which sent him out on the double quick. |
Fortunately there was no panic or serious |
accident anywhere as the result of the big |
gest blaze and the widest alarm which we
have had in many day