Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-10-31
LOCAL LINES.
The Old Santa Monica Depot
Destroyed.
A LARGE WAREHOUSE BURNED.
A Freight Train Leaves the Track.
A Large COntract-The
Board of Health.

serious fire broke out in the huge ware
house of the Los Angeles Storage, Com
mission and Lumber Company, of which
Councilman Horace Hitler is President
and Mr.. J. j. Woodwork Secretary.
This building has quite history, having
been the first depot of the Los Angeles
and Independence Railroad Company.
1t was built in 1875 by Senator J. P.
Jones and Colonel R. S. Baker, and was
known as "Jones' Folly" 1t was in this
building that the passengers for Santa
Monica took the cars. The Los Angeles
and Independence Railroad was finished
in 1875 and the first train ran in December
Of that year. In 1873 the road passed into
the hands of the Southern Pacific people,
and later on it was purchased by the
present company for a warehouse. The
spacious grounds on San Pedro, near
Fifth street, have been filed with piles
Of lumber, and the huge building has
been occupied as warehouse for the
storage OF doors and sashes belonging to
the California Door Company, and Of
lime, cement, paint, etc., belonging to
the Los Angeles Storage and Commits
sion Company.
The fire last night started when no one
was near, 80 far as known, and even the
night watchman did not know of it until
the flames were seen issuing from the
direction of the engine room. By some
it was supposed that tramp had set fire
to the building, but there was nothing to
prove this, and the supposition
was based on the fact that
only the night before tramp
had been discovered in the building with
bottle of whisky under his head and a
bundle of matches in his pocket. The
only person in the building 80 far as
known when the fire started was Jimmy
Carlton, teamster in the employ of the
company. He was in the Office, and was
startled by hearing the breaking of glass
in the warehouse. He ran out to see
what the matter was, and found the
building full of smoke and brisk blaze
in the part of the building nearest the |
engine room. He then turned in the
alarm, which was sounded in a very
much mixed manner from the bell on
the hill. AS many az five different num-
bers were rung. and in the meanwhile
the fire seized on the dry material and
spread 80 rapidly that by the time the
engines reached the spot there was
little hope of saving the build
ing. There was scarcity OF
water hydrants, and the department
worked to disadvantage but the men
prevented the fire from taking hold of
the lumber piles in any great degree.
The water seemed to have no effect on
the flames issuing from the building
and box-car standing on a side track
was burned with its contents, consisting
of sashes. Other cars which stood on
the switches were hauled away in time
to prevent their burning. The heat at
the height of the fire was intense and
several buildings across the street were
scorched, but their owners managed by |
keeping them wet down and covered
with wet carpets to prevent them from
catching. The fremen were forced to |
play on the fire from behind doors
which they stood between them and the
flames, and the police who were there
to preserve good order had little trouble
in keeping the people, Of whom there
were thousands present, at sufficient
distance to enable the firemen to work
without interference. Two streams were
kept constantly playing on the lumber
on the east side OF the building, and the
lumber, being mostly redwood, did not
suffer very greatly. A few thousand
feet were slightly burned, but the loss
was confined mostly to the building.
The fire burned fiercely for over an hour
before it was completely under control,
and it was two hours before any of the
engines were relieved.
Mr.. Woodwork, who just returned
from trip through the country yester-
day, said that the loss amounted to about
$l00, 600, on which there was very little
insurance, but just how much he could
not tell. The building was valued at
$4,000, the car and contents at $4 900,
and the balance of the stock burned at
about $4,000. The books of the COM
pany were saved by the early arrivals
upon the scene, but there was no oppor-
tunity to save any of the stock in the
building, which was heap of ruins
at 10 O'Clock when the light died out and
the crowd departed.