Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1890-07-18

A LATER ACCOUNT.
NEW YORK, July Is.-The West
ern Union Telegraph building
caught fire at : O'Clock this morning.
The distributing room on the iiftH
floor, the OperatiEg room on the floor
above, the Associated Press rooms,
aud the restaurant on the ninth
floor, are completely destroyed.
I seven lives were miraCulJusly
saved. \ few minute before
O'Clock the operators began 10 ar
rive 10 go 10 wu-'z. About fifty men
! and young women had reached the
I operating room. The messenger
boy saw pufls Of smoke under the
table in thedistributing room, ON the
I floor below the operating rO1TI. lie
] scarcely hal time 10 investigate the
cause when the wooden table vas ia
! hames and the fire spreading with
Z lightning rapility. He rushed up
the stains 10 notify the new arrivals
that the building was on fire.
They were compelled to 20 through
the distributing room 10 get down
stairs. y panic was the result.
The women screamed, and the men
rushed peil-mell downstairs To g.
cape the flames, which in less than
two minutes spread almost over the
entire distributing room. burning
Ip the wires. instruments anu tau!eS
rs II they were So much finder.
The entire room was filed with
dense, Sitting smoke. The panic
stricken employees fell over each
other in their wild efforts 10 reach
= place Of safety. By this time the
flames had reached the ceiling of
the distributing room and were eat
ing their way through the operating
room, where tine Instruments that
connect with the wires which dis
iriuute the news throughout the
country are located. In less time .
than it takes 10 tell this entire il1ur
was ahlaze, and the flames were cx- /
tending 10 the floor above. ON which I
the Western Union C0mpany's .
restaurant j. located. There were
four men and three women cooks l
ami walters IN the restaurant who I.
had been
FORGOTTEN ~ TIE EXCITEMENT. {
All means 10y this time had beeu /
cut OF whereby these persons could 4
escape. They were not aware OF 7
their pe!ii until the smoke rushed .
up the stairway leading from H.,
operating room m volumes. one OF /.
the men, finding no visible means .
Of escape downward, rushed for tine
Scuttle hole in the roof. The trap
door was pushed of, ami the prison
er- climbed 10 the roof.
The flames were shooting out OF
the front windows and voiumus Of
smoke pulled hcavcnwari. when (
the great crowds on the streets saw
the men and women rush out on
the roof, a cry Of horror went w.
for 1t did not seem possible that they .
could he recovered. Tine women
screamed aud wFuug their hands.
and the yelled For Gods sake.
do something 20 save us,'' \ long
lIudUr was placed against Tn. rear
OF the building, bat il did not reach
within fifty feet Of the
ROOF. Undauutel, however. two
lremeu sealed The ladder and
threw = rope up. 10 was caught
and tied BY one Of The brave girls.
The fremen pulled themselves up (
hand over hand, until they reached (
the top, anu amid the cheers Uf the
thousands below they let the seven I
down 10 places Of SAFETY. 1t was ac-
complished just in time. for the
fames Immediately burSt up through
tHe ODrnice and syUu cnvcio;e,l the
roof. The tower Of the bui!dius
was caught up by the flames.
The entire upper part Of the
building was Quilted and every in
slrumcnt was rendered useless.
How the fire originated 10 one
seems TO know positively, but it j.
suImised that two electric Iigh,
wires became crossed, first setting
the flooring on iiEe.