Morning journal and courier., 1891-09-23
\ DESTRUCTIVE BLAZE.

AhOuBan0 DOllAIS OsAHA- age Done the J. Gibb Smith Build- ings-Or1gin of the Fire Unknown The Watchman,s Story. At about il: 80 last evening Joseph Carr was driving with companion from Belle dock along Water street when he saw the sheds in the rear of J. Gibb Smiths saw mill blazing up in flames. He jumped from his carriage and ran into the No. 7. hose house next door, yelling out that Smiths shop was afire. The men rushed for their hose, and before the alarm had gone out vigorous stream of water was playing on the flames. At 11:40 o'clock 6 general alarm of fire had gone out over the city.
 The first companies that arrived on the spot made no headway against the con- aagration The first alarm was immedi- ately followed by the second and engine 5, truck 8 and steamer 8 came to the help of the five com panies already on the scene. Meanwhile the confagration was making tremendous headway and threatened to take in the en- tire yards of the sawmill The Gibb Smith works extend back 300 feet in an elongated rectangle from the south side of Water street. The entire line of sheds to the rear of the shop to the south of which the spur track runs were illuminated with sheets of flame that arose from 8 shed at the south western end and spread with incredible rapidity along the roof of the moulding building to the north and the remaining sheds and horse barns towards the east. Hose No. 7 ran down the passage to the left ot the shop and poured vast quantities of water on the barn, which was burning very hay. The horses had been previously taken out by the night watchman.
 The first engine to arrive was No. 3. They took the alley to the right of the es- tablishment and struck the center of the fire. A store room in the rear was filled with shavings. A big pile of lumber adjoining the store room had taken ablaze and made magnificent spectacle. The reflection of the overleap- ing flames could be seen miles away. All the firemen worked heroically. In about about fifteen minutes after the alarm the innumerable streams of water playing on the roofs and sides had checked the flames and vast column of steam arose from the charred and blackened buildings. The | barn was saved from total destruction only with the greatest difficulty.
 Just as the condagration in the back of the shops began to subside, thick jets of smoke commenced to issue from the long building of the moulding depart ment which lies just back of Water street. In 8 moment tongues of fire burst from the windows | and shot out into the air through the | to quench the confagration. The whole | length of the shop almost from the street | to the tracks was mass of steaming clouds without, and of sullen, smoldering | timbers within, the fire of which anon would break forth in fierce efforts to be | free.
 For nearly an hour, until o'clock, the fireman worked terribly hard and without avail as far as the interior of the building was concerned After considerable delay the marshal ordered the sheds to be cut down wholesale. By 1:15 the entire side facing the spur was nearly torn down and the water poured into the source and cen ter of the confagration. The roof of the moulders shop was half broken through, and after the fremen had obtained access to the inside it was comparatively easy to extinguish the smouldering remains. At 80 the second alarm companies were called in, and shortly after 2:15, when the return sounded, every fire steamer had left the scene.
 THE wATcHMAN's STORY.
 Adolf Cooling, the night watchman, g tells the following story of the fire: "At Il o'clock went on my usual rounds all over the shop and and looked into the horse barn and sheds. Everything was all right. I returned to the front office and sat there half an hour, at the end of which time got up to go out again. I opened the door to the shop and my dog sniffed and gave loud bark the work-room was filled with suffocating smoke. ran down to the barn and saw two sheets of flame creeping swiftly ikt two cats along the sheds and northwarc toward the moulders shop. The barn wal sea of flames. 1 went in and as fast as knew how unloosened MT. Smiths eigh horses, which were badly fright ened. One of them gave ms fire was burning. Fortunately the No. hose came just then and played exactly where happened to be- i escaped witt clothes somewhat burnt and my hands art severely blistered. I think the fire is o1 incendiary origin, as it would be almos impossible for confagration arising iron natural causes to gain such headway in st short space of time.
 l AN ESTIMATE OF THE LOSS.
 There was between s20,0O0 and $25, 5,O0( worth of lumber stored in the lumber sheds. President J. Gibb Smith of thu company says this is an almost total loss due fully as much to water as to fire.
 The lumber was kiln-dried and is utter ly unfit for sale. Besides this 1t will tax, several thousand dollars to repair the dam ages to the buildings, the roofs of whicl were badly eaten by flame and the side' cut open by the fremen. $25, ,000 is a con servative estimate of the damage.
 Mr. Smith is insured to the amount O. $1OO,OOO in twenty-five American an6 European companies, most of the orders being placed with Charles Wilson, Jon c Bradley and James Cannon of New Haven The directors doubt the incendiary theory of the fires origin.
 Hon. Henry s. Barbour.