Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1892-03-25
.EglEsf3L0NS
V-7zzS s'i el-.lC-lD
a elo coal FIRE.
The Scene ON san Francisco wharf
That Suggested the Inferno.

That Suggested the Inferno.
For nearly two weeks the bunsers Of
the Pacific Rolling mills at the Petrero
have been like the hell which Milton
describes in Paradise Lost" Thou
sands and thousands Of tons Of foreign
coal had been heaped in theae twenty
year-old. seventy feet high buildings for
time that Is forgotten by even the
workmen there Three months ago the
men began to talk ominously of ''steam'
that was creeping out of the huge piles
and old men who had been on tramp
colliers at sea shook their heads wiii a
dubious wag. Twelve days ago the
flames burst out in the northern bunker
These bunkers are only hinge sheds
with rails built along just under the
roof. over which cars are wheeled t.
convey the coal TO the dumps. In the
northern bunker the coal was piled forty
and fifty feet high, till it reached to the
car rails and the top stringers.
A hundred carts were put on when
the fight began TO remove the coal IT,
safer places. The fireboat Governor Ir
win was set Gle 3 TO the wharf to play
streams Of water night and day. 1t was
hard and long fight, but the fire wa
finally driven into the northwestern
corner Of the bunker.
Wednesday night was an exciting tim'
for the worn out men who had Carried
away 5000 tons of coal in their G,rts
and were threatened with death on the
eve of victory. The gaunt pillars that
support the structure were weakened by
burning, and the dilapidated roof sag. red
in dozen different spots, ready 20 fall
without moments warning. Tic cleo
trio lights hung like faint stars shining
through fog. The roaring Of the mills.
the shouts Of the bosses who were driving
the gangs Of shoyelers at the glowing
masses of coal, the cries of the men
struggling with the writhing OF hose
above, were all picture for the FAINTER
of the hideous.
Every one was in a hurry, for there
was adult, ominous roar in the middle
of all the smoke and mingling Of stiAed
lights There was little use in try ing to
see the fire from the ground the heavy
vapor was too thick. But on top Of the
adjoining loft there were things TO see.
1t took perilous climb up ricke;y lad
der, with its first four steps burned away,
TO get there, but reporter made the
trip under the guidance of Fireman
Michael Barry.
There were holes burned through the
floor of the loft, and through these holes
six men dropped during ten days The
last who went fell TO break two ribs on
Monday night. He fell on the red hot
coal too, and three men were brave
enough TO jump for him. The shoes
were burned off Of them
Creeping along through the nauseat-
ing gas and cloud, there was only safety
in clutching the guides hand, for every
few feet were the holes, and only col
umns OF fog whittier than the rest showed
danger TO the practiced eye.
At last one of the trainways was
reached, and threading narrow
stringer over chasm Of fire and vile
vapor, tho men could be seen tearing
away the fiery Goals far below.
"It's been u tough pull. said Barry,
"and Saturday night ii'lu't see how
they'd save anything. .Ir can see how
this building has gone la Look Mt that
stringer over therel Why. | was stand
ing on it at o'clock in tho morning
with two men behind me. | had the
nozzle and two fellows were holding
up the hose to help me guide it. All Of
sudden tho stringer went smash, but
just slow enough to let the two men
backing me drag hard and pull up to
the track.
"Some say II was foolish to play water
on lot of coal like this, and perhaps 1t
was. When heavy stream OF water
drives into pile of coal it sends all the
fine siftings down to the bottom, 30 that
the heavy Jumps get a good draft
through them that keeps the fire going.
"For awhile the gas up here was aw-
full. AT first they wouldn't let us mako
holes in the roof 80 that we could reach
tho top of the fire, but when we had to
climb up and look for two inen that were
lying almost smothered from the gas
they thought il was time to smash in the
roof, 30 now you can see and breathe
better than we did some of those nights
last week. Then men left this roof in
the morning so sick thoy couldn't eat till
night, just from the poison they got in
the gas"
No fire engine could be taken 10 tho
scene adyantageously, and the fireboat
Irwin had TO furnish nearly all the water
used In the battle, San Francisco Ex-
aminer.