The record-union., 1894-04-19
Yesterdays DISASTROUS FIRE.
The Gas Company's Valuable Electric
Plant Burned.
Loss, Outside of Insurance, About
15o,OO0-street Cars Tempo
rarily stopped.

The city has been for a number of years
free from such disastrous fires as are of
general inconvenience or loss to the COM
munity.
Yesterday, however, one happened,
which, while the direct loss will fall only
on one corporation, will entail loss on
another, as well as loss and great lncon-
venience TO the public generally.
Shortly after o'clock in the morning
an alarm was turned in from Second and
@ streets, and the fire department.
promptly responded. 1t proved to be the
electrical works of the Capital Gas Com
pany that was on fire.
From men who were in the works at
the time it was learned that the fire be-
gan in the southeast corner of the build
ing and was supposed to have started
from the crossing of two wires belonging
10 the street-car system. Although the
building was brick one, the inside por-
tions were of wood. This had become
largely saturated with the Oil used on the
machinery and was very infiammable.
Those who were engaged about the ma
chinery had to almost run for their lives.
In two minutes from the time the ire
a mass of seething flames.
Quickly as the fire department was on
the ground the flames had full sway be-
fore they arrived. For nearly three hours
they worked like beavers and fought the
flames until 10 O'Clock, when the whistle
at the Water Works announced the fire
out. The brave fellows were nearly eX-
hausted before they could rest from their
labors in the hercest fight they have had
for years.
Yardmaster Martin Halloran had seen
the dense column of smoke rising TO the
sky, and, fastening down on a switch
engine, he ascertained what was the mat
ter. Back flew the iron horse to the
yard and in the shortest possible time the
crew of the Southern Pacific fire train
were at the scene, under the direction of
owen Pendergast, who was assisted by
Charles Leinberger. They worked man
fully in assisting the fire laddies, and
finding that the engine-room was doomed,
turned their attention successfully TO
keeping the fire out of the boiler-room.
Fortunately there was a brick wall be-
tween the fire and the boiler-room and
the six large boilers there escaped injury
entirely, the engineer putting out his
fires and emptying his boilers as soon as
the fire started, and his men sticking
manfully to him. The two big Corliss
engines, the marine engine and one other
$4,000, are probably ruined by the in
tense heat. Besides this, there We're
twenty-four dynamos, and also four large
generators for running the street cars.
These were destroyed, with other ma
chinery. The loss will amount to over
Sl50,000, besides the insurance, which is
1000.
The use of the 175 horsepower engine
at the New Pavilion was at once rendered
to the company, the power it can furnish
being sufficient TO light the streets.
Fortunately the moon will be full to-day,
giving time to fix up plant for lighting
the streets before the dark nights come.
The electrician, Mr.. Aiken, says that
the fire came out from behind the switch
board, but it is not certain just what
caused it. The rapidity with which the
flames spread may be judged when it is
stated that the building is l00Xl50 feet,
and that the whole interior was in flames
SO quickly that the men had some diff
Guilty in escaping. Mr.. Aiken's wrist
was burned and he also lost his hat and
coat, which he had not time to get. 4
platform ran along the east side of the
building, and one of the men, who was
near the middle, had to jump in order to
save himself. He had no time even to
run to the other end and escape. An en-
ploye who had hung up his coat with S75
in it, had no time to get it, and it was de-
stroyed.
Finding that an ordinary stream could
not reach the center of the large building
where the engines were, Chief Engineer
Guthrie, who had attached one hose to a
fire-plug at the Pioneer Box Factory and
another TO the plug at the gas works, used
for the first time the ''Siamese Twins
coupling, which is shaped somewhat like
pair of trunks and allows two hose to
be coupled on one end and one on the
other.
This unites the two streams in one.
giving it the united force and volume OF
both, and it worked admirably. Straight
into the center of the seething, roaring
flames shot a column of water, and al
+ most instantly the effect was apparent
I and the fire was soon under partial con-
troll.
Unfortunately for the gas company
less than a year Sgo they formed the ides
of bringing the machinery down from
the old works on Sixth street and setting
them up near the new plant, in or0er tC
hold them in reserve If the first broke
down. AS consequence everything is
destroyed, without present remedy. The
tender of the engine at the new Pavilion
to the company cannot be utilized as
there is not a dynamo in the city of suf-
ficient size to light the streets. The
company, however, has lost no time, and
has ordered new dynamos from Portland
to be forwarded as soon as possible, both
for the lights and the street cars.