Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1894-02-16
A Morrow Escape Has Bismarck
From q Severe Searching By
Fierce Flames.
Fire Destroys the Livery Barn For
merly Occupied by Malloy
and Stoyell.
Fire Boys do Some Fine Work, and
Confne the Flames to the
One Building.
A Blaze.

. O'CLOCK ur0 OrlSluACeO III n very mlO'
die of a block, whose sweeping clean, SO
have said wiseacres, was but q matter OF
time, as to when the first fire should
originate within its limits. But the ex-
periences of last night proved the error
of these predictions. And it also proved
that the members of the Bismarck fire
department are worth their weight in
gold, and it would have been difiult last
night to find anyone interested in the
welfare Of the city to challenge this ap-
praisal of their value.
The fire originated in the rear END of
the old Malloy & Stoyell livery stable,
owned by G. B. Little. From the man
ner in which the flames burst forth, and
almost Immediately e%nveloped the end
of the building,l lit looks as though the
origin Of the blaze was incendiary, and
such seems to be the opinion of those
who we're first on the scene. The time
of the discovery of the blaze was favor
able, as the departments were on the
ground almost before the alarm was
generally given. Lines of hose were laid
but the hydrant on the corner of Main
and Fourth, to which the hose was con-
nected, refused to act. It was used
several mornings ago, on the occasion of
the Brady fire, and had not been prop.
erly drained. Another line was laid to
a hydrant d%iagonally across the block,
and there was a delay of several minutes
before a stream of water could be
brought to bear on the blazing building,
the end of which was by this time totally
enveloped in flames. This Roadway
gained by the fire, made the work of the
firemen the harder. The heat which de-
veloped made it necessary for them to
turn their attention to half a dozen
buildings, which soon began to smoke
suspiciously, and otherwise give evidence
OF the effect of the heat upon them.
Those who are familiar with the in
terror of the square, can fully appreciate
the danger. The origin of the blaze
was at the very edge of the alley. In
all directions from it, and distant only a
few feet, are a number of barns and out
buildings, all dry as finder, and all of
them threatening to burst forth in
flames at any time. Streams of water
had, from time to time, to be taken from
the fire proper, and directed in turn
upon these adjacent barns, to prevent
their catching from the communicated
heat. This was important, not because
the value of the barns was such as to
render their salvation important, but
their burning meant the probable COM
munication of flames to the long row of
frame buildings on Main street, and this
was what the fremen labored to avoid.
And or the Fourth street side of the
block, was another and more threatening
source of danger. The burning barn
was hanked On either side by a row of
frame buildings. On one side, with
hardly a foot of space between it and
the flames, was the Ste,ber laundry, a
low, frame building, dry as a chip, and
already smoking th%reateningly. On the
other side, is the building formerly &C.
cupted by Swenson, another frame build
ing, two stories in height, and in like
dangerous location. Next to this, are
two more frame buildings, and finally at
the end of the block, Kupitz's grocery.
All of these different sources of danger
required attention. Firemen had to be
omniscient and omnlpresent, to appreci-
ate the different sources of danger, and
offer opposition in the different places
where danger made its appearance.
But the boys worked like Trojans and
without a hitch. All of their combat
with the flames was carried on system
atically and advantageously. Two
streams upon the burning barn quenched
the ardor of the flames to a relieving ex-
tent, and another upon the adjacent
barns across the alley kept the heat from
communicating. Ladders we're run up,
n men upon the top Of the buildings
on either side Of the barn fought the fire
back at every point. It seemed an
almost impossible task to confne the
flames to the one building, situated as
it was in a row Of dry, frame structures.
But it has come to the belief OF the
people of the city, that nothing is impos.
sible for the, tiremen to accomplish.
And the flames we're battled with, sub.
dued, and finally extinguished without
damaging to any extent any other build
ing than the one in which they origin.
ated.
It was as pretty a piece Of work as ia
often seen. A thousand people watched
the struggle for supremacy between fire
and water, and hailed with gladness the
victory Of the latter element. For a
time the battle appeared to be in doubt,
Every move Of the firemen was watched
with bresthless interest. It was prob.
ably as exciting . fire 8 has happened
in the city in 9 number Of years. And