The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-06-12

| occurred Superintendent Hartman was
out on the Wichita and Western and
| on his way home yesterday morning
he received kilograms informing him
OF the details of the fire the results
!summoned up, not varying from the
| ceiyed exclusively by the Eagle yes
terday morning at 1:30 O'Clock.
The following are the details taken
from the Arkansas City Traveller:
| Last night between II and IL O'Clock
our citizens were awakened from their
slumbers by the horrible shrieking OF
| the fire whistles accompanied by the
mournful sounds made by the whistles
on engines and the big machine shop
whistle at the Santa Fee yards. They
| kept up such a din that everybody real
| lied that there was a big fire in pro-
gresS and so ii turned out to be. II
was the burning of the Santa Fe round
| house. machine shops. blacksmith shop
| tool room, two store rooms and air
| room.
| It was at lunch hour that the fire
| was discovered and the alarm was
given at II Is o'clock. The night force
had gathered in the round house cir
Gle to eat. Some had commenced and
others were getting ready. Alfred
Weddle, we are informed, was the first
| to discover the fire. He had just sat
bucket when he heard an explosion,
and looking in the direction of the
sound saw the flames. In an instant
the alarm was given and every man
was up and at work trying to do some
thing to put out the fire or prevent its
spreading. But their work was I'M
availing and the flames spread very
rapidly and in five or ten minutes the
entire round house was enveloped in
flames. Everything in the round house
was oiled soaked and the tarred roof
of the building caused the flames to
run over the entire building in short
order. driving the men out.
A definite origin of the fire is not
known. There are two theories talked
of. One is that some of the workmen
IN filling their torches at the coal oil
hank met with an accident and in at
tempting to rub his torch out on the
floor set the oil on fire. The other is
that the fire was the result of an ex-
plosion of gas, which accumulates in
the air pipes from the burning of coal
in the manufacture Of coke. Which is
correct Is not known at this writing.
The small Oil tank stands in the north
west corner of the round house very
near the stationary pump. For this
reason the men were unable to use the
pump in throwing water onto the
flames as they were all around 1t in a
tWinkling and the hose were burned in
a very short time.
The force at work in the offices heard
distinctly two slight explosions, little
louder than would be made by railroad
torpedoes, and for this reason it is gen.
orally believed that the fire was started
by the explosion of the oil tanks.
The city fire department turned out
promptly, but they did not have hose
enough to reach to the round house
from the nearest plug and were COM
PEELED to return.
The night force in the yards did no.
BILE work. Five engines standing across
the turn tables were run over and
saved, four of them being pushed over
by hand.
The sight was magnificent one, II
It could be appreciated, and hundreds
OF our citizens were in the yards to wit
ness it. The blazing round house, the
of the other buildings cut
in ebony against the fiery background.
the rattle and rumble Of cars being
pulled to places of safety, the rusd and
whistle and work of the switch engines. !
combined with the pillar of smoke and |
fire ajestically rolling upward, made |
a picture that was at once grand and |