The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-04-30

! CRIPPLE CREEK, April "a fire
which broke out in the Portland hotel
shortly after noon today, destroyed about
all that was left Of Cripple Creek aftes
the great confagration of last Saturday. !,
-Four persons were killed by EXPLOSIONS
and at least fourteen injured, several OF
them fatally. !,
The flames today spread with great raj
pidity, and although strenuous efforts
were made to check the progress of thb
fire by blowing up buildings with dyna'.
mite, they proved of no avail All thh
principal business buildings are in ruins
and nothing IS left of the town proper
except the railroad stations and few
scattered houses. The IRE ragged tiercelf
all the afternoon and only died out tonighS1
for lack of fuel on which to feed.
THE BURNED DISTRICT
is as follows: Between Myers and Warren
and Second and First, one block. Meyers
to Pixies Peak avenue and between Seq
ond and &. streets, ten blocks. From ths
alley between Myers and Bennett up tb
Eaton, three and one-half blocks.
All buildings on Meyers between Second
and Third are Standing.
THE ORIGIN OF THE FIRE
appears to have been purely accidental.
though the general belief is that it was
1HCSlluldTy- lHeT6 mas DeCQ TAX OF credit
ing saturdays fire to such origin and this
one, coming so close upon it, gives rise
to suspicion. The facts appear to dis
credit the suspicion.
Frank Angel, the Portland chef. cannot
be found. Second-handed. the story is
that pan of grease on the range blazed
up and caught the greaSe-soaked boards
al the back. The entire side of the wall
was ablaZe in an instant.
Bessie Kelly, one of the mattresses.
says she had gone into the kitchen for ain
order. Lunch was being served at tie
time. She saw flames running up the
wall, and believes they came from out
SIDE the building, apparently from TIE
Chicago cafe adjoining. She rushed from
the kitchen to the Office crying "freY'
The other occupants of the kitchen had
not noticed the house to be on fire.
THE PORTLAND
was built of frame veneered brick; the
kitchen occupied the central rear portfob.
The dining room shutting it off from the
alley and row of store rooms from
Myers street. Above the kitchen was la
Well or area. The west side of the build
ing was covered with corrugated iron
ana adjoining this was Greene's Chicago
cafe, formerly known as Mack's place,
in which up stairs were lodging rooms
run by c. Trimble.
r. j. La Love, the clerk of the Porl.
land. says when the girl came out OF
the dining room they rushed I'D stairs
Kitchen There was an outside stairway
IN the area, and this was then full of
smoke and flames AS hurriedIy as pos
slble. the hotel was emptied of ifs
guests The girls who had gone up into
their rooms had scarcely time 70 get
back with safety He had no idea how
the fire started. There were nearly 80
guests in the house. Nothing was saved.
L. NJ. LIE Baron who had charge of tile
gambling rooms in the hotel, says he got
into the kitchen as soon as ne could at
ter the alarm, and his belief is that Ia
fire had been
STARTED UNDER THE HOTEL.
The hotel building was owned by T. y.
Moynahan valued the pr3-
perty at $4,000, and he carried insurance
for only 5000
The house was first leased by Peter
Edes of Denver, and sub-leased to Ben
Brewer. Moses Van Court was inter
eSted in it. Miss Butterf1eld and Peter
Edes are in litigation over it. The fur
niture was valued at $4,000, which was
probably the original cost, and the i'll
surance is reported at $1,000. OF this it
IS said 5000 is carried by Denver agea-
cies, and but $1,000 locally.
Some stress is laid on the fact that
the sub-lease of Brewer expires on My
|. The venture of the Sub-leSsee is npt
believed to have been successful. A hidh
price was paid to EdeS for its surreh-
der, and there has been disagreement
between all interested parties from the
first.
The fire department was powerlels.
The water supply held strong as long las
it could be used to any advantage, hut
the big reservoir on Church hill in the
north and above the city, was loweredito
within a few feet of the bottom by fhe