Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1897-11-20
LONDON FIRE UNDER CONTROL.
100 Warehouses are Destroyrd-Loss VIII
Reach $4,000, Fircmen VIII
be Occupied Several Days.

London, Eng, Nov. 19.-For four
hours and half the flames had their
own way, and it was only after more
than hundred engines had worked an
hour that the chief of the fire brigade
sent out the signal that the fire wgs
under control. At II o'clock tonight
the fire is still the scene of great ex-
element, Fifty engines are playing
upon the ruins, wagons are hulrying
up and tons of water are poaring into
the fiery debris.
Thousands of people are trying to
penetrate the Gordon maintained by
thousand policemen. reinforcements for
whom were hurried up when. soon after
& o'clock, an increase in the outbreak
led Commander Wells to make u re-
QUESTION for more engines upon the
outlying stations. The scene must oc-
cupy the fire brigade for several days,
especially In view of the grave danger
of the collapse of the shells of build
ings which fail now and again with a
loud report.
1t is officially reported that 1850 ware
houses have been Quilted. A later esti-
mate of the damage done places the
amount at nearly five million pounds.
Nearly all the British fire insurance
companies are involved, and fire insur-
ance stocks were practically unstable
on the stock exchange yesterday after
noon Friday after the fire was well
under way. Nearly 800 telephone wires
have been cut, thus interrupting COM
munication with many of the big
provincial towns.
The confusion In the streets increased
as the fire spread. Suddenly there was
an explosion of gas meters, sounding
like the reports of field guns, followed
by momentary hush. After that the
wild rushing here and there was re-
sumed with increased energy Men
risked their lives in desperate efforts
to save day books, ledgers, feathers,
jewelry. valuable chinaware etc. One
man actually hazarded his life to fetch
his hat and cane. 200 feet of stonework
and glass falling at his heels as he
emerged from the building.
Several hremen We're almost buried
In the burning ruins as front after
front of the flamir~ warehouses fell i'm.
hurting tons Of brick and masonry into
the streets, bursting and cutting the
IRE hose in all directions. while tons
of fiery matter We're falling In every
direction. making 1t impossible to fore
see where the conflagratiOn would stop.
as roof after roof caught fire and win
dow frames all about the scene began
to smoke.
As the afternoon wore on the dense
crowds were still further enlarged. un-
I'll 1t was estimated that many hun
dreds Of thousands OF people surround
ed the big fire. These excited masses
of humanity had to be constantly
pressed back by the police, us the area
of the fire-swept spot increased in size
BY dusk the picture presented was
extremely brilliant. Four streets were
blazing on both sides, and there was
plenty to interest the gambling spirit
of the onlookers, in betting as Ia
whether or not the venerable tower of
st. Giles church could stand the hail
of sparks and burning fragments with
which 1t was enveloped. The red
ilames from every point shone out
against the black sky, and through the
widespread mass Of dull, leaden
smoke unged with tongues of yellow
fire, and here and there. where the fire
had subsidized somewhat. the street
burners and glass frames blazed with
big Jets from the open pipes, mon
ster danger torches.
-Four o'clock Saturday morning.-A
very large force OF flremen and about
twenty engines have been working
at high pressure all night, The dis
trict ruvaged includes part Of Aus
tralian avenue, Paul's alley, Cripple
Gate churchyard, Wood street square,
Monkwell street, and is bounded by
Aldersgnte street, Redcross, Maiden
head court and Bradford avenue.
The fire will cause an enormous ad-
vance in the price OF ostrich feathers,
which rose 30 per cent last evening |
friday. Two feather firms alone have |
lost e15.000 sterling (S7j0OO)