The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-02-03

| that came from the crowd saved the
lives of several good firemen, for real
lzing their imminent danger they tum-
| bled hastily from the ladder-way, sew
eral of them being severely shocked as
it happened.
ASSISTANT CHIEF DONOVAN.
Another moment of paralysis and
then Assistant Chief Donovan, recog-
nizing that Devine had gone to pieces
ordered up a ladder against the front
of the three story Trust building next
door and ascending to the front, drew
up another and placed it against the
north wall of the burning building AID
climbing this support, brought the
hysterical woman TO the ground. She
was Miss 4. c. Smith.
THE RESCUE CHEERED.
Donovan's gallant rescue was che, cred
to the echo. 1t was the solitary in
stance of common sense during The
whole fire. Ali of this. however, used
up quarters of an hour of Tina
and in the meantime the blaze had
spread to the front of the building.
For another half hour two streams of
water were played against the front
of the building on the plate glass Win
( dows, none of it penetrating to the in
terror and therefore accomplishing no
bath, the water running down the front
wall and off the sidewalk.
CHIEF PAUL TAKEN A HAND.
Chief Paul became exasl Grated over
the misera bic showing and d1rTcted his
officers to break the windows by firing
into them. Over 100 rounds of am
nunition were used before enough
glass was punctured to give before the
force of the water.
THE POWDER MAGAZINE.
In the rear of the block where the
powder magazine of George NJ. Scott
& Co. is situated, the fire was always
at its greatest height. One inadequate
stream was poured into the windows,
but from the roof of Main street
building. From the alley Just back
of the magazine, the interior of the
block presented a seething mass of
fame, rapidly approaching the rear
wall The magazine had already be-
come heated and little puffs of smoke
were curling from its iron-girded
frame.
A STAMPEDE.
a crowd of sightseers in the alley
way blocked it in a stampede when
some insurance men warned them
condition became threatening, Devine
yielded to the solicitation of the own
ers and insurance agents and brought
another line of hose into play, but not
before everybody in the immediate vi
cinity of the place had retired, eX
pecting a terrific explosion. Had sucn
a thing occurred, the whole quarter
of the block bounding on Main and
Second South would Lave been blown
zfT n n
200 pounds of black gunpowder. but no
dynamite. These were the salient fea-
lures of the conflagration that cost
property holders some $250,000 through
the gross incompetency of one man.
AN HOUR LATE.
One hour and fifteen minutes after
the department got to work, steamer
No. drove up at a lively pace and
stood in front of the -bedecked
block for ten minutes while Devine
was settling in his mind to what uses
it should be put
There was 10 steam in the boiler, Sc
the chief instructed the boys to wheel
about and make a run for a hydrant
about 100 feet distant. 1t was stopped
up and in another half hour there was
sufficient steam TO throw a stream.
However the additional force had no
fire. The water from five nozzles
seemed merely fuel. At 2:30 O'Clock
the entire Scott store was completely
gutted and the chances for saving that
of the Galloway, Hoock & Francis es-
tablishment was not promising.
THE FIRE DISCOVERED.
At seven minutes of II o'clock r. 2.
was passing the store front
OF Geo. NJ. Scott & Co He was startled
to see what resembled a bonfire in the
middle of the floor and about the center
of the store room. His amazement
was SO great that he stood there for
about two minutes trying to realize
that the sight was not a nightmare
The blaze died away at first, but in |
another instant a column of flame |
leaped from the elevator shaft to the |
ceiling of the room. Whittemore ran |
to the drugstore on the corner of Main |
and Second South and sent in a still |
alarm over the telephone. This was
ten minutes later than two other |
alarms which had been rung in by |
Miss Powers, the only other woman oc-
cupying apartments in the block. Mr.. |
then telephOned Walker |
Brothers of the fire and returned to
witness its progress
MOFFATs ESCAPE.
At 1O:4O o'clock James w. Moffat,
Who occupies a room on the rear of
-he fourth floor of the Scott-Auerbach |
was awakened by a smother
ng sensation. He beheld flames creep
ng under his door. Hastily grabbing
l few personal effects, he rushed into I
he hallway and CROPPED through the
binding smoke and flames, but was
lorced back into his room. The win
low of his chamber was then thrown
Ip and he dropped a story to the roof
# the Joslin & Park building, and
hence by ladder to the ground Mr.
Noffat was with Treweek & Stephen
son, civil engineers. They loose maps
# surveys and other valuable draught-
ng. Not one dollar was saved.
AN ALARM FROM MISS POWERS.
Miss Minnie n. Powers was the
woman who turned into the depart
nent two successful alarms from the
ire alarm box in the hallway. She was
ne proprietor of hair dressing parlors
n room 4G2 of the Scott building. 1t
vas 1O:45 when she prepared TO retire
Noticing that the lights were out in
he hall and the place looked misty
through the transom, she opened the
oor and got strong whiff of smoke
Gathering a few dresses, she passed
own the hallway to a fire and burglar
larm box and rung two alarms. Then
he descended the stairs and went over
o the Wasatch block Miss Powers
ad just furnished her establishment
nth over $1,000 worth of materials She ]
aved a diamond pin, worth $3.50, which I
yas on her person, otherwise her loss
total.
OTHER LOSSES.