The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1898-10-06
i RUIN ] ! BY / ], FIRE !: / /; !
Colorado Springs Only Saved from
Total Destruction by Demolishing
Antlers Hotel by Dynamite.

Colorado Springs, Col, Oct. Z. Use
OF dynamite, at a critical time was the
only thing that saved Colorado Springs
from utter destruction by fire Saturday
afternoon. AS it is, practically the en-
tire business section OF the city is in
ruins, and a monetary loss footing up
between 100000 and 100000 has
dealt severe blow. to the city.
The Antlers hotel, the pride CT
Colorado, proved to be the. SAL
walton of the city, but at the cost of it's
total dismantlement. The huge struc-
ture stood in the center of a large va
cant area on the dividing line between
the business district and the residence
section. Three hours after the fire
started the hotel was being consumed
by the rapidly advancing flames. The
firemen were powerless to check them,
aided as they were by a fierce gale.
Then the order was given to blow up
the building, and in few moments the
deafening roar of dynamite sounded
it's doom and also the gradual checking
and final subduing of the fire.
The explosion of a car of powder in
the freight depot used jointly by the
Rock Island & Denver and Rio Grande
railways started the conhagration at
two o'clock. Before it was conquered
the fire had laid eight squares of the
business district in ashes. Two hum
dred buildings were burned in the: short
space of three hours Wind and flames
combined completely overpowered the
firemen until they resorted to the use Of
dynamite. When the fire started the
wind was blowing at the estimated We
locity of 30 miles an hour. spreading
destructive sparks for blocks around;
coming from the southwest, as it did,
it blew these sparks directly across the
entire city. BY the time the flames had
reached Antlers hotel, though, the gale
had partly subsidized. Had it continued
in its furious strength even the use of
dynamite would not have saved the
city.
| The fire fed on old frame buildings,
reed stores, lumber yards and ware
houses until two squares were laid in
| ]eveling two more squares on the north
side. Pursuing it's destructive course
directly across the center of the city.
four more squares were leveled before
the Antlers hotel was reached.
The avenues surrounding the hotel
are 200 feet wide. The upper three
! stories were frame and burned like tin
der, but the wind having quieted down,
the flames assembled almost perpendic-
ularly until the dynamite leveled the
building. The rest of the work was
comparatively easy for the fremen.
Colorado City, Pueblo and Denver
sent aid to this city's exhausted firemen
as quickly as possible. The Pueblo de-
partment made the run. 40 miles, up
grade, in 40 minutes.
The greatest alarm prevailed through
out the city during the confagration.
TETON street and Pixies Peak avenue
were filled with wagons and all manner
of traps, carriages and other convey
ances loaded down with merchandise of
every description ready for removal to
places of safety. The big First national
bank building, situated directly east of
the Antlers hotel, was nearly emptied
of it's merchandise, Office outfits and
other movable fixtures, under the gen
eral Impression that the city was
doomed. "',-
A partial list of the principal losers
| is as follows: