The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-10-15

smoking embers. A 6:15 the fire was
first seen, and at this 1ime, $50, moth
ing is left of it but a mass of burning
timbers and the bare naked walls. The
entire loss on the building is more than
$4,000, with not one cent of insur-
ance.
The cause of the fire is not known,
but it is thought that it is spite work
on the part of some villain who is
trying to make himself even with Con-
tractor ]. II. Bowman.
At 6:15 this evening. Dwight Me-
teer, The Herald correspondent in. this
city, was passing the tabernacle when
he noticed what he thought to be a
blaze. He started an investigation,
and the alarm was at once sounded.
The fire engine was taken to the scene,
but while this was being done, not TAX
ing more than three minutes, as the
fire house is on the same block as the
tabernacle, the fire had gained such
headway that the only thing that could
be done was to save what timber was
piled around the building and save the
adjoining buildings.
A terrible wind from the southwest
was blowing, and eight minutes from
the time the fire was first seen the
town was a mass of flames, sparks. and
burning shingles are reported to have
been blown for ten blocks, and fully
80 corrals and haystacks were set on
fire in the northeast corner of town.
but no serious loss is reported, except
from water.
The outside Of the building, both car
penter and mason work, was complet-
ed. Oluf Lund had the contract to do
all the plastering in the building, and
tomorrow night that work would have
been completed. The building through
out was wired for electricity The car
penters commenced on yesterday to
lay the flooring, and, in fact, the build
ing was to be turned over from the
contractor to the people by the 18th of
next month. If the walls are too bad
ly injured from the heat. the cost to
replace them is estimated at $780, 900.
The carpenter work is estimated at
$12, 900.
]. H. Eversoll, a local insurance
agent, had submitted his figures to the
committee for insuring the building for
$4,000. The committee had decided to-
day, and Mr.. Eversoll was instructed
to write them their policy tonight.
It cannot at this early date be ascer-
tained who will have to stand the loss
of the building. but it is most generally
supposed that the contractor will have
to stand it. The origin of the fire is
a mystery. The building is plastered.
all but small place along one side
WI. No one could have gained an
entrance to the original starting place
except by going to the top of the tower
and from there over the ceiling TO the
extreme corner of the building. None
of the worlmen had been in that place
for over four weeks, there was no
chance for spontaneous combustion,
and, therefore, it seems probable that
some villain who had some feeling
against the contractor started it,
Had the wind been straight from the
south all of the business houses would
have gone. The people have paid for
this building with the greatest diff
Guilty and now, with this misfortune
staring them in the face, it is not
known when the building will be fin
ished. The fire has given a setback. to
this city equal to five years as the tab.
ernacle was the pride of the whole
southern country.