Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-01-20
FIRH At GRANT SCHOOL
Blaze In the Roof Burns a Hole Twenty Feet
Square.
BUILDING QUICKLY smPTlEO OF PUPILS.
More Than Eight Hundred OF Them Escape
without single auciicnt-spiendid %
Exhibition OF Discipline.

What threatened being a very dis
astrous and expensive fire occurred at
the Grant school building shortly be-
fore noon today That II was not so "
due to two causes. the first and most
important Of which was the splendid
discipline exhibited in employing the
building Of pupils after the discovery
OF the fire. and the second was the slow
progress the blaze made before the ar
rival of the fire department after the
alarm had been sent in.
The fire broke out on the north side
of the roof near the smoke stack and
was caused by SCOT which had fallen
from the chimney and become ignited
by n spark The blaze was first seen
by a boy who was going down tho
street He Immediately notified
Principal Martin and the engineer The
former with all possible dispatch com
municated with each teacher and COM
manded dismissal OF all the pupils
who. at given signal left the building
In regulation fire drill style In less
than two minutes every pupil was In
the street without realizing what had
meantime the engineer was making
for the nearest fire alarm box, three
blocks away. Reaching there he
sounded the alarm and returned to the
school, Some considerable time elapsed
before the arrival of the iiremen ow-
ing to the great distance to
be traversed. Once on the scene
they promptly proceeded to
the work OF extinguishing
The flames which had by this time
eaten hole In the roof about thirty
feet square. Considering the fact
that the roof IL constructed entirely or
wood 1t seems little less than marvel
Gus that II was not wholly consumed.
The fire-proof paint. however. had
much TO do with the slow progress or
the blaze. AS the flames shot In air,
and az the fircmen assembled the roof.
hundred OF anxious parents gathered
round fearing for the safety OF their
little ones not knowing that they had
all been safely marched out When
they were assured that none were lett
behind and that there had not been n
single accident, their JOY knew no
bounds, and all Joined in expressions
OF praise for the admirable presence
Of mind and thorough system that OBJ
tained In getting the pupils out OF
harms way.
When the excitement was over, the
children, who still stood in platoons in
the street, were dismissed for the day
and an inspection of the school begun
Inspector of Buildings Pinney. chair
man OF the Buildings Committee Will
son and Clerk Moreton were soon on
hand to assist In giving directions.
Investigation showed that the loss
would reach from 5000 to $1,000, all Of
which Is, OF course. covered by insur-
ance. Mr.. Wilson held brief telephone
communications with the agents of the
various insurance companies and all
agreed that the repair work might be
done without loss of time and the ad-
justment made afterwards. AS n re-
suit large force OF carpenters were
put to work this afternoon. They will
continue their labors throughout the
night and by tomorrow morning the
building will be ready for occupancy,
occasioning the dismissal of school but
for half d day.