The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-07-11
The Firemen Held the Fire Well
Within Limits.
MANY NARROW ESCAPES
Mrs. Brooks Insists That the Fire Was
Of Incendiary Origin n Accused
Her Husband of the Fright
full Crime.

one time promised to be a disastrous
confiagration was confined to a much
smaller loss than seemed possible when
the fire was at it's hottest. Fairly es-
timated. the total loss will not go over
81, 000, and it is thought may turn out
to be somewhat less, a fact that will
reflect much credit on the work of the
fire department, considering that four
places were all in flames when the de-
partment arrived.
The alarm was turned in about $500
o'clock. The flames were discovered by
Abe Breslin, Joseph Holman and Rus
sell Benton, three newsboys who were
in the street waiting for the morning
papers to come out. They were on the
north side of Broadway and saw the
flames reflected in the windows on the
opposite side of the street. Going into
the street they saw where the flames
were. and young Breslin ran to the
nearest fire alarm box and turned in
the alarm. The department was on the
ground in short order. The fire must
have, beeen burning for some time, as
four places were by that time envel-
oped in flames. They were the bakery
run by Mrs. f.. Nj. Brooks, a lodging
house overhead and another in the rear.
run by Mrs. JAM c. Deering. and the
Broadway lodging house, on the west,
run by Mrs. Cassie Shaver. A. 5. Ray,
a lodger at the Broadway, heard the
newsboys In the street crying fire, and
jumped into his clothes. He then awak-
med the rest of the inmates of the house
and all had plenty of time to get out
with most of their effects, but those in
the rooms over the bakery and in the
house in the rear were less fortunate.
No one in these places appeared to have
awakened till the fire was all through
the buildings, and some of them had
pretty close calls. Very few had time
to save anything more than the few
clothes they were able to get into. Some
lost their entire wardrobe. Among them
was Mrs. Brooks, who roomed over her
bakery. She had just time to get out
in her night clothes and save her child
and was compelled to borrow a wrap
per to put on. Mrs. John Simpson. a
lady who occupied a room in Mrs. Deer
ing's house. became so confused she
would doubtless have persisted had not
the firemen discovered her n carried
her out. Another lodger. a man occupy
ing a room over the bakery, took so
much time to dress that it became neces-
sary for the firemen to put up a ladder
to one of the front windows for him to
escape He was very cool, however, and
descended the ladder as immaculate as
though going TO a ball. Other roomers
had close shaves, but no one was in
jured. Had the fire not beeen discov-
cred when II was, however, there would
doubtless have been many casualties,
as all the rooms were filled with occu-
pants.
The firemen did good work, and short
ly after 4 o'clock had the fire under con-
troll. A survey Of the premises yesterday
shows that Mrs. Brooks and
baker shop n Mrs. behring's rooms
overhead and in the building in the
rear were completely Quilted, while the
furniture in several of the rooms. the
east side of the second floor of Mrs.
Shaver's place, the Broadway, was bad
ly damaged by both fire and water, and
that in the rooms of the lower floor IN
the same side was damaged badly by
water. The total loss on furniture and
other contents will not foot up more
than $500 or $500. and the loss on the
buildings, which are owned by the State
Savings bank, will not carry the whole
loss over 81, 1000, all of which is covered
by insurance. The buildings were fully
protected in this respect. Mrs. Brooks
carried $500 insurance, Mrs. Deering
s., 900 and Mrs. Shaver 81 800.
The fire seems undoubtedly TO have
started in the proof box of the bake
room of Mrs. Brooks place. and Mrs.
Brooks is emphatic in p~ronouncing IL Of
incendiary origin. She accused her nus
band, Robert Brooks. with whom she
has had considerable trouble of late. Of
setting the fire, and the police arrested
him and he is being held at the city
Jail pending an investigation.
Five weeks & Brooks got drunk
and accused his wife of unfaithfulness.
She resented the imputation, md in
what followed he gave her a brutal
beating. for which he was fined $50 by
Police Judge Terrell. Mrs. Brooks re-
fused to have anything further to do
with him. and borrowed $500 To buy out
his interest in the bakery. Since then
they la lived apart, and Mrs. Brooks
claims he has annoyed her constantly
and has threatened to get even. This
is her reason for believing he was the
incendiary.
II am as sure as that l am alive"
said Mrs. Brooks yesterday. that my
husband set the fire. for he has hung
around the place since we had trouble
and threatened to do me injury. / know
the place was set, for. as we do not
bake on Sunday, the fire had beeen al
lowed 10 go out in the oven. and there
was no fire anywhere near where the
fire started. One significant insident is
the fact that just before we closed up
/ found the outside door of the bake
shop open, something / cannot remem-
Der ever TO have occurred before in the
middle of the night. l shut and locked
IL, and we closed up abou l o'clock. |
then went TO my room upstairs and sat
down to lew, as | had some work / had
not been able TO find time TO do. /
worked about an hour and as / got up
TO get ready for bed. / heard a sound.
as of a door being pushed open. and a
moment later heard another that sound
ed like breaking up shingles. l thought
nothing of IL. however, as / thought IL
was someone in n of the adjoining
buildings. l am satisfied now, though,
that the first sound was the pushing
open of the bake-room door, which was
a weak affair, and the second noise was
causing by breaking up klndling. j am
now satisfied IL was my husband who
made that noise and that he set the
fire. assisted by another man. l also