Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-01-07
FIRE FIEND IN CALIFORNIA.
in the Columbia Tbcatcr Causes
Considerable Damage.

Grass Valley, Cal, Jan. 6-When
Paul Bietch, who lives on the Colfax
road, sixteen miles distant returned
home this evening after an absence of
twenty-four hours at the mines, he
found his house in darkness. A search
revealed the dead body of his wife fifty
feet from the cottage. Eevery vestige
of clothing had been burned from the
woman's body, only her shoes remain
ing. The lower portion of the body
had been burned to u crisp, her legs
being twisted into peculiar shapes by
the heat
Her face and head were not badly
burned, but they might as well as have
been. for they had but furnished food
for the coyotes and cats. The head
was torn and presented terrible
sight.
Search was next made for Bletch's
four year-old child. 1t was found in
its cradle, almost naked, with its head
badly burned and chilled through from
exposure, as the woman in rushing
| out of the building had left the doors
wide open. 1t is doubtful II he will
live.
1t is believed that Mrs. Bietch was
starting a fire in the fireplace, and in
| doing so caught her dress in the fire.
| t1lNtlOplllB ntT III lldll1tS, anu III HeT
frantic efforts she probably threw a
piece of the burning dress on her
| baby's head. Appearances indicated
that she had rolled on the ground sew
eral times in an effort to smother the
| flames, when she finally lost her
| strength and consciousness and was
| burned to n crisp.
COLUMBIA THEATER ON FIRE,
San Francisco, Jan. 6.-The Columbia
theater on Powell street, near Mar
ket, the smallest but most popular of
the three playhouses controlled in this
| city by Friedlander, Gottlob & Co., was
| Quilted by fire this evening. The flames
caused about $4,000 damage to the
interior walls. ceilings and furniture,
but the damage from water before the
fire was extinguished considerably in
creased this sum. The insurance was
| $1,000.
1t was fortunate that the fire. which
1t is supposed started from defective
| flue in the attic broke out no later than
| 1.45 this evening, when there We're only
| about 100 persons in the theater. At
| the first sound of the alarm all these
people were quickly and safely escort
ed to the box-ofiice, where their money
was returned.
Meanwhile Matthew and Bulger. who
| have been playing In Gay Coney ISL
and, superintendent the removal of all
| the scenery to the fire-proof vault
and Bulger inhaled smoke and were
partially suffocated. They were suisse
| quently revived, however, and this was
the nearest approach to casualty.
The fire spread rapidly through the
| theater the flames feeding readily on
the iniammable theatrical furnishings
| FLAMES shot out through the roof to
a height OF twenty feet n few minutes
after the fire was discovered. Two
general alarms were turned in, the
water tower quickly reduced the blaze.
| and the thenter was filled up with
water and the fire extinguished before
the building was totally destroyed.
IL is not known yet whether or not
the theater will be reopened. The In
Gay Coney Island company will COM
plete Its engagement at the California
| thenter, also controlled by Friedlander
| Gottlob & Co.. which has been opened
lately only to periodical engagements.
To Limit Free Mail Deliveries.
Washington, Jan. CT is the inten-
tion OF the postohice department to
limit the number of mail deliveries in
purely residential districts In cities to
not more than four per day. In some
cities in the East the people in resi-
| dence quarters now receive six or
seven deliveries in one day. This. de-
partment officials shy, is a discrimina-
ton against residents In other cities,
| ny
| mail-oarrier makes his rounds in the
| residence quarter but twice day and
| In the business sections but once or
| twice more.
The practice in the East is the out
| growth of the policy OF the department
IN the past of nl.otting postmas-
tiers lump sum for the service in
| their particular cities which Is gener-
ally expended in full. First Assistant
Postmaster-Gen Heath said that he
hell Al.
that may be effected by this curtail-
ment OF deliveries, free delivery may be
| extended TO many places not now ac-
| corded such service, and in addition ex-
trn deliveries given to both residential
West now lacking adequate accommo-
| dations.
officials OF the department will be
| the cities having more than four deliv-
designate residential from business
sections.
Confirmed by the Senate.
Washington. Jan. 1.-THE Senate to-
day confirmed the following nomina-
tons: To he United States consus:
Edward ID. w,nsiow Of Illinois at
Stockholm. Sweden; Michael j. Burk
Illinois, at Guadaloupe, West indies:
Thomas, Canada; Louis IL. Ayne OF
nlinoise, at Guadaioupe, West Indies;
j. N McGunn of Wisconsin. at Dun
fermline, Scotland; George II. Moulton
of Colorado. at Demerara. British
nfN