Daily inter mountain., 1899-06-30
Was a Hard One For the
Firemen to Battle
A CARLOAD OF POWDER
Was on the Track And Was Pulled
Out of Danger Just in the Nick of
Time The Shaft Also Caught
on Fire.

Jerome, Ariz., uJne 29.-Since the filing
of the last Associated Press. dispatech
Wednesday n;rht, Ter. ne has been one
see. e of wild eXcit ement ithout inter-
ruption. The great copper camp has not
experienced such wild turmoil in it's weird
and charmed career. The disorder had it's
incipiency with the breaking out of the
fire in the large reverberatory at the
smelling works of the United Verde Cop
per company Tuesday night and has in
creased a a frightf,ll rate. The reverba-
tory is one of the principal buildings OF
the copper company and within easy
reach of every other building belonging
to the plant, where 1000 men are en-
ployed. The force of men fought the
flames with a desperate courage born CT
knowledge of the far-reaching conse-
quences of the destruction of the prop
erty.
To the east of the reverberatory is the
smelter and the great copper furnaces
and to the north the power house, with
10000 square feet of floor space covered
with Corlss engines. electric light plants,
etc. valued at $3.50, 900, coke bins contain
ing 5000 tons of coke above the trestle
works of the United Verde and Pacific
railway, with a train of freigh tears, one
of which was loaded with giant powder.
South were the offices of the company 3
officials.
From it's point of vantage the fire at
the start proved to be master of the situ-
alton and in few minutes consumed the
outer walls of the bins containing the
coke. precipitating this mass of inflam-
mable ma aterial in the flames and the
thing beyond the power Of humans to
cope with and set fire to the trstle work
under the railroad and the string of cars
thereon.
The car laded with powder was not
thought of until the car next to it was
on fire. A train crew took out an engine
and went through the binding smoke and
over the burning trestle to the car and
pulled it safely out of harms way, not.
however, until the brakeman who cou-
pied the car to the engine had his hair
singed and five minutes after the car
load of powder was removed the remain
ing cars fell on the fire below.
The company's officials We're deter
mined to save the power house at all
costs. To accomplish this all the water
OF the city was shut off and 5000 people
We're without water in the dryest climate
in the world. To further aggravate this
cause, the river can be seen flowing
quietly at the foot of the mountain, SEEM
ingly not a quarter of a mile away, but
it is seven miles.
Few complaints We're heard, however
from any of them, and a mighty cheer
was given when a brea kwas finally made
in the coke and it was realized that there
was good chance to save the mine and
smelter While this contest was at its
height, tons of live coke fell through the
shaft to the 300-foot level and, before it
could be told, great volume of smoke
rolled out of the mine. Volunteers We're
called for to go down and fight the flames
in the bowels of the earth and the re-
sponse was prompt and hearty. 1t was
with the utmost difficulty that they made
their way through the great shaft lead
ing into the mine proper. The fumes
from the burning sulphur We're simply
impossible for common men to cope with
1t took eight hours to get tn etire in the
mine under control.