Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-06-06
HAVOC WROUGHT
BY FLAMES
Western Iron Works De-
StrOyed Last Night.
LOSS IS ABOUT $4,000
Offices, Boiler Room and Foun-
dry Building Were Saved.
FIREMEN'S GALLANT WORK
Chief Sanger and One of the Owners
OF the Property Narrowly
Escaped Injury.
GALLANT WORK

The Western Iron works, corner of Idaho
and Warren streets, was the scene of a
disastrous fire early this morning, by
which the machine and blacksmith shops
Of that institution and patterns of an ag-
gregate value of many thousands of dol
lars We're destroyed, the total loss being be-
tween $4,000 and SIS, 900. The property de-
stroyed was insured for about SIS, 900.
The fire originated in the blacksmith
shop. which was situated at the east end
OF the machine shop, and just how it start
cd, unless it was the work Of an incendiary,
is not known. A Waterman was on duty
last night, but as his instructions were to
watch the foundry and upper floors partic-
ularly, he did not discover the flames until
the fire in the blacksmith shop was almost
beyond control. This was about 2 o'clock,
and from the Roadway the flames had
made when he first noticed them, the fire
must have had it's origin al hour earlier.
He Immediately telephoned to the central
fire station, and Chief Sanger responded
with the hose cart.
Just west of the blacksmith shop is situ-
ated the machine shop, in the basement of
which was stored the patterns Of years,
valued at about $50, coo. These patterns
We're made Of kiln-dried pine, highly in
Hamrnable. This room was cut off from
the basement under the blacksmith shop
by a stone wall, and was divided into two
compartments by another wall, also Of
stone. The flames spread to the machine
shop and then communicated to the pat
tern rooms. The dry pine patterns burned
like finder. and by the time the DEPART
Vent 81 c,;,-, ~
grafton the two compartments of the base
ment were raging furnaces, and the fire,
as far as the machine shop was concerned,
was absolutely beyond control. A light
breeze mad sprung up, and no amount Of
work could have saved the buildings.
The tirenen worked like beavers. They
soon had TWO lines of hose playing on the
burning buildings, and a third line of hose
brought from South Butte was brought
into action a few minutes after the arrival
of the department. The tiremen first turned
their attention to the basement, in which
werestored the patterns, forcing the lines
in through the windows and through holes
cut in the floor of the machine shop. Al
though melaced by the heavy machinery
above them the firemen went into the ma
chine shop, where the floor threatened to
give way at any moment. and where the
smoke was the thlckest and the heat so
49, N'' 49, ~ - IiAo ttoiS.
them was Chief Sanger n r. S, GRAY.
ore OF the owners Of the institution, and
while they were in this place occurred an
incident which came near resulting fatal
~. While the men We're at work the walls
fell. Sanger. who was standing beside
Gray. was struck by something on the
head. Knocking him down. Gray was bur-
led under a pile Of brickbats and rubbish.
but was quickly extricated by the firemen |
and dragged out of the place of danger.
His scalp was cut open and his right Shout
badly wrenched. Sanger's heavy he'll
net saved him from what might nave been
a most serious injury. The chief then de-
rided that the time had arrived to leave
the building, and the men We're called off.
They had been out of the building but a
short time when the floor on which they !
had been working fell with a loud crash,
nl;ny tons Of heavy machinery going down
into the basement with it. A short time
a large portion of the side walls
fell in.
Between the offices and the boiler room
and foundry stood heavy fire walls, and
this precautionary structure, supplemented
by the gallant work of the firemen, saved
tho buildings that are standing, and but
for this fire wall all the property of the
would have been destroyed.
From 2 o'clock until nearly s o'clock this
rcrning the firemen fought and watched
the fire. but after the floor of the machine |
shops haC fallen and the flames below had
exhausted the combustible material, th-
fire was under control. The fire ate its way !
up to and into the boiler rooms and offices, !
but the water forced it back. In the boiler
room, where the danger was greatest,
hard work vas done and With eX-
cel1ent results, for had the fire spread into
the boiler room it would have been COM
municated to the foundry, and the loss
would have been doubled.
At Il O'Clock today a line Of hose was
still playing on a heap of charred tlmbers
and twisted machinery. and +. l.. Melcher,
the manager of the company, was aking
a mental inventory Of the property de-
stroyed. and was in quite a cheerful frame
mind under the circumstances He es-
timated the value of the property destroyed
as follows: Patterns, between $4,000 and
$50, 600: building, between $4,000 and $1,000;
machinery and tools, between $4,000 and
Sc, 600. About 65 men were on the pay roll.
The owners of the property were F. l..
Ne,cher, w. G. Bawden. Charles Griner
and f.. S. Gray. 1t is also reported that
Elmer Metcalf and w. II. SWEET were in
tcrested in the enterprise.
'.This means a serious loss to u.s." said
Mr.. Melcher this morning. Mr.. Gray. Mr..
Griner, Mr.. Bawden and myself became