Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-03-21
One of the Biggest Fires in the
City.
WORK OF THE DEPARTMENT
Was First Class. the Only Delay Being
From a Frozen Plug--The
Loss is Considerable

The worst fire Anaconda mas eApe-
rienced since the Lincoln school building
was burned down, two years ago, oc-
Cured last night, when the old Montana
Union car shops burned to the ground.
The fire was discovered at . O'CLOCK IN
the east end of the building, which was
a long, wooden structure. Thls is the
building where the Montana Union rail-
wax repaired it's cars. and was a large
one. sufficient to hold about 20 cars at
one time, The interior was well satu-
rated with oil and grease, the result OF
the work on old cars within its walls Tor
several years. 1t cannot be learned VINO
sounded the alarm of fire first, but the
city fire department responded promptly.
Before the alarm reached the ire mouse
the building was a mass Of flames. AfrlV-
ing at the fire, a hose was strung from
a fire plug situated to the northwest OF
the building. AS soon as the fire engine,
which came later, arrived, two strings OF
hose were put on. By thar time the upper
works fire department came and planted
it's fire engine at the end of Park ave-
nue., and strung a nose across the car
tracks to the fire. The city department
had the hardest fight and put up a good
battle. The old machine shops, now used
as a car barn by the street railway,
caught fire several times, but was always
put out by the fire boys, who battled for
several minutes in a place where they
turned the hose on each other to keep
from burning up. At $50 the fire was
under control. A few minu later the
wind shifted to the east, blowing the
sparks on to the buildings at one time
so badly threatened, but they We're soak
ing wet and We're saved. At 10 o'clock
the fire was out. The cause of the fire is
unknown. It was no doubt of incen-
= l. NV np, n n The 1ncS will hn about "a l61
or more, covered by insurance.
A large number of people visited the
scene of last nights fire this morning
and found the ruins of the old car shops
still burning. A view of the situation
by daylight reveals the fact that the fire
did ever better work than
credited with, and every one was high in
their praise last night. The only delay
was caused in chopping away the ice
at the fire plug to which the steamer was
The most available fire plug
had become nearly covered up with Gin
ders, and the melting snow formed ice
around it. so hat the suction hose could
not be attached until the ice was chopped
from around the plug. Chief Mentrum
was i'll, but with the aid of his able as
sistant chief, George Lancaster, they di-
the work of the department to a
end. 4,
The building was insured for $4,000,
with Peckover & O'Brien, in the Phoenix
Insurance company Of Brooklyn. Insur-
Adjuster r. A. Luke of Helena will
arrive ii the city tomorrow. The black
smith shop was damaged to the extent
of 5000; insured. Another small building
was destroyed. The electric light COM
lost several valuable summer trail
ers. The theory of incendiarism is not
just true. 1t may have been caused from
the electric Wire or some other cause. The
Waterman was absent al the time, hav-
ing gone up the line after a train Of cars
in the west end of town.
A lady and gentleman had a narrow
escape on Sunday morning in a small
house at the corner of Sixth and Chestnut
streets, which caught fire. Although the
damage will not exceed 500, the couple
We're compelled to break and jump out
of the second story window. The stairs,
a small passage way, lead to the upper
story from the kitchen. The man started
the fire at 5 a.. m. A few minutes later
the woman went down to prepare break
fast. AS soon as she opened the door she
was driven back by the smoke and
flames. She had the presence of mind to