Albuquerque weekly citizen. (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1891-19??, 1900-08-18
A DESTRUCTIVE tIAs.
Store Of the Santa Fs Mercantile
Company Burned Out
loss NAY rOOT UP 5000
Frun the New Mexican.

| couuany, Adolph uusiurf. unnager
who carried a stock ~ dry gOOds and
millinery. estimated % bo worth about
Sis.00o. The nrst alarm was sounded AZ
about ii10 O'Clock. Vivian Istdiua,
night walter al Conwaya restaurant
was the hrat 10 give the alarm. Hc was
Ia front Of Conways, when. hooking
acfoaa the street. he saw throuqh the
giasu doors In the mercantile coan.
/ pany's establishment amau blaze
well toward the rear 81 the main rUOin
llv shouted az he ran 60 The hose HOUSE.
and set OF the Gre bell. The fre De-
psFtmcnt appeared In full force and IN
az hour hal the flames under contnul. u
was thought Most % the firemon then
| left the piacc, bat &C seems that thr hrs
was only partially smethered and kept
burning beneath the ceiling and me up.
/ per floor. breaking out afrsah later IN
several different parts - the hig build
/ ing. The entire building was hllcd with
a dense smoke. making q impossible I'd
Ect Into d on either che fist or seCond
floors Tho tin r,uf and the venocring
OF Tin which encassi the SECOND story
/ rendered tho dciuge ~ water frun two
noAElcs. pructiooiiy incncctive ami al
most before anybody seemed 90 REALIZE
Il the whole interior of the building
was ln nimca again Tue nromen ard
the whole crowd % workers then ap.
/ pcared % hecone panic-atrickcn. The
mayur. city marshal aud policemen np.
peared on the sccnn ami berntcd the
/ ircmcp FOR not holding the names In
I check whom they AZ first had them un
der control Most ~ the nrcmcn quit
work, the chemical engine crew, with
one or two exceptions. resigned IN a
body AMI cult the service and Tor dime
there waa confusion n was then ton
late to save much Of the building and
lea contents, but citizens buckled IN and
worked for i've hours with a visw b.
prevent the spreading If the flames 20
Walker a CO.'S double story brick ad-
Joining and other adjacent property
Many times g accgnei that the namcn
would certainly communicate 10 other
buildings. bat by dini % hard work thia
was prevented.
Alderman ) w. Akern was one 90 the
nfHt on tho scene after the alarm wa
given. and gave directions 90 the fire
| fighters Co Confine their efforts 90 cav
ing the ahuttlug buildings, He had TAX
en- the keys from Mr.. Gusdorf and de-
cllned TO open the front doors Cor fear
OF creating "a draft through the build
| ing AZ that time the Are. he eKpIalna.
WAS confined 20 one rear nom, where
there appeared 10 be n0ghing burning
on the floor bat the frc was droiplng
from the ceiling Mr. OuAiorf says al
that time. AFTER the names had been
/ got under control. az u was thought.
| the total damage % the premises would
not have exceeded 81 500. There was a
large amount 81 water poured in upon
/ the flames both from above and below.
but the sitting smoke. the tin casing
and the adobe walls made u impossible
10 rts,ch the main confiagrntlon ard
80 IL burned on despite the water. d
was early discovered that the flames
we're spread AL alopg beneath the sec
/ 0nd floor. Eight rooms on this floor
we're occupied by Hon. Luis N. ortiz
territorial auditor, and his family VIVA
had locked the premises securely AMI
had gone to their Los Luceros wnoh.
/ Several persons made an EFFORT 90 break
down the doors with a view 20 saving
pSme 90 Mr.. ortiz effects. but say che
/ firemcn stopped them. a. Il was thoaght
the floors la all these rooms were un
/ dermined and likely go 10 down al any
moment. Thus u happened that Alr
/ ortiz lost all his effects consisting Ui
/ household sspin. ave trunks of cloth
/ ing and considerable jewelry. sunc OF
which had been In his family for over
100 ycara. and was very highly priced.
also a small thirty day clock. brought
/ from Europe BY his fathcr-in-luw Ia
/ iSts. and which had a remarkable rec-
ord. having run constantly for forty
two years and never neesicd repair. AFR.
ortiz estimates his total loess. he had no
Insurance. al 1850 Max Knodts meat
market was damaged. he states. to the
extent VI about 5000 Hc carried $500 In
surance 10 g Il. Lankards agency
l Felix Gricgo. the barber occupying a
room adiuiIiHR The me,rt market, was
/ nominaily damaged, most of his effects
| being saved.
! The santa BE Mercantile company. as
above stated. estimates the value % itf
stock az about $4,000. THE books and
accounts were sayei. and from the wa
ter soaked and smoked wreck may b,
saved fow hundred dollars worth al
blankets. clothing ana notions. Th'
Insurance on the stock figures up nbpu
Fg3.oo0, me bllk " n being IN = y
f.anlgard's agency, the remainder VIA
| Wuns,hmann a Co.'S agency, and t2,00
Ia ne Continental company. now rep
resented locally by A. a. DotteIbaoh
There was no Insurance on tn'
building This was Of adobe, yenecref
| With brick and tia. two stories IL
height. about $50 feet on san Francis,
street ami extending back on GaHpal
| avenue i25 feet The building and iO
on Whlsh b stnod were valued at SO,
600 Miguel Ctavou. 81 tto Arfiba o0un
~. has Tor several years held a mort
Esge on the property the principal be
log 5000, bun with aocrGed interest
this now amounts 10 nearer 5000 am
n Hon. e. j.. Burns also had 81 .g00 ioane'
on She same properly untn yea
ago. Miguel Chavea kept the property
n Insured al $4,000. but he and the owner
became involved in litigation out ~ hl
cnorts 60 f0recloae the mortgage an'
hu refused 90 further pay the Insurance.
lie has a sua to fofeolose now psndins
\ A. 90 the origin - the fre. that h
complete mystery, Mr uusiEuf sail
he clootrlc lights had fallei - worI
for a shDrt time early IN the eyenine
ueoebaitatng the lighting u iafuIs a
tae store. These, however. we're all -
tinguk-,. probably nearly an hour b.
fore he ana hin cicrka departed At abOu
$50. la the rcar, npHn, In me miiline-
department. "a single olcCsric light va
left a. burn all nighi az usual, whc
they locked the front doors for m
, night lio thinks the nre Originated d
ne FIRST floor near the coilinE. but hos
be- could not venture a guess.
The wolf In the fable put on sheep
clothing because n he Travelled on IA
own reputation no couldn't acuutng a.
b a.rfaFFaaFa VIA