The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-12-20
FIRE DESTROYS ONE OF
UNIVERSITY STRUCTURES
Physical Building Is Ruined--LOSS Is $4,000,
With Insurance of $35, 900.
Soldiers Students Professors and Others Risk Their Lives in
Fighting Flames and Saving Apparatus.

the southwest corner and rescued
other property.
AT Fort Douglas, about 1890 O'Clock,
the fire was noticed. Taps had
been sounded Major Young, the post
conimandant, sent word 10 quarters TO
call out the fire brigade. Company NJ
Of the Eighteenth and the Twelfth bat
terry were dragged out of their beds
Half an hour later the crowd which
surrounded the blazing building saw a
long dle Of men vending its way across
the open field from the east, and soon
the soldiers, carrying their buckets,
were drawn up near the building, ready
for action. Major Young and Lieuten-
ants Pevtor. Platt and Berry were IN
charge.
Soldiers Turn Firemen.
Three hremen were Juggling at hose
as the line of men right-faced toward
the fire
..Iay hold there, men" came the
cuick order from Major Young. In an
instant the $50 soldiers were helping
drag hose, were passing along the INES
buckets of water TO throw on the
flames where the most good could be
done, were carrying apparatus and
books out OF the burning building, or
were assisting IN other ways.
A crowd of brokers had come up IN
carriages. attracted by the sight OF
. the flames. They heard the football
paraphernalia were in danger. Vail
antlv James Y. Fulton, Frank Eiggln-
4 botham. Zen D. Luce W. j. Earnett,
/ ]. c. Thomson and Julian Eoutz
rushed in ana dragged out the IootDah
outfit, valued at $500.
? President J. T. Kingsbury and other
T members of the faculty arrived at va
/ rious times They superintendent the
/ salvage, dragged burning timbers sway
/ and worked wherever there was work
to do.
The University Dramatic club gave
an entertainment at the Salt Lake the
stre last night A majority Of the
students were there. AS they came out
of tie Theatre about II o'clock
/ they looked on the hill ana saw
the physical building burning brill
Hantly. Nearly all went to the fire.
soon they organized TO save what they
could. Ladders were placed against
the walls, ana up them went the lines
OF students climbing as agilely as
! monkeys going up a cOcoanuJ free.
Smoke, falling beams. flames did not
p
some of them had their clothing scorch-
ed and their hair singed, and all
simply to carry cut books and appar-
atus Fear did not seem to enter into
their youthful heads. They lodged
and laughed at falling debris. They
entered into the midst Of explosive
chemicals. They went wherever it was
possible to go. And they saved books
and apparatus valued at perhaps $1,000.
Fire Under Control.
/ Shortly after midnight the flames be
gan 70 yield to the two streams of
water from the steamer, one from the
hose from the library building, an out
pouring from the chemical engine and
the work of the bucket brigade. The
sparks and brands had beer falling on
the neighborly library or main building,
but by this time the danger TO the
other structures was over, and Presi-
dent Kingsbury began to have hopes
that the machinery in the shop IN the
southeast corner of the first floor of
the physical building would be saved.
The machinery is worth about $4,000
and it is believed that most of it can
be used in the future.
At 1920 O'clock the notes of the
bugle rang out. echoing through the
crowd and being heard for blocks. il
was the ASSEMBLY" The soldiers
quickly fol Jed i'm line, the need for the
/ & assistance being over. soon a long
thin line was winding its wy in the
moonlight back to the fort and to re-
pose.
Many People at the Scene.
Assistant Superintendent Arnold Of
the street car company kept cars run
ming under his personal supervision un'
til about I o'clock. Each car and z
number of carriages bore people away
from the scene, and soon only mem
bers Of the faculty, a few students and
ssragglers and the d.amen were left Il
watch the flames slowly dying down.
Work viii be continued at the uni
Fl veTsity as usual tomorrow" said Pres
ident Kingsbury. For a time we shall
I have to get along with purely theOret
E zeal work in chemistry and physics
: but I think we viii be able TO get thu
1 new shop building fitted up soon, and
+ then we VIII resume the Laboratory
1vo *. AS the walls are left standing
S ] think we can rebuild for PRACTICAL!
the amount Of the insurance. Wcrk OF
the rebuilding viii commence as soOI
Z as possible"