The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-12-20

united in lighting the fire which
ruined the physical building Of the
University of Utah last night The
structure was almost completely de
stroyed, although the walls are left
standing. The Building was completed
a little over a year ago at a cost OF
$4,000. The furnishings, library, ap-
paratus, machinery and other contents
are valued ct $4,000, OF the contents
about $1,000 worth were saved. The
insurance is $50. 900. The cause Of the
fire is unknown.
Some of the students, firemen and
soldiers faced imminent death. The
students were particularly VenturesOme
Ga burning rooms, lodging flames and
avoiding fallin timbers and Drawing
the choking smoke in the efforts to
save some of the valuable apparatus,
the books and other contents of the
building. With all the chances taken,
nobody was hurt.
The main or library building was in
danger for some time, but it is prac-
tically IninjUrcd. Although the uni
versity is eriI pied by the loss of the
physical building, clan les viii be re-
sumed as usual today The nearly
completed shop building viii be utilized
fOr she physical building, and labOra-
tory work viii be taken up again as
soon as the place can be fitted up.
The Burned Building.
The structure which suffered from
fire last night is near the northwest
cOTne4 of the university grounds. It's
dimensions are 52x120 feet. 1t con-
tanned on the first floor the shops. me
chanical drawing room, mineralOgy
room and chemical supply store ro.- a.
On the second floor were the physical
laboratory, French and German rooms
and physical supply store room. The
third floor contained three chemical
abOTatCVies-Qualitat cumulative
and nOrIaal-the chemical library,
chemistry class rooms. and store room
for chemical supplies. The offices of
Professor AGREE and Professor Wilcox
of the chemistry department Richard
Lyon, professor of mining engineering;
Professor AruOldsOn, in charge of IN
structiOn in French and German, and
George Silver, in charge Of the shop,
were also in the building
The IRE started in the qualitative
chemistry laboratory, i'm the northeast
corner of the third floor. 1t may have
started from q Bunsen burner, care
lessly left lighted under a shelf II
may have been due to the splitting of
PHOSPHORUS or some other easily ig-
aited chemical The cause viii prob
ably always remain a mystery.
Boys Discover Fire.
The fire was discovered by three
boys Douglas Scalley, Isaac DunyOr
and William Bennett. Two are stu
dents at the University of Utah and
one at the Latter-day Saints college
They were together at 70 Alameda ave
uue-a short street running from
Twelfth 20 Thirteenth East between
Brigham and First South streets.
1.-Two of us were standing out in
front of the house said Douglas
Scalley. when we heard a couple OF
girls on the sidewalk say that, one o.
the window in the physical building
looked brighter than the others. We
looked up snd saw that it did look that
way, bus we didn't think anything
about it, md went back in the house
We were joshing back and fortl
about there being a fire up there, suC
finally we thought perhaps there wa.
a fire, after ALL and we had better &,
up and see. So we went up and saw
that something was wrong. SURE
enough. We broke i'm a window anC
went ur and found that the fire haC
started in the qualitative chemistr,
laboratory"
Alarm is Sent In.
The Waterman. August A. Nordvau
could not be found in fact, he did no
show 70 for some time. Douglas Seal
ley went down to the engine hous
near First South and Thirteenth Eas
and sent in the alarm by telephone
The other boys got out the hose in tn
NrHHr M limo
sgaged in fgIting the fire i'm the labor
Aatory. The thick smoke, mingled witt
the fumes of the acids, soon drov
them back, however. They We're prac
tically i'm the dark Coughing an,
choking, they reiterated slowly keep
ing a small stream turned in the cor
ner of the room where the fire scenes
TO be- Finally the smoke and fume
became so bad that they had TO leave
1t was nearly twenty-five minute
before the fire companies from engin
houses No. and No. 4 climbed th
steep hill and arrived at the burnin
building. Meanwhile the fire ha
spread with great rlpidity.
Explosion s3atters Flames.
A small explosion had scattered tn
flames and they swept along FROM on
room 10 another, shooting upwar
through the roof BY the time tn
fremen arrived the horses on III
steamer, the hook and ladder true
and the chemical putting and wear
from the difficult climb. the iuterio
of the upper part of the building wa
well envel0ped in flames.
Situated as it is upon a bin, tn
classic outlines of the building wiz
flames roariTs upward and gleamin
through the windows were plainly Wis
tble all over the city. and a thron
was soon gathered.
The steamer coupled to the neares
hydrant on the university grounds. bJ
no water could De obtained. IT wa
found hat the water had Deen turne
of Glow. and it was necessary
sem somebody through the nanhole
start the flow. This cOnsuUsvd ab0l
fifteen minutes.
= Flames Were Gaining.
During an this time the flames WEI
gaining, i'm spite of the work done 3
the small stream from the chemic,
engine. Finaity the steamer began
get water from the hydrant and OK
stream. and then two were turned u
on the advancing flames. Both Chi
Dev5ne and Assistant Clief McCarth
were there 10 direct the operations
the seventeen hremE \.
During all this time the boss vi
discovered the FIRE had not been stan'
ing idly by. Aided By Dayil T0lma
and other students who came 10. The
took desks out of the drawing room