Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1901-09-07
Barns, Cars and Supplies Of Rapid
Transit Go Up in Smoke.
INSURANCE WAS S4l,5OO'
Fire Originated sin Paint shop and
spread with Appalling Rapidly -
Usual Lack Of Water Pressure.

/
shop, outhouses barns and contents
and portion Of the power house proper
had been consumed.
Superintendent Read this morning
stated that 1t would take $4,000 to re-
place the damage done. with but sil,-
| 500 Insurance to fall back upon.
The fire started about 6:2O p. M, and
| while It ragged 1t was one of the hottest
that the department has had TO deal
with for some years past Owing to
the fact that the timbers OF the barns
are soaked with oil from the cars the
flames spread with appalling rapidly,
and by the time Department No. ar
rived on the scene the big building was
a seathing mass of flame that threat |
ened to spread to the adjoining resi-
dences. People In the immediate Vi |
entity were for the time being frantic |
and We're hustlng their household goods |
out of every available door and win |
dow. With the arrival of the apparat- |
us and men, however they soon be- |
came treasured as they saw the fire. |
men concentrate their efforts on saw |
ing the east end Of the building which |
contained the valuable machinery. The |
men did splendid work under the direc- |
ton Of Assistant Fire Chief Edward |
Mccarthy. but were seriously handl- |
capped by the inadequate water press
ure and the ultimate breaking down of |
the steamer, which at o'clock sucked |
up a rock and then went promptly out |
Of commission.
MACHINERY SAVED.
The machinery was saved, however, |
but the rest OF the building and con-
tents were destroyed including the |
cremation OF valuable horse and the |
destruction OF twenty cars the major |
portion OF which were stored away |
pending the approach Of winter
The fire broke out In the paint shop
and was first seen by James
Freeburn, a resident In the vicinity, as
tongue OF flame crept through
the cornice He lost no time In giving
| the alarm and the next minute the big
whistle Of the power house sounded the
alarm which was supplemented by a
| telephone message turned in by Ed
| Westman, that brought the West Side
! department out on the run. The pro-
longed boot Of the big whistle brought
| people running from every direction
| who did all they could to aid the men
around the shops and residents In the
vicinity In the work OF removing their
effects. Freeburn rushed round TO the
| front OF the building but before any
1 ~. n
across the roof of the barn One car
was got out and the men started
TO get out the others At this juncture
the engineer turned off the power. An
hands endeavored to move the cars by
manual power but were forced to flee
before the great heat and suffocating
smoke
NO. DEPARTMENT CALLED.
II seemed an age to the waiting men
ere the fire apparatus arrived. but the
horses were doing their best and they
had long run. AS soon as No ar
rived Assistant Chief Mccarthy took In
the situation at a glance and promptly
turned in a call for No /.
In the meantime Engineer II. T. Burt
and Fireman p. Rasmussen stood
pluchly to their furnaces. The big
whistle had been tied down and the
men worked hard 90 draw their fires
and open the valves so as 10 avert the
threatened explosion OF the big boil/s
after the fire reached them. Had the
boilers exploded there would have been
awful havoc among the huge crowd
which gathered from all parts OF the
city to witness the fire. AS II was Of
iicers Sperry and Johnston had their
work cut out to keep back the press
from the danger zone. During the pro-
cess Of pressing back the throng Vivian
McCune and his little boy approached
dangerously near the burning building
Get back there shouted Office
Sperry
II win do nothing Of the sort"
answered McCune. 81 am one OF
the owners Of this property" and
then TO demonstrate that he
intended to remain where he pleased
he proceeded 10 approach closer 10 the
building. Officer Sperry stated en-
phatcally that he aid not care n he
owned the whole West side and selz-
ing the young man by the shoulder
he hustled him into the crowd with ex-
IRENE earnestness of purpose despite
the vigorous protests Of Mr.. McCune.
BY SS5 the fire was practically out,
although the hose was playing on the
ruins long after midnight At this time
the power plant proper was started up
and the cars all over the Rapid Tran
sit system once more were running.
after a lapse OF over two hours.
When the excitement had somewhat
subsidized II was found that "Old Mig"
the valuable trained horse OF the re.
pair wagon. had escaped from the
I lffrufnp afaIfa The afN fa1,-- ,..la A..
a great favorite among the employees
had broken his halter and stampeded
from the burning stable with the loss
OF several square inches Of burned hide.
The other animal however. was not
80 fortunate and death overlook him IN
his stall
sUPT. READ TALKS.
When seen this morning Superlntend-
ent Read said In regard 10 the fire.
While ! have not as yet had time 20
go thoroughly into the subject OF the
loss In last nights FIRE. I can safely
say that Il will take every cent OF $50
900 10 replace what we have lost. / do
not know who the loss viii fan an
greater-us or J. public There were
twenty cars burned mp and nearly am
OF them were winter cars. II / were
] 20 place. an olutf TOT more cars TODAY
u would be impossible 20 have that
order filled and the cars running here
before six or even nine months from
date or course we might buy NO some
old worthless stock that would do us
no good but even then Il would be a |
month before they arrived possibly |
do not just know how We are going IN |
get along. ~ this fire Is going 10
cause a lot 81 inconvenience 20 the pub |
&c. But then" he added after |
pause. 'of course We will DO the hest |
we can under the circumstances.
This afternoon the insurance men and |
the street car officials went down 10 |
the scene Of the FIRE In order to get 10 |
a definite understanding as 20 the loss
ana the cause OF the fire. This morn |
ms u Is thought that the blaze was