Omaha daily bee., 1902-11-27
ONE OF CONTENTS SAVED FROM FLAMES
Much Of it is Castings and officials Think
Larger 0Res Are All Right
IEAT is INTENSE AND THIS is DOUBTFUL
Company 0fiC' ais Place the Loss at Twenty
Thousand Dollars.
ORIGIN OF THE FIRE is A MYSTERY
Railroad OBcinls state Their Relief
that it is Ineendiary-None of
the other Buildings
Damaged

bhmnEeu.
Fire Of probably incendiary origin totally
destroyed Union Pacific storehouse No 2
and partially burned seven loaded freight
cars lying on the track alongside II. en-
failing a total loss OF about $40. 600. last
night. The fire broke out shortly before II
o'clock, and it was under strong headway
before the fire department could get a line
Of hose into service.
The store house is at the northeast cor
ner Of the shop yards about 5000 feet
from the western gates, and to get to the
burning building the department had not
only to find its way between numerous and
irregularly located buildings, hut between
scattered lines Of locomotives and freight
cars and over a perfect web OF railroad
tracks. The hose from some Of the hydrRnts
had TO be drawn several hundred yards
across the tracks and under the cars stand
ing thereon. 1t was on this account that
the fremen were given one OF the most diff
hoult problems they have ever encountered
in reaching a fire. and when the water was
finally turnd onto the burning structure the
flames had spread to every part Of it.
At no time after the discovery OF the hre
was there any hope for saving the build
ing in which It was started. and therefore
many OF the hremen devoted their atten-
tion TO preventing the surrounding build
ings from burning The best efforts Of
Chief Salter's men we're necessary TO save
storeroom No. !, which is separated from
its mate only 0y a platform about sixty
feet in width, and several lines OF railroad
track. Firebrands from the burning build
ing fell In profusion on the roofs Of the
nearby structures and thorough and con-
stant wetting OF these roofs was necessary
TO Confine the confiagration to the building
in which it originated
Filled with Supplies.
The burned building was well stocked
with railroad supplies, but nothing OF an
= inhammable nature was kept there, except
! ing cotton waste and manila rope, the re-
, mainder Of the stock being iron materials
used in the construction and repair Of rail-
road tracks, such as spikes, bolts, rivets.
frog irons and piping The material used
for repairing cars and locomotives, which
is most in demand by the company during
! the strike Of its machinists, is all stored in
the No. ! house which was not damaged by
the fire, although it was in danger for
! nearly an hour.
No storehouse, which was a frame
structure 25O feet long and as feet wide. is
/
salvage on the contents will amount to any
! considerable amount. The FIRE started in
! the north end OF the structure. apparently
! from the outside, and II was not more than
| ten minutes after the discovery Of the
/ flames that the entire building was q blaz-
| ing furnace. The building was but a frame
shell, old and dry, and it furnished good
( material for a fire.
! Fortunately the high wind that had pre-
vailed all Of yesterday had died out and
/ there was scarcely a breeze at the time the
/ fire was raging. The flames shot high into
! the still air and furnished a spectacle for
/ the entire city for nearly an hour. The
heat was so intense for some minutes that
II drove the fremen back and made the
spectators a hundred yards away feel like
/ peeling to their shirtsleeves.
The machinery for testing airbrakes was
in the south end OF the building, and the
escaping compressed air famed the flames
turiously and made the destruction of that
part of the building a matter Of only a few
minutes. The south wall burned rapidly to
a crisp and fell to pieces like an overbaked
cracker would crumble.
Seven box cars on the track next TO the
burning building caught fire and were dam
aged TO the extent Of perhaps $500 each.
Some OF the cars were partly loaded, but
the contents, being all Of iron. was but
slightly damaged.
Estimate of BOsE.
Superintendent OF Motive Power McKeen
arrived on the scene about half an hour
, after the outbreak Of the fire and was
joined a few minutes later by Superintend-
ent Thompson OF the supply department
M McKeen referred the newspaper re-
porters TO Mr.. Thompson for Information
and that official said
THE loss will not exceed SIC. 900; n
may be not more than $15, 900. We cannot
make an estimate until we ascertain Just
what portion, II any, of the contents OF
the burned building can be saved. The loss
whatever il amounts TO. is fully covered by
insurance. I cannot imagine how the FIRE
started. There was nothing combustibls
in the building and there was no fire there
during the day. Even smoking is prohibited
In and about the place. The building wal
heated by steam and the steam plant ii
several hundred feet away. ] believe there
can be no doubt that this is an incendiRry
FIRE"
Superintendent McKeen. when asked
: what effect the loss OF the material in tbs
burned building would have on the motiv,
power Of the road, said:
None whatever. Everything we meet
for the repair of locomotives and rollins
b stock OF all kinds Is kept in the Othel
p storehouse. The company will not be re,