Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1902-06-26
GRAPHIC STORY
OF THE BIG FIRE.


|
ladies, work as they would, might
Just as well have thrown kerosene at
the flames. The heat soon became so
intense that they could not get close
enough with the hose TO reach the
flames. Then began the effort to save
things.
SAVING THAT DID NOT SAVE.
This was almost as unavailIng as
was the gallant fight made to stay the
hunger OF the flames. Furniture and
raluablea were carried hurriedly to the
! street only TO be burned In the FIRE
! there, Mrs. Slater at the hotel had an
experience of this kind that cost her
dearly She had Just furnished her
rooms In elegant style with new chairs
| pictures and bric-a- brac. When the fire
started she called In men and had them
lake the best Of her things to the
street. This was done but before they
could be got farther away the heat
became so fierce that she was compelled
10 leave them there In the street. Moth
Ing but ashes now remain Of them.
CLOSEST DEATH CALL.
Perhaps the closest call to death was
| experienced by the men vino were sleep
| ing In the Oquirrh hotel. There were
| about a dozen Of these men who get
their sleep in the day time being on the
| night shift at the mines When the
| explosion came they were In bed fast
| asleep But for the energetic efforts
| OF crew OF men led by Marshal Hank
| Moore they would have been burned
| to death. Moore and others went around |
] the walls OF the rooms banging In the |
| doors and making the men get out OF |
| the hotel
ORIGIN OF THE FIRE.
o. De Henry young mar
| lied man was with his wife |
| in the hotel when the fire started. |
Regarding the exact origin Of the |
location Of the explosion there Is con- !
siderable doubt. But Mr.. Henry AYERS /
that II was In the room directly above |
his. His wife was In bed at the time |
| and she says that the force OF the con- |
cusslon lifted her two feet from the |
bed. In q highly nervous state she |
had time only to dress very scantIly
and get out without saving anything.
RUSHED TO THE HILLS.
AS the fire worked its way up and
down the guloh II became so intense |
that to attempt 70 get near enough to
the burning buildings to save anything |
was an imposslbiity. People took to
the hlllsdes and watched their homes
and their business houses go up in
smoke.
GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION.
From the reports OF those who wit
messed the Are from beginning 10 end II
was as graphic an illustration OF the
hell that some suppose will come as
was ever made on earth. They say
that there have been more disastrous
fires and fires that lasted longer but
they claim that for heat and rapidly |
of burning nothing car equal the
blaze that has made Of Mercur's busi-
ness portion q blackened waste From
the hlllsdes several hundred yards
away people had their faces scorched
from the heat.
SHOCKING NEWS. .
Those who were working under
ground In the mines did not hear of
the fire until II was all over. When
they came out for lunch at noon they
found their homes gone and saw that
they had not thing In the world but
their digging clothes and the lunch
which was In their pals,
TWO HONEST PEDDLERS.
Those who made no preparations for
the days meal went hungry. They had
money but there was no place to buy
anything to eat A couple Of peddlers
dropped in Just after the fire had fin
ished It's awful work and did land
Office business until after everything
was gone.
And they were white peddlers' said
one Of the homeless "They charged
regular prices only for everything that
they had. If they had wanted TO they
couIl have made mint of money, In a
small way, because people would have
paid them anything they asked but
they did not charge cent more than
they regularly do
CHARITY EVERYWHERE.
Under the trying conditions the hun
ger and the lack Of homes and the heat
and exhaustion Of trying to check a fire
that seemed destined to run its rapid
course. the people OF Mercur bore up |
brayey. They were even cheerful. |
They are a generous, whole hearted |
people these people at Merour and |
they gave what they had to those who
had been left without home or a place
20 eat. As Dick Connolly, cashier and
manager Of McCornioks bank. said last
night to a group Of men IN front OF the
ruins. I'VE all know each other here,
men; there are homes here for those
who haven't them. Nobody need go
without bed or @ meal
And that is the way II went. Those
whose homes were left made room for
a part Of those who were homeless and
found places for them at their tables.
Al the Craft boarding house, the only
hpttcs 1a.ff Ia
the landlady gave out orders that the ,
men were TO double up In single beds ,
and make room for the families that ,
were without places to sleep. They did ,
this gladly and willingly.
ESCAPE OF THE CRAFT Z
The escape OF the Craft house was 6
one OF the remarkable features OF the {
fire. Il stands right In the midst Of
the business district and IL built OF dry, !
Undertake wood, but Just as the flames
made their way at that side Of the s
street, the wind switched and the house
across the street was caught and the 6
Craft house was passed by. Mrs. Craft !
was cooking all day until nightfall. /.
when practically everything In the J
house was gone. and she was complete !
ly tired out with the work and excite |,
ment Of the day.
A BUSINESS CHANCE.
An interesting incident happened s
further down the gulch. The fire was b
coming rapidly down and Il seemed as $
though nothing could be- saved. II was Il
only about five houses from the Berry ! h
building. tvo-stOry structure OF 4
wood From the way in which the fire h
had eaten out the heart OF the town $
there appeared TO be no chance for the 4
Berry building or any OF those that sur c
rounded It. but George Butler and Lew Il
Scheryner took a chance. :
PROFITABLE SPECULATION. b
They offered the Berry brothers $3.50 y
for the building as Il stood The offer !
was accepted and si2O was paid down.
Before the fire got as far as the new
purchase II was stopped by a stone Z
building and by the explosion OF an Ice I
gsaa t.N.r -. alaN rrsaa a |