Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1902-06-26

| luuulesi NoIh Us AntJ Noulut might
Just as we'll have thrown kerosene at
the flames The heat soon became so
intense that they could not get close
enough with the hose 10 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
raluables were carried hurrledly 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 80 fierce that she was compelled
TO 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 Tor 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
led 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 a 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 It's 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 impossibility. People took to
the hillsides 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 1t
was as graphic an illustration OF the
hell that some suppose will come as
an pfh Thax |
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 backened waste. From
the hllsides 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 a 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 Its 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
small way, because people would have
paid them anything they asked; but
they did not charge q 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 fire
that seemed destined to run its rapid
course. the people OF Mereur bore up
bravely. 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 place
TO eat AS Dick Connolly, cashier and
manager OF McCornIck's 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
boarding or roOming house left in town,
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. q
The escape OF the Craft house was q
one Of the remarkable features OF the Q
fire. IL stands right In the midst OF I
the business district and IL built OF dry, =
tinder-lke wood, but just as the flames
made their way at that side Of the s
street, the wind switched and the house a
across the street was caught and the G
Craft house was passed by. Mrs. Craft Y
was cooking all day until nightfail. Y
when practically everything IN the D
house was gone. and she was complete p
~ tired out with the work and excite q
ment Of the DAY.
A BUSINESS CHANCE. 81"
An interesting incident happened s.
further down the gulch. The fire was b
coming rapidly down and Il seemed as s.
though nothing could be saved II was II
only about five houses from the Berry ! h
building. tvo-story structure OF | 7
wood From the way in which the fire h
had eaten out the heart OF the town | s.
there appeared to be no chance for the | II
Berry building or any OF those that sur C,
rounded II. but George Butler and Lew u
Scheryner took a chance. 81
PROFITABLE SPECULATION. b
They offered the Berry brothers $3.50 y
for the building as II stood. The offer y
was accepted and si2O was paid down. II
Before the fire got as far as the new
II was stopped by a stone D