The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-02-12
TOTAL LOSS BY THE BIG
FIRE MAY REACH 100000
Clean Sweep of Everything Was Made In the
Atlas Blackstone Salvage In the Central
ncsndiay Theory Advanced Resolves No Support and Origin
Believed to Have Been Accidental.

las block yesterday hung a dense,
white cloud OF steam and smoke
It cleared occasionally long enough TO
expose the twisted and blackened
wreckage of the FIRE. Then it closed
about the glowing crater as If TO con-
ceaI the mysteries surrounding its or
igin. Streams OF water played upon
the debris, but sharp flames would
shoot angrily skyward and wave
short-lived defiance to the fremen who
were at work upon the building An
other force of men kept stream or
water playing upon the rear of the
Central block.
1t is estimated that the total loss
will be a bout $500 600. About half TINS
loss viii be covered by insurance
Many of the Valuables in the oIhces
were uninsured, although the larger eS-
adjustments were partly protected
One of the heaviest losers is the SAT-
Lake Hardware company, which places
its loss at $125,000. The loss TO the
buildings and fixtures will be ABOUT
S2OO. 600. and this sum is partly Gov
cred by insurance.
The largest losers among the insur-
ance companies will. il is believed, De
to the National and the Springfield
The Home Mutual is also among the
heavy losers. Nothing was saved IN
many of the tenants began 10 remove
their goods early in the progress OF
the cOn1agratiOn. Those who rallied 10
do this were unable to remove anything
after the building caught fire
Reports of Incendiarism.
During the day a report was circu-
lated that the fire was the work of an
incendiary's torch No positive clue
could be found in support Of this the
DRY. The janitOr of the building said
that there was no Waterman IN tn
building This was generally known
TO Migrants who frequently slept IN
the Railways, which were kept warm
BY the radiators. He said il would be
an easy matter for a match or cigar
stub to be thrown in the elevator SHAFT
or some other place where II might
come against material that would
SmOIder until some stray current of air
famed it into a blaze.
The theory is also advanced that the
fire caught on one of the upper floors
The fact that the flames were shooting
out of the basement and from the ROOT
at the same time and leaving a dark
space between is taken as the strongest
possible proof that the fire originated
III the basement and was carried TO IN
upper floors through the elevator shaft
Everything about the building was
creased for a big fire. The floors,
castings and other woodwork were of
highly polished hard wood and oiled
Each room was furnished with tele-
phones, WashStands cupbOards and
other oiled and polished decOrat tons.
This made excellent material for the
flames to feed on and accounts for the
rapidity with which they spread There
was little smoke and floor after floor
was licked up by bright. hungry flames
which roared through the Railways and
up the elevator shaft in great sheets.
fnnv Il Cd
the most damage The entire upper
story had fallen into the Salt Lake
Hardware store. Into this smOuldering
heap Of iron, bricks and timber the fire
men poured stream of water all night
The rear and west walls of the Atlas
block were also heaped up in the sub
way of that building Part of the front
walls had also fallen into the base
ment and covered up the upper floors,
which fell first
Safes In a Heap.
1t was estimated yesterday that
about forty safes are buried under the
debris in the Atlas block These are
covered ~ the flooring and bricks to a
depth Of several feet Some of them
held valuable papers and records which
cannot be replaced without consider
able trouble In some cases they can
not be replaced at all. and the owners
are naturally concerned over their
safety 1t is feared that some of the
safes may have sprung by the fall so
that flame and water could get to them.
1t was impossible to get to them yeS~
terday owing to the heat. and it VIII
be several days before some of them
can be reached on account of the de-
bris.
The vaults of the Bank Of Commerce
seemed to be intact. The vault in the
basement is composed of steel and
masonry and is absolutely hreproof. In
this vault was the large. freprOof safe
containing old records and chests of
silverware left there for safety by pri-
vate families. There is no way of tSE-
ing the amount of silver in these
chests as the bank had no record Of
them, the owner being supplied With a
number and key.
The upper vault was also built of
steel rails and masonry and rested upoz
the vault below In the upper vault
was large freprOOf safe in which
We're cash and other valua bIes and Sc
curities. 1t IS estimated that the safe
contained $4,000 III cash. besides bonds,
mortgages, stock and notes. the cash
value of which viii reach an enormous
nsure- All these viii be saved.
Hustle For New Quarters.
Before the fire department was SAT-
lsfled that it had the fire under con
troll and was able to keep the flames
confined within the ruins of the Atlas
block and the partially destroyed Cen
I tral block, e W. Wilson. cashier of
the Bank of Commerce. mad made
arrangements for the opening Of
his bank at 10 O'Clock yesterday morn
ing. After satisfying himself that the
Atlas block was doomed. Nr. VII
son. at } o'clock in the moraiOg. be-
gan hunting around for a place to do
business within the next seven hours
At O'Clock he announced ne had Sc
cured temporary quarters in tbs Walk
er bank building He was ready to
do business four hours later before
half the other tenants of the Atlas
block knew that the building had been
destroyed. The banks loss consists only
of inconvenience
The safe of T. Egan & Son con
tanned $500. GOO worth of securities The
block was the largest Office building
in the city. as the first floor as well
as the upper rooms were devoted to
Offices The building had about fifty
tenants and was divided into about 100
Offices