The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-11-20
STATE BUILDING
WAS DESTROYED
Spectacular Fire at the ST.
Louis Fair Grounds.
HEAVY LOSS OF MISSOURI
PICTURES BURNED WHICH CAN
NOT BE REPLACED.
HEAVY LOSS OF MISSOURI

@ J. LOUIS, Nov. 19.-The Missouri
y state building was destroyed by
fire tonight, resulting from the
Explosion OF a not water heater i'm tho
basement. Instantly the flames shot uzo
! through the rotunda and the north
| wing and eupola We're solid mass of
iiames within ten minutes after the
! explosion. The loss cannot he esti-
mated accurately. owing 10 the tempo
rary nature Of the construction ma
| terial. which has no salvage value. The
principal loss is IN the contents of tho
building. The bGilding cost S145.O0O. and
IN the building were $4,000 worth Of
furnishings. the most valuable Of which
were portraits of former Missouri gov
errors and supreme judges. These
cannot be replaced.
Spectacular Blaze.
The fire was the most spectacular
that has occurred in st. Louis IN years.
Thousands of persons hurried from all
FoftlonS of the grounds. attracted by
ne sheet Of flames that spurted from
the TOP OF the cuDolas. making far
greater brilliancy than the illumination
OF all the buildings. A wind was blow
ing from the south, and the flames shot
down the northern side of The cupola
and met sheer of flames which enveI-
oped the northern wing. Instantly the
| building was afiame from top 10 bot
tom in the northern half Sparks were
carried over the United States govern
ment building as far north west as the
lloeral arts palace. Bucket brigades
were hurried to the roofs of these build
iHgs, preventing ignition.
Fighting the Fire.
Meantime from all quarters of the
grounds the fire departments had re-
Spcnded and were augmented by appa-
ratus from the city department. Sal
wage corps We're formed by both Jeffer-
son guards and Worlds fair visitors
and as much property as could be Sc
cured within few moments was car
ried into the Louisiana state pavilion
adjacent. Eight streams of water
poured into the burning building with
apparently little effect the IRE stead
lily eating its way until only a portion
Of the south wing was left standing.
Cost $225, 900.
NJ 7. Davis president of the Worlds
fair commission, was in the building
when the explosion occurred. He said:
The building as il Stood with all
the furnishings, cost in the neighbor-
hood of $225.0O0. There was not a dol
lar of insurance If we had endeavOred
10 sell the building we could not prob
ably have realized more than 5000.
Mrs. BellehaH Small Of Sedalia, Mo.
one of the state hOstesses. rushed into
her apartments in the building TO So
len-c some Naluables. A fireman fol-
! lowed her into the smoke and found
her lying on the door overcome Plac-
ing wet handkerchief over her face,
he carried her into the open air. where
she revived.
Caught by Falling Wall.
After the flames We're under control
and had been sufficiently extinguished
to admit the firemen entering the build
ing the south wall fell without warning
ana buried Lloyd Randolph. driver Of
city engine No. Is. and Frank O'COn-
nor of city truck No. 9. Several others
only escaped by q small margin.
Several streams Of water were in
/ stantly directed upon the debris cover
ing the men and they We're rescued be-
fore the fire spread TO where they were
entOmbed. The men were badly bruised
and it is thought Randolph is fatally
injured
Four hours after the fire was dis
covered. Chief Swingley Of the ST Louis
department announced that the fire was
extinguished. Small pillars of smoke
continued to arise from the ruins and
scattered beds of embers marked the
site of Missouri's Worlds fair pavilion.
One Killed; Two Injured.
While responding to the alarm Of fire
in the Missouri building Captain Ed
ward O'Neill of Worlds fair fire truck
No. 4, was seriously hurt, George Ca
renbach was killed and jerry Fagin Of
the same company was probably fatally
injured. 1t was necessary for the truck
TO pass through the mining gulch and
owing TO the darkness the horses left
the road. They separated when ap-
preaching a large tree the pole strik-
ing the obstruction with terrific force
upsetting the truck and hurting the
crew in every direction.