Evening capital., 1904-12-14
.THE FIRE FIEND IS FONED.
READY RESPONSE RESCUES
MR.. MOSS HOME.
Explosion of a Waterback Starts
Serious Fire Early This
Morning.

An explosion in the home of Attor-
ney Robert Moss early this morning
resulted in q fire, which, with the
effects of the flames and the efforts
made to extinguish it, did nearly one
thousand dollars damage. Discover
cd in its incipiency every effort was
made TO check its progress before
great damage was done, but owing 10
its location this was found impossi ble
Such was it's threatening nature that
practically all of the furniture in the
house was removed TO place of safety
before the flames were extinguished.
The fire loss was slight, but water
and smoke contributed large share of
the damage. There IS every reason to
believe that the fire was started by
reason of the explosion of the water
back in the kitchen range. In some
manner the water became shut of
from the waterback and then, after
the waterbsck was heated the water
entered it. The resultant pressure was
TOO great for the cast iron and it gave
way, hurling burning coal against a
portion of the wainscoating directly
below the dumb waiter. Immediately
there was a burst of flame up. to che
opening and so rapid was its spread
that it entered the space between the
partitions and was discovered almost
Immediately on the first floor, the
kitchen being in the basement, the
slope of the ground at that point per-
mitting of that arrangement.
Mr. Moss son Graham was at once
dispatched to the house of the Inde-
pendent Fire Company ON Gloucester
49, 10 do nd
fed Mr.. Harry Wood, who was stand.
ing at the bell cord. The alarm was
rung and the response to its summons
was almost immediate, not over six
members of the company being absent
when the engine left the house. The
horses showed sthe drilling to which
they have been subjected for some
time and no time was lost in making
quick hitch. Then was discovered,
however. the need of the hot water
ciroulator with which it was intended
to fit the engine house in order that
steam could be constantly kept in the
engine. When the fire was reached
and the engine connected to the plug
at the corner of Market and Ship
wright streets, there was no steam
and it was nearly twenty minutes be-
fore the engine could pump water.
The other hose wagon was used and
stream was being played on the fire
within q very few minutes after the
fire was discovered. By that time,
however, the flames had worked their
way up through the partitions ana
burst through the roof To reach the
seat of the trouble it was necessary to
cut away the wall from the basement
to the roof. Every article of furniture
which could be moved was carried
across the street to a place cf safety,
but the carpets, decorations and paper
we're entirely ruined. The fire was
very stubborn and resisted the efforts
of the firemen for considerable time.
They were reinforced by members
and apparatus from the Water Witch
and Rescue Hose companies. At 9
O'Clock, just an hour after the fire was
discovered, the flames were extin-
guished.
Owing to the difficulty experienced
in getting at the fire and the damage
resultant from water the loss is in the
neighborhood of $1,000. It is fully
covered by insurance, the building and
contents being insured in the Royal
and Norwich Companies, of which
Mr.. Julian Brewer is the local agent.
An incident in connection with the
fire was the manner in which the hose
wagon, for which no horses are pro.
Vided, reached the fire. The hremen
were almost overcome with their exer-
tions when they came upon the big
Bob horse of the fire department
hitched to a cart. The hose wagon
was fastened to the cart and "Bob''
carried it to the scene of the fire in
short order