The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1905-09-26
SERIOUS fire
VISITS BUTTE
BUSINESS CENTER OF CITY BAD
VI DAMAGED.
PROBABLE LOSS A MILLION
Twelve Business Houses Completely
Destroyed-Many Others Suffer
HeaviIy-origin Is Unknown.

Butte, Sept. 25.-Fire that ragged for
more than six hours in the heart of
the business district of this city yes
terday morning totally destroyed IL
business houses, seriously damaged
nearly a score of others, and entailed
loss of property that will aggregate
nearly $1,000,00O.
Eight Persons Hurt.
Eight persons were injured by fall
ing walls, but no loss of life resulted.
1t was one of the worst confagra-
tions in the history of the northwest,
and by far the most disastrous blaze
that ever visited Butte.
Lives of nearly 800 persons were
endangered by the flames, and for a
time it seemed that the commercial
center of the city would be wiped out.
Tenants in blocks along Park street
between Main and Montana streets
were driven from the buildings in
scanty attire.
Many did not stop long enough to
dress, but hastened to the street be-
low TO ascertain the extent of the
conf1agration.
Owing to the early hour, nearly all
of the occupants of the rooming hous-
es were asleep. When the cry of fire
sounded through the buildings the
sleepers rushed pell-meN through the
halls, many women and children be-
ing roughly handled and trampled up
on in the mad rush.
Smoke Discovered.
Smoke was discovered in the base
ment of the Symons department store,
on West Park street, about $3.50
o'clock. Thirty minutes later, the
three-stoTy structure was enveloped
in flames, and dense volumes of black
smoke were issuing through the roof,
windows, and other apertures.
A high wind was blowing from the
southeast, and as the fire gained head
way, vast sheets of flames were car
ried across the street, tapping the
sides of the Clark and Goldberg blocks
and threatening to demolish both
structures.
General Alarm Sounded.
Fifteen minutes before nine o'clock
Acting Fire Chief Shinnick ordered
a general alarm. Apparatus from the
Quartz, Arizona and Caledonia street
stations hastened to the scene, and
within 35 minutes after the first alarm
was turned in 12 lines of hose were
playing upon the burning building.
Departments from Hill.
When the ''big nine" was sounded
from the bell over the city hall and
the sonorous changing of the massive
clapper gave the general alarm, the
different fire brigades at the mines
on the hill hustled their apparatus
out of the sheds and started for the
scene of the blaze on run. Among
the first to arrive was the entire bat
TALON from the Anaconda company's
mines, in charge of Fire Chief George
Lapp, and a squad of 80 men from the
Original, headed by Abe Cohen.
Miners Fight Fire.
With the celebrity of veteran fire
fighters they reeled off lines of hose,
and in twinkling were throwing
streams of water into the fiery pit
that marked the site occupied by the
Symons store. From ladders, fire es-
capes, building tops and other vantage
points the volunteer firemen from the
hill poured quantities of water into
the seething caldron, but the effect
was scarcely noticeable. The heat was
so terrific that the men could not get
within close range of the burning
building, and many of the streams of
water were transformed into vapor in
midair and ascended in clouds of
steam.
Spread of Flames.
Despite the heroic efforts of the fire.
men, the flames began to spread, and
within an hour after the discovery of
the first blaze, buildings to the east
and west of the Symons store were be-
ing devastated by the tongues of
flame that eagerly ate their way
through the walls and roofs and gut
ted the insides.
Flames Leap Goldberg Block.
With the inconsistency frequently
shown by the fire f1end in his ravages,
the flames leaped the four-story Gold
berg block, less than $50 feet away,
and claimed the public library, on
Broadway and Academy streets, one
block distant from the seat of the
main blaze. Owing to the heavy clouds
of smoke that were carried from the
burning buildings on Park streets, the
firemen who were at work upon the
Symons store and adjoining struc-
lures were unable to discern the tiny
spirals of smoke that foated beneath
the caves of the library building.
giving silent warning of the
flames that were about to burst forth.
Burning of Library Building.