The Havre herald. [volume] (Havre, Mont.) 1904-1908, 1905-09-29
Big fire AT BUTTE
MILLION DOLLAR LOSS In Cen.
TRIAL BUSINESS DISTRICT.
ConfIagration Started About $40 a.
m. Sunday, West of Main and
South of Park Streets-Publc Ii.
brary Suffers by Loss-AlI Fire Ap.
paratus in County in Use.

Butte, Mont, Sept. 25.-Efre causing
a loss estimated at about $1,OOO,O00
Sunday consumed the entire portion
of Butte lying between the Shodair
block and Renshaw alley, on the
south side Of West Park street, and
half destroyed the public library. 1t
totally destroyed the following blocks:
Maule, York, Barrett, Woodward and
| Odgen.
| The fire call was turned in at $40
a. N. At noon the four story Symons
store was mass of flames and the
public library and other places were
burning simultaneously. At 1 o'clock
Mayor MacGinniss announced the fire
under control.
The Miner building the Broadway,
Harvard, Argyle and other buildings
were licked by the hungry flames, but
good work on the part Of the owners
and tiremen from the hill prevented
what seemed for time general con-
aagration, as stu wind was blow
ing the flaming embers everywhere.
| A1y - " S1oAA SfSLy pACSC u LA = cap
paratus in Silver Bow county was at
the scene of the fire. The depart
ments from the 1tarus, Cora, Parrot,
Original, Gagnon, Anaconda and 9th
er mines responded with alacrity and
rendered great service. The fire bat
talions from the Centennial brewery,
from VAUDEVILLE, from Williamsburg,
| 70 9TH
places answered the general alarm and
| lent valuable assistance to the regu-
lars.
A. H. Wethey, general manager of
Senator Clark's Butte properties vol
unteered the use of the fire crews from
the Clark mines and the Butte reduc-
ton works as soon as he learned Of the
extent of the fire. Mr.. Wethey also
called up the water WORKS and offered
to start the pumping plant at the Butte
reduction works if it was found neces-
sary.
About noon telephone messages be-
gan arriving from Anaconda, Helena,
Dillon, Missoula and other places, of
fering the services of Tie fire depart
ments of the various cities. Anaconda
was one of the first to volunteer and
her offer was accepted. At 1928 three
hose wagons and a steamer with full
crews, accompanied by Mayor McKen-
zie and other citizens, were placed
aboard special train for this city.
Exactly 33 minutes were consumed
in making the 20 mile run to this city.
Quickly the apparatus was removed
from the cars and within three min
utes after the train pulled into the de-
pot Acting Chief Harper and his men
were on the scene and had several
streams playing on the big blaze. The
Smelter City firemen went to work
with vim and spirit that encouraged
their tired brothers, who had been bat
Ting with flames since early morning
The big steamer began pumping, and
with it's assistance water was directed
into the interior of the olaze with good
effect.
Fire Hard to Fight.
1t was about 8 o'clock when Tie
fire broke out and First Assistant Fire
Chief j. T. ohinnick and his men went
to work at the tap of the gong, and al
the first opening smoke, thick, yello"
; and suffocating, belched forth, making
entrance impossible.
The cigar company in whose place
the fire was first fought occupies par1
of the ground floor and basement OF
the big Symons Dry Goods company's
building.
The firemen realized that to keel
the fire confined to the basement ant
away from the elevator shaft was the
only hope of saving the block. Three
lines of hose, manned by crews wht
; CALAMITY braved the smoke, advanced
< into the poisonous cloud and poured {
+. flood OF water into the hole. Unfor
tunately, the basement of the Symon
company was easily drained, and thu
: basement being a double one, with ;
subbasement beneath it, was impos
sibIe to food
The Esen could not reach the seat o
. the flames, but several went through
the rear sidewalk windows and hell
> the streams as close as they could t.
the origin OF the smoke.
Spread of the Blaze.
Finally, with a favorable change IL
a the wind, which kept the smoke bacl
e temporarily, the fremen broke in tn
: three doors on the ground floor an
s poured the water in the direction o
the elevator shaft, which roared lik
f a mill race A perfect geyser of spark
S and burning shingles spewed it's ton
: rent across the roofs of buildings
g starting patches of flames from tn
S Renshaw hall all the way to the Par
S building. From II o'clock until moo
i the Symons company building burne
free as a bonfire, anu the departmen
Y confined its labors to saving adjacen
@ property. The RenshaW building seen