Los Angeles herald., 1906-01-12

Z Suite OF lsidor DoekWetIer, in=
I Xsured; $4,000. I
!. Estimated loss in offices Of the I
Z building, $4,000.
SF..E4S.T.a.E AH.Fass.Es.s9.E !. 's.'E.Ts's1sE sEs,P
In one of the most stubborn fires
with which the Los Angeles fire de-
partment has ever contended the
Douglas block at Third and Spring
streets was damaged early yesterday
morning to the extent of 100000.
The principal sufferers of the con
migration are the N. b. Blackstone
Dry Goods company, $4,000; the Doug
las building, $4,000; Montgomery
Brothers, $4,000. Tenants of the Doug
las suffered the greatest loss, and the
combined damage to all the office!
would be not far from $4,000.
All the principal losses were fully
covered with insurance, and with tn,
exception of several attorneys ans
physicians, who lost valuable papers
and instruments of surgery, the ne
loss will not be so severe as was
first feared.
Every office ON the fifth floor of tht
Douglas building was greatly dam
aged by fire, and the furnishings ant
office utensils are a total loss.
OF the two hundred and more office:
which are occupied i'll the Douglas
not one escaped injury by either fir,
or water.
The fire IS said to have been caused
by crossed wires in the wire shaft
located ON the fourth floor, through
which the wires are carried into th'
building. The flames were discovered
shortly after 6 o'clock by Mrs. Sander
son, one of the assistant janitors, who
notified T.. j. Devendorf, the agent o
the building. The latter turned ir
the alarm.
When the firemen arrived on Tho
scene the entire building was filled
with smoke and it was after the mos
heroic efforts that the flames were
discovered. The fire, which had it!
origin i'll the crossed wires, was con
fined between the ceiling of the fiftl
floor and the roof. According to th'
flremen, it had been burning since mid
night of Wednesday night. The raf
ters between the two floors were
burned to ashes.
Water Does Damage
The firemen could direct their cr
forts at no particular point ant
were obliged to literally soak the Ell
tire building. The N. Il. Blackstone
Dry Goods company sustained tn,
heaviest losses.
Before lnc ClerhS anu elllplOyeS o.
the building, with the exception o
some of the assistant janitors, had ar
rived OH the scene. the water was
pouring in streams through the floors
and it is said that the entire Black.
stone stock has been rendered value
less through the damage by water
The firemen who were not engaged il
fighting the flames covered the coun
ters with tarpaulins and oilcloth, bu
before this was accomplished almos
the entire stock had been water
soaked.
Within ten minutes of the first
alarm the new ladder system was il
operation, manned by six firemen, an6
the Iaddies went up to the roof of the
building like sailors.
The smoke on the upper floors was
intense and for several moments thu
firemen CROPPED blindly about in an eff
fort to locate the flame. 1t was final
ly discovered in room 425 in the north
west corner of the building.
The contlagration was of the charaC
ter known as a wall fire and is con,
sidered to be one of the most Difficult
of all fires to handle. Surrounded by
sitting smoke, their eyes smarting anc
their throats dry, the fire laddies
worked wonders against the unseer
foe.