The daily sentinel., 1906-12-12

passed without the narrowing sound
of the fire alarm being heard in the
city was no Indication that the fire
ficnd had fled from Grand junction
/ for all time. 1t returned last night
with terrible furry and as n result two
of the largest mercantile houses in
Grand junction were wiped out of cN-
istence.. \ large business block was
destroyed and several other handsome
business houses badly damaged.
The First Alarm.
Shortly before twedve O'Clock last
night some boys dropped into the
Pastime Cafe and told John Brainard
the proprietor that there was smoke
/ coming from the rear of the Bar
/ gain house, whether it was from n
bon fire or not they did not know
Smoke was TO be seen but no blaze.
Mr. Brainard straightway called
the central telephone Office and in
formed the girl in charge that some
thing was on fire in the rear of the
Bargain house evidently in the alley
| Owing to the fact that a fuse got out
/ of order Just then the call to the hre
department was delayed several min
utes.
Fire Chief Rogers stated that the
call informed him that there was
something burning in the alley back
of the Bargain house Owing TO the
| fact that he has had various calls as
result of people burning trash In
alleys in the business district and as
the message stated that the fire was
lin the alley. Mr.. Rogers hurridly
went to investigate In the meantime
the other boys got the big wagon in
position. chief Rogers hu.rie1 up
town and in a moment saw that the
fire was in the rear of the building
occupied by the Bargain house He
started out on a run for the lire
house one block away Assistant
Chief Falkener saw him coming and
started out with the wagon overtaklns
the fire chief before he reached the
fire house. No time was lost whatever
in connecting the long string of hose
to the hydrants and the fire boys rush
ed up to the rear of the Bargain mouse
with two big streams of water ready
to play upon the fire. The rear door
of the Anderson Bargain house was
knocked in and at this instant the
flames and smoke belched up through
the stairway leading into the base
ment. The smoke was terrible,
binding and foul with gaseous quail
tiles.
Smouldering Long
Fire Chief Rogers and his men saw
in n moment that the fire had started
i'm the basement of the Anderson store
at a point near the partition wall di-
viding this store from the grocery
house and meat market OF the Eu-
wards Mercantile company.
The fire had evidently been smould-
ering for some time and burst 1ortl
! with mighty, almost uncontroilaDle
furv ms the firemen broke into the
read of the building.
The building or block occupied by
| the Bargain house and the Edwards
| Mercantile CO. was of frame interior
and as dry as tinder. and the turhI-
| ture toys. mattresses, Dedulhg, elc'
| largely making up the Bargain House
stock made it so much the eaSiel s. LOT vi
the flames to spread and the hTe TO
grow I'm strength and fierceness,
| Tho partitlon between the two
| stores was of wood and naturally the
fire was soon in both rooms. The hIe
haing started in the basement MADE
II almost impossible for the hremeh
To plav water on the flames durlnS
the early stages. However, WIN
tho building filling with smoke, ana
many other obstacles in their way the
men fought valllantly and seeing lha'
nothing could save the two stores
| bent their attention and energies 10
| confning the fire to those two Oulla'
| ings. .,o nd.
| wards store occupied the block owned
lIbv A. A. Miller, between Fllth am
! sixth street on Main, the nor'h slue
The large department store Oh tu'
= White Mercantile company auJoln'
= the block on the west. while the olS
= E7air block with the Feldmeler
= Moore hardware store first IN me II
= on the east. 100. canal.
4 The large Miller block was separ
= otad from the adjoining building
= bv thick brick walls. had these vail
+ bsen frame nothing could have save'
+ tba entire block, one of the most lnl
= portant in the city. ...a
Tho alarm of fire aroused severn
= hundred people and soon srea. CroT' Nv,
= y,oe Gathered on Main street Wa'cH
= ing the conhagration-
= Firemcn Fight Hard.
= Fire chief Rogers and his men KEEP
: .., creams of water playing on tn
. raar of the building while three heaN
t.aons were turned into the front o
- tbo bufIdIng. For a short tlile
seemed that in spite of everything VA
= 6re would get around the Drlck wa,
- mo White store but the perslsleh
= Josled work of the fire departmen
io5f The flames confined between IN
t,,o brick walls, and at 1874 eIoe
t+ rae announced that the hre wa
nomnIetely under control ana lne
,bare would be no further eNtehslo
o of the flames, ....,t,, u,as l,er
= For over two hours "dleI ""S