Los Angeles herald., 1907-11-25
FIREMEN HAVE A STUBBORN
FIGHT WITH BLAZE
BIG BUILDINGS AND SUPPLIES
CONSUMED
Large Amount of Newly Frozen Prod
uct Lost-crossing Wires Be-
Ieved to Have Caused
Disaster

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Cold Storage company in the block
bounded by Sixth and Seventh. streets,
Santa Fe avenue and Mesquite street,
was partially destroyed by fire last night,
involving loss of $780, with insur-
.ance of more than three-fourths of that
sum.
The fire started at about 4:3o O'clock
on the Mesquite side of the storage de-
partment and is supposed to have been
caused by crossed electric wires from
small motor used to run hosting ma
chinery.
The first information of the fire was
given to the members of engine com
pany II by a boy.
When the company arrived there was
nothing but haze of smoke drifting up
from the caves of the building. mo
ment later broad sheet of fire burst
fifty feet into the air and spread with
rapidity from end to end until the entire
building was involved.
The structure is of frame, with walls
eighteen inches thick, lined with tar
paper and packed with sawdust. 1t was
erected six years ago at a cost of $4,000.
General Alarm Sent In
The captain of engine No. II sent in a
general alarm to headquarters and four
other steamer companies, two trucks and
three chemicals responded.
Chief Walter Lips took charge of the
fight against the fire and stubbornly
pushed back the flames until he had
them confined to the storage end of the
building.
1t was a spectacular fire and more
than 10000 persons crowded around the
place watching 1t. AS soon as the outer
shell of the building burned through a
cataract of fire in red, green. blue and
gold poured from the opening the
sawdust sifted to the ground and was
Tapped up by the heat.
The fire was stubborn one, owing to
the nature of the material on which it
had to feed. The smoke was dense.
Chief Lips and Assistant Chief ODon-
nell soon had a squad of men with lines
of hose on the roof of the building, and
it was fought from above and below.
Between the storage department and
the ice making and machinery plant of
the company is a brick fire wall, and
although the flames beat against this and
time and time again seemed to spread
to the south end of the plant, the fire.
men, assisted by the employees of the
company. kept the fire within the stor-
age building.
Ice a Total Loss
was filled with ice there being stored
in what is known as warehouse X $500
tons of newly frozen blocks valued at
$12,500. This was packed tightly within
a space so by so feet and sixteen tiers
high or approximately 40 feet. Over all
this was placed sawdust. but the torrents
of water poured into the building will
make the ice a total loss according to
General Manager j. G. Mckinney.
Ia oh oy. xuo n
and were empty. but in warehouses q
and E was stored 112,500 boxes of apples.
q considerable quantity of turkeys and
chickens, a few barrels of cranberries
and some celery.
Warehouses G and e were destroyed
and the goods stored there will probably
be a total loss.
Salvage may shade these losses a con-
siderable amount, but Manager McKin-
a total loss and that while it would be
impossible to make an estimate of the
loss on the other goods the value of
the contents was $230,000 This loss, IL
total is almost covered T. insurance
for the protection of their customers.
VIII Cause Scarcity of Apples
Whether completely destroyed or not
the 15O carloads of apples in the build
ing at the time of the fire will be out
of the market for weeks to come and Will
make the supply in Los Angeles scarce
for Thanksgiving and the early holiday
season.
The fire was pronounced under control
at s o'clock, and while several streams of
water were kept on the building during
the balance of the night it. is probable
there will still be fire in the place for
a day or two.
During the entire time of the blaze
the engines of the plant were kept going
at full speed, and several streams of
water from stationary pumps were
thrown into the big warehouses where
ever there was a sign of fire.
General Manager Mckinney was en-
thusiastic in his praise Of both the fire.
men and the employees of the company
last night for the pluclkY and persistent
manner in which they fought the fire, and
OF the police force under charge of Ser
geants Willard Smith, Redmond and
Adams for the manner in which the big
crowd was handled.
The roadmaster OF the Santa Fe rail-
way had a force of men on hand early
covering the side tracks OF the company
tt, prevent warping CT the rails by the
intense heat.
The storage plant of the company win
be rebuilt as soon as the insurance ad-
justers get through with the ruins.
The company was organized In 1887
and is controlled almost entirely by Los
Angeles capital. although there are
number of eastern stockholders.