The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1907-01-03
A BAD FIRE.

| last Sunday evening entalled loss
estimated at $4,000. The loss on the
contents of the building is fully covered
by insurance. A large quantity of raw
material was consumed by the flames,
which for some forty-five minutes were
raging tiercely, especially in the rear end
OF the basement of the structure, where
the blaze appears to have originated,
possibly from spontaneous combustion.
A large percentage of the damage
resulted from the intense heat to which
large quantities of the firms manufac-
tured product, stored in the finishing
and shipping rooms, were exposed for
some thirty minutes, during which time
the fire seemed to be gaining such head
way in the interior of the structure that
people who witnessed the blaze thought
the entire block was doomed to destruc-
ton. Much damage resulted also, in
the rooms mentioned, from smoke and
the immense quantities of water thrown
on the flames.
With the exception of the rear,end
addition to the building-the north end
of the structure-the flames at no time
gained sufficient headway to envelop
the enterior os the building. The dam
age to the building is largely confined
to the rear end of the structure which
end was partly enveloped by the flames
when the blaze was at its height. What
damage was done to the interior of the
building resulted chiefly from water and
smoke.
The fire was first seen at o'clock p.
M, at which time DO one was in the
| building, Night Watchman Koebke not
having arrived at the factory as he com
mences his days work at 6 p. m The
fire was discovered by passers-by, who
observed large volumes of black smoke
| emerging from the windows in the west
end of the building. A telephone call
was Immediately sent to the fire depart
ment. Both stations promptly responded,
and all available tire-fghting apparatus
in charge of the department was called
into requisiton with surprising dispatch
and we'll guided regularity. While the
fire fighters were on their way to the
scene of the blaze, an alarm was also
turned in by some one from box az,
corner of Chicago and Tenth streets.
Within a few minutes after the ar
rival of Fire Chief Kratz and his men,
/ four s..eams were beginning to play on
the flames with seemingly telling effect
| for short time, after which the fire.
men were seriously handicapped in their
affords at putting out the blaze, by the
fact that gas issuing forth from three
pipes in the interior of the building had
taken fire and was burning with such
raging violence that the water thrown
upon the flames in that part of the
| building where the tenuons fuel was
being devoured by its atfinitive element
had but little effect. The solder from
gas-meters had been melted by the great
heat to which it had been subjected,
and this permitted the gas to escape
into the air in the interior of the build
ing The pipes were not provided with
external shut offs; and there was con-
siderable delay before the men succeed
cd in shutting off the gas from tue ex-
terror of the structure. Supt Patton of
the gas company, who had appeared at
the scene of the fire, assisted in the work
of stopping the flow Of gas into the fire.
Shortly after the department had
started the work of extinguishing the
blaze, an explosion occurred in the base
ment of the burning building. What it
was that exploded is not known. The
explosion shattered some of the window
lights and caused the glass to fly for a
distance of several rods. A piece of fly
ing glass struck Fireman Charles Max,
feldt on the right wrist, severing the
radial artery. This forced him to retire
! from the work and to HE himself to a
physicians Office to have the artery
ligated and the wound dressed At one
time several of the other fire-fghters
were partly overcome by the heat and
dense smoke in the building. The flames
had made their way from the basement
to the first, second and third floors of
the structure. The draught created by
|
the ire carried the flames up the stair,
way in the building. This accounts for
the rapidity with which the flames
spread in an upward direction.
The fire on the third floor was quickly
put out. Comparatively little damage
resulted on t.la5 floor. After half
hours hard we'll directed work, it was
seen that the FIRE was under control.
The flames on the second and the first
floors had been extinguished, and the
fire was now confined to the basement.
| When the fire was at its height the
flames began 10 make their way into
Mr.. S. T. Pratts printing plant, which
| is housed in the same building, occupy.
ing the ground floor to the east of the
glove factory. Large quantities of water
thrown on the flames burning in the
second story leaked through the ceiling
and rnined q large quantity of paper
stock, spoiled much valuable job work
damaged presses, furniture, etc. The
damage done in the printing works