Los Angeles herald., 1908-11-17
FOURTH STREET
FIRE LOSS MAY
TOTAL 100000
SHENANDOAH BUILDING is
SWEPT BY FLAMES
BROADWAY DEPARTMENT STORE
SAVED BY HARD WORK
Organized Brigade Of Employees Pre-
vents Spread of BIaze-clerks and
Customers Got Out Without
Panic

FIRE that caused the destruction OF
property valued at approximately
n 100000 broke out in the basement
of the Sherman-Clark or Los Angeles
Pacific Railway building at 314 West
Fourth street yesterday afternoon.
By the time the fire engines and
many hose hook and .dder wagons
had arrived on the scene the flames
were threatening the Broadway de-
partment store, from which customers
were pouring like bees from a hive.
Intense excitement prevailed among
the inmates of the Knox lodging house
on the third and fourth floors of the
Sherman Clark building, who we're in
their rooms when the fire started. The
firemen, on arriving, placed the lad
ders and climbed up to the rescue of
four frightened women. These were
Ruth Hastings of 3415 Prospect avenue,
Grace Gillian of Hollywood, Lucy Will
kinson and Geraldine Sewell.
Broadway's Employees Active
Under the personal direction of
Arthur Let's, proprietor of the Broad
way department store, the fire organ
| ization, composed of employees of that
firm, valiantly fought back the flames
with their own fire apparatus, doing
excellent work on the adjoining build
partment store. They tore out the
shelving and poured streams into the
| light well, and at the same time had
five streams playing on the fire which
was raging in the other building. The
| employees were ordered out of the
| building one floor at a time and what
in many instances would have been a
panic was averted by presence of mind
and discipline.
The estimated losses are:
Sherman-Clark building $4,000
Knox lodging house ......... 10000
Cecil Hair emporium ...-.-...... 5000
Sunset Tea and Coffee house. 5000
| Newman millinery ....-........ 1000
Los Angeles-Pacifc railway 5000
Other losses the Broadway DEPART
ment store, whose goods may have suffered
to the extent of 100000; the Clarendon
hotel, damaged by smoke and water, and
the Fourth street cafeteria.
| The damage to the stored goods of
the Broadway was heavy, although no
definite estimate can be made until
| today. The main store was soaked
| with water and the basement was
flooded. The store will not be open to
1 the public today.
The fire, which ragged mainly in the
Easements and the first floors, did seri-
Gus damage in the following business
houses: The Los Angeles Pacific Rail-
way cOmpany's waiting room and office:
the Knox rooming house, 31S West
|
house, 322 West Fourth street; Cecil
Millinery company, 324 West Fourth
| street: NJ A. Newman's millinery estab-
| lishment and the Clarendon hotel, the
last named place having been mainly
| damaged by water and smoke.
In the millinery establishment Mrs.
r. Corenson alone lost $1,000 of stock.
Boy Discovers Fire
How the fire started is still mys-
terry although it is believed the flames
started in a kitchen at the rear of the
Sunset bakery. The flames were first
discovered by Arthur Roos, 694 Antonio
street, an office boy in one of the Los
! Angeles Pacific offices. In a few min
utes after the alarms were given thou
sands of persons hocked to the scene,
and it was only by stretching ropes
across the streets at Broadway and Hill
street that the excited throng was kept
back.
The first alarm was given at 2:0S
o'clock and was responded TO by en-
gines 8, a, and 16, truck and the
water tower. The second alarm was at
2:22 o'clock and was answered by en-
gines 9, 10 and 10. truck 3 and hose
2 and T. The last call was at 2:30
o'clock and was answered by engines
Z, II and II, truck 4 and hose 8. The
firemen did great work, but notwith-
standing all their efforts the fire ragged
e. c. Wilkinson and S. H. Pickard,
who were in the general managers Of
flee of the Los Angeles-Pacific Railway
company, gathered and placed the COM
pany's books in safes, packed the let
ters into bags which they threw down
into the street, and then themselves
descended by the fire escape.
Chief Lips says that yesterdays fire
was one of the hardest to fight he had
ever seen because of the dense smoke
which rose in clouds from the buildings,
binding the tiremen at their duties.
Little Left of Building
"The interior of the building seems
to be entirely demolished" said Cen
NJ. H. Sherman, who, with E. p. Clark,
owns the structure in which the fire
ragged. "Only the outer walls are stand
ing. The building cost about 100000
and was insured for half.
"The Los Angeles-Pacific company
did not lose much in the way of val
liable papers as they were locked IN
vaults and the constant streams of wa
ter served to keep the vaults cool"
Street car traffic was demoralized on
Fourth street. Hill and Broadway cor
about three hours. Cars were dis
patched as usual from the Hill street
station of the Los Angeles-Pacific, but
there was long tie-up on the Holly
wood and Colegrove lines.
AS a token of gratitude to the Los
Angeles fremen for their efficient serV-
ice in yesterdays fire, which threatened
the Broadway department store, Mr.
Let's has donated 800 to the Los An
geles Firemens Relief association.