Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1908-10-17
Story of Battle,
With the Flames.
From Argus Extra

A portion of the account of the fire
given in the midnight extra edition of
The Argus is reprinted below, and de-
scribes the progress of the flames and
the battle to save the buildings in the
path of the fire
The strong southeast wind fan
ned the flames, and pie after
pile of lumber ignited in rapid sue
cession, so that when the first of the
hose carts arrived it was already
mammoth conflagration. and seemed
to be so far under way that it would
be impossible to prevent it from taking
everything between it and the river.
Call on Neighbors. .sa .a..
AS soon as the seriousness of the
Iconfiagration became apparent Moline
and Davenport were called upon. The
former responded with two hose COM
panies, and the latter with three, all
of which did good service
Heroic efforts were put forth at once
| to save the machine shop of the Sash
and Door works and the other build
! ings which were further removed from
the path of the flames. The huge
store house of the lumber company
was also in fair way of catching fire.
and in fact the great heat did cause
small fires to start on the roof and on
the sides number of times, but
prompt attention from the firemen and
the many volunteers who willingly lent
their aid kept the water playing on
the hot places, and the building was
saved, as the wind gradually swept
the flames away to the north.
| Big Fight at Wood shop.
| The big fight of the whole fire was
ito save the wood shop of the Sash and
Door works, where hundreds of men
Iare employed. and where there is more
than 100000 worth of machinery The
great flood of fire swept right up to
the building and caught it in it's en-
brace in a dozen different places, and
it was only the steady streams of wa
tier poured out onto the roof that saved
it. A dozen lines of hose were used
land at that it took two hours of the
hardest kind of work before it was
lseen that the water would finally con
lquer.
The men who directed the hose en-
dured fearful heat while at work, and
lone of them was overcome and had to
be taken to the hospital. leila Eagle
Eye, who is employed on the Island
Twas on top of the dry kilns, which are
located south of the machine shop
lplace the hose, and when the cry came
i for more hose he attempted to respond
tby going after some, but he fell pros
Itrate on the roof and lost conscious
lness from the effects of the fierce heat
Help was summoned, and he was TAX
en- to the hospital.
Help Carry Lnth Away.
/ Piles of lath which were near the
kilns, and which, if ignited, would
lsurely have spread the flames to the
kilns and the machine shop, were torn
down and carried out of danger by
dozens of men and boys, who eagerly
took up the work under the direction
lof the firemen. AS soon as the store
house of the Lumber company was
lpretty well secured some of the hose
which had been used on it was rushed
ito the kilns and the machine shop
and the effect was felt at once ant
gradually the men began to beat the
fire back from the places where it hat
lobtained foothold:
i After an hours work the firemef
lwere able to withstand the heat ant
lget down from the top of the buildins
! and plant themselves between it ant
the fire. From then on it was merely