Arizona republican., 1908-06-04

ignited on a barn in the rear of one | of the burned buildings, on the roof | of the residences occupied by Dr. | Simpson and ". H. Teasley and on | another dwelling across the street to | the north of them. These and other yagrant sparks were extinguished by | the large number of people who gath cred to render assistance.
 The buildings on the Washington street front of the affected block, be- ginning at the corner of Fifth, were as follow A small and ancient va cant house on the corner and good sized dwelling house next to 1t, also vacant, owned by R. Allyn Lewis, now a resident of the City of Mexico; two more dwellings of quite comfortable size and fairly modern equipment, owned by M. Sanders of Los Angeles, the first occupied by the family Of George Bellas and the second by the family of J. E. Morden. All these buildings are of frame construction and so far as could be learned yes terday none of them were insured. MT. Morden having an insurance of $2OO on his furnishings, and MT. Bellas partial insurance. All these were tot ally destroyed except the corner shack first named, and part of the Morden porch.
 Next came the Wylie flats occupied by the families of C. s. Scott. Geo E. | Golze, a vacant suite. J. w. Frakes and Peter Kraber, in the order named. The kitchens to the Scott and Coke suites were both completely destroyed | with all their contents. The personal effects of all the residents of the Wy | lie row were hastily transferred to the i street, those nearest the fire with the greatest speed and necessarily with | rather the most injury. Aside from the unavoidable wreckage that occurs
 in such precipitate emergencies, the
 loss to occupants of this row consists
 of the two kitchens and their contents
 and the scorching of many things by 1 the sparks and intense heat that was 1 driven into the building before the | contents were removed, and before the | fire department arrested the flames.
 Sparks alighted in the most unexpect- | ed places and there are little burnt
 holes on fabrics of all sorts where 1t
 would not seem the fire could have ' penetrated while the self sacrificing | neighbors and friends were carrying out the household goods. Though nothing was actually burned inside the first two suites of the brick row, the walls are as black as a chimney.
 The positive origin of the fire is un-
 known, but it seems to be generally
 believed that it started in the house
 occupied by Mir. Bellas. spreading to
 the vacant Lewis house to the west
 and the Morden house to the east, and
 next to the brick block. What could
 have started it is all guess work. Mrs.
 Bellas it is said had been standing at
 the gate for only a minute or two and
 looking around saw the house envel-
 oped in flames. seemingly breaking
 out high up at one corner. MT. Bel
 las was up town and his wife was only
 able to save few of their valuable
 papers and their loss is practically
 total She was almost prostrated by
 the incident and it is said grieves more because the fire originated in heI house than because of her own loss , She may be assured, however, that
 none of the other victims of the fire , charge her with any responsibility ir
 the matter, and all expressed their sin r cerest sympathy for her in her greater r loss.
 : The alarm failed to reach the engine house for alon gtime. Two efforts were : made by Raymond Kane, Arthur Wil , son and others to send in an alarn from two different fire boxes but nei : ther seemed to be on shift yesterda! and final resort was had to the tele | phone. After the fire got big enougl everybody telephoned and did his best 1 some giving accurate directions an' ' guessing at it but the department fin
 ally got the word and responded wit
 alacrity. After its arrival it's effect
 iveness was notable and resulted il
 the saving of the Wylie block, an probably other property. It has beel
 said there was no water when the de ' partment did arrive but Superintendent ? Craig says the mains were full an under the regular pressure of fort
 pounds, though the system is in sue . condition yet that the proposed neN
 pressure could not be safely applied z, In any event there is only praise fo I, what the department did do and regre f that it was handicapped by an imper h feet alarm system.
 l. In the meantime however despair ( O help from that source had not onl - seized upon the householders of the vi if cinity and even on the next block. bu if the men who had gathered were cor e vinced that the Wylie building wa l. doomed and began most vigorously 1 l. remove the contents thereof. So raI ie idly did the wooden buildings bur
 that two women sitting in the Sco
 suite were not aware of fire any
 where until the timely arrivel (
 the iceman at the rear doc
 who yelled to them to fle as the house was on fire. Thel N was left just time enough to get
 cage of birds out of the kitchen ar
 close the intervening door which he the flames from the brick part for n few minutes, and a minute or two la 70 CT the Coke kitchen was in flame a born by a strong west wind.
 The heroic and most effective maI
 ner in which the people who had gatl m cred. not only men but women, assis 70 ed in transferring personal proper s, to a place of safety will not soon n forgotten by an interested person ar n that sentiment of appreciation is el n dorsed by every tenant in the bloc le More than that, after the fire had bet r. lStOnDed the ljheraIitv and fraouency