The daily sentinel., 1908-07-21
WAREHOUSE
DESTROYED
BY FIRE
TODAY
W. E. Rhinehart's Big Ware
house and Stock Of We
hicles a Total Loss Dam
age Heavy

AU - 10 o CLOCK tnlS morning a Ure
was discovered in the warehouse of
w. e. Rhinehart, opposite the tank
of the Grand Junction Electric, Gas
& Manufacturing Company, by Jas
Silcox
A considerable delay was expert
enced by the department in getting
to this mornings fire, due to the fact
that the alarm was incorrectly given
and the boys stopping in front of the
salesroom and making inquiry as to
the location of the fire: also on ac-
count of the line to the fire depart
ment being busy when the first at
tempt to give the alarm was made
1t is believed that its origin was
from spark from passing freight
train, as Mr.. SilcoX SAYS he saw the
fire in a bunch of rubbish immediate
ly in front of the warehouse immed-
lately after the train had passed
The rubbish fired the front platform
of the building and the strong breeze
that was blowing az the time drove
the flames into the building. The
fire spread almost instantly to the
entire roof of the building. which
was constructed of sheet iron ever a
heavy framework, confining the
flames so that the work of the fire
department was greatly hindered. and
thus making it difficult to get at the
roaring furnace inside.
Within 15 minutes after the fire
was discovered the sheet iron roof
and upper portion of the sides of
steady stream of water directed
against the south end and roof re-
fused for some time to cool it to any
degree.
The windows of the structure were
small and at the extreme top, about
20 feet from the ground. and for
time the flames were so hot that the
firemen could not stand on ladder
facing them to direct stream of
water against the flames that were
fast devouring the inside of the
building and its valuable contents. !
The fire plugs were at a consider
able distance from the building and
one line of hose was so short that I
a car had to be backed in by the
Rio Grande so that the fire laddies (
could get on top of it and thus reach |
the fire on the inside through the
windows of the south end The 9TH
er line of hose was stretched from |
a fire plug nearly three blocks dis
tant.
The loss to Mr. Rhinehart is about |
$1,000 on the stock contained there |
in, with but $500 insurance. The |
loss on the building will just about
be covered by the insurance, which is
$4,000. 1t is owned by the Grand |
Junction Feed & Implement Com
pnny.
The insurance was written by NJ.
o. Delaplain and Horace T. DeLong,
the former having $1,000 on the
building and like amount on the I
stock in the Phoenix Insurance Com
pany of Brooklyn and the same
amounts also in the American Cen
tralNof st. Louis, making total of
$4,000. Mr. DeLong just recently
wrote $500 in the National Fire In
surance Company of Hartford for
Mr.. Rhinehart on the stock.
The stock is practically total
loss, as the expense of working over
the woodwork of the buggies and i'm
plements that are charred, in addi-
tion to the soaking of the cushions
with water, would amount to more
than the various equipments would
sell for
Mr.. Rhinehart had been fishing at
Mast, and did not expect to return
for several days; but last night he
had premonition that his presence
at the seat of his business was ur-
gent, and came home, arriving at day
break.
Had the fire occurred a week soon
er. his loss would have been lighter.
as he had just few days ago trans
ferred some stock from the store to
the warehouse.