Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1909-04-01
EIGHT HUNDRED
LIVES IMPERILLEO
COnyiCts at U. S. Military Prison
At LeavenWorth Marched Out
While Buildings Burned.
GUARDED BY 1900 SOLDIERS.
At First Prisoners We're Glccful. They
Yelling "Let IL Burn"--Xcry soon
Changed Their Tone.

Leovenvorth, Kan, April lit took
1900 United states soldiers 10 main
tain order and To- prevent prisoners
from escaping during a fire which
destroyed four buildings Of the federal
military prison here early today.
All the 500 prisoners were marched
out Of their cellhouses when # seemed
that the whole prison certainly would
be destroyed and were held under
heavy military guard until the fire was
gotten under control. Then after some
OF the cell houses had cooled sufficient
ly they were marched back again. The
fire was discovered by a sentry before
midnight who fired his pistol and the
fire call was sounded and the entire
garrison at Fort Leavenworth turned
out. The Thirteenth infantry, armed
with rifles was thrown around the en-
tire prison.
The fire which probably started I'm
tho prison tailor shop gained rapid
headway against the prison guard
working with buckets and small hose.
The five department OF LeavenwOrth
forces with the soldiers u a battle
against the flames. The FIRE was COM
hucd tU the central row of buildings
and consumed the Industrial depart
neut- of the prison including the
paint shop the tailor shop carpenter
shop and laundry. The cell houses
rapidly became filled with smoke and
got -u0oc1tiusly hot
PRISONERS GLEEFUL.
When the Gre FIRST started there was
glce among Tie prisoners. Let 10
burn they yelled The water pres
sure was very poor and as the water
sputtered u-elessly from the hose the
prisoners laughed and cheered. The
flames leaped higher and a gust Of
wind whipped smoke into the nearest
of three cell houses.
The tone of the prisoners changed
then For Gods sake. take AS out %
they screamed batterng against the
steel bars In great terror. Col laugh
borough saw the danger OF the situa-
ti0n when the leaping flames got very
near the cell houses and ordered the
prison provost guard TO unlock the
doors The SEQ prisoners fell in. each
convict with his hands on tae shoulder
OF the man In front of him. AZ double
quick time marched % the fartherest
corner OF the prison inclosure where
they huddled while 100 prison guards
guarded them with leveled rifles. Two
OF the terr0r-stricken crowd OF COM
victs tainted.
Half an hour after the fire broke out
the LeavenWorth city fire department
reached the fort Nothing could be
done 60 save the burning buildings,
however, and the fremen devoted their
attention TO saving the main structure.
new military prison Is under pro-
cess Of construction, and 10 is not prob
able that the burned buildings VIII be
rebuilt
A few men were overcome by the
heat during the fire.
Mai. Thomas II. Slavens, comman-
dant Of the prison. said the fire prob
ably was caused by defective wiring.
He placed the damage at $4,000.
BURNED BUILDINGS.
The buildings burned We're among
the oldest al Fort Leaveuworh. They
were erected IN 1857 and 1888, under the
supervision of Gen. J.. g.. Easton and
were first used for an army commits
sarv stone house. IL was many years
later that they became a part OF the
United States penitentiary and later
converted into military prison fol-
lowing the erection of a new federal
prison here.
The prisoners now confined there
about 500 men, arc practically an short
term army offenders convicted iu court
maI1iais.