The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-03-18
FLAMES ENVELOP
BUSINESS BLOCK
| X l Furniture Blaze Causes
Loss to Extent of Nearly
100000.
TWO CAUSES ADVANCED
GOOD WORK OF FIREMEN PRE-
VENTS BIG CONFEDERATION.
Estimated Damages.

A heavy loss was incurred early yester-
day morning in a blaze at the I Y l. Fur
niture companys building, 41-51 East
Third South street, which resulted In a
total damage Of nearly S1O0,0O5.
The fire broke out on the third floor
of the building at about $50 o'clock, and
with incredible swiftness swept the entire
length of the building, breaking through
the roof and leaping to the adjoining Luna
Tooming house. The entire force of the
department, with all apparatus, responded
TO the general alarm. but it was not until
after 10 o'clock, after almost two hours
OF strenuous efforts By. the firefighters.
that the flames were extinguished and the
lecaH given.
The estimated loss is damage TO build
ing. S,so00; stock, S75,000: damage to Luna
rooning house, 500; ". B. Rushmer
manufacturing optician, damage TO stock,
sl5O. The value of the building was Sl00.-
900, and the total stock soc. coo. The insur-
ance carried amounted TO S100G00 on the
stock and $4,000 on the building.
The origin of the fire is attributed to
either defective wiring or the overturning
of a firepot used by one of the workmen
engaged on the third floor.
The floor on which the fire originated
was used chiefly for storage purposes
practically its whole SPACE being taken
I'D with wrapped and Grated stock, thus
providing an abundance of inflammable
material in the shape of burlaping, excel
sior and paper Electricians were work
ing on the floor at the time of the fire
and one supposition is that one of the men
may have overturned q firepOt setting
fire to the excelsior or packing. Another
theory is that sparks from short cir
cult or crossed wires started the blaze.
Firemen Are Quick.
With the first shoot of flame the cleo
tricians ran from the floor. giving the
alarm, and TWO calls were sent in to the
fire department central station IN less
than five minutes the entire department
was at the scene of the fire. with twelve
lines of hose and two steamers pouring
perfect deluge Of water upon the flames.
Before the department arrived, however
the flames had eaten their way through
the roof and were threatening the adjon-
ing buildings.
Fire Chief W. II. GIore personally di-
rected the fight against the flames, and
quickly placed his men with their streams
10 the best advantage. The fire had be-
gun in the southwest corner of the build
ing, about fifty feet from the front. and
spread to the rear. With quick realiza-
ton of the dangers Chief GloTe s first
work was to see that all drafts were shut
fOff as much IS possible and the fire was
bought from the north toward the south,
forcing the flames in the latter direction
and preventing spread
One difficulty encountered was the
blocked condition of the stairway between
the second and third floors. which was
Choked up and made impossible by fUTni-
ture, glass doors and tin. The firemen
were forced to chop their way through
this mass, and a consderab BILE delay in
forcing their way TO the seat of the fire
resulted
Through the work of the department the
actual fire was confined mainly to the
third floor and the roof. The stock car
RED or the third floor was completely de-
stroyed by the fire. but a greater damage
was done by water to the stocks on the
lower floors.
Spectacular Scene,
The fire was hazardous and dangerous
to combat, not only by reason of its To-
cation, but also on account Of the dense
smoke and the fumes which arose from
burning Vanished and lacquered furni-
tu7e With the shooting flames cleaning
through the pail of smoke the sight was
a spectacular one and drew an immense
throng of onlcokerS- The utmost efforts
of the police department were required to
keep the crowd outside the fire lines.
The building is owned by the ! y L
Furniture company. 1t has a frontage of
20 feet and a depth of 800 feet. The in
stIrance on the stock was divided among
over seventy companies for the reason
that no company will accept risk Of over
Sc 500 on furniture stocks
The southeast apartment on the ground
floor was occupied by W b Rushmer,
manufacturing optician, and the damage
to his stock. caused mainly by water and
smoke is estimated at about 500 The
roof of the Luna ro0ming house was da l.
aged to the extent of about 500.
The work of the department In con
trolling and subduing the fire brought out
much commentator. For a time II was
thought a large portion of the block would
be destroyed, and when 1t was certain
that the fire had been confined to Its
starting point in the furniture store,
nTaise Tor the efforts of Chief Glore and
lis men was given unstinte diy-