Los Angeles herald., 1910-10-06
THREE MEN INJURED
AND q AUTOS BURNED
Exciting Long Beach Garage Fire
Consumes $4,000 Worth
of Machines

LONG BEACH, Oct. 5.-When some one
stepped on a match on the floor of the Pacihc
garage at 30 Locust avenue this morning
shortly after 8 o'clock a fire was started
which left the garage smoldering rum III
remarkably short time, with twenty-three
burned automobiles among the ruins. IT was
the biggest fire here in eight years Three
men were injured They were: Campbell
Richards. mechanician, burned about the
hands, face and legs; David Holden, mech
ancian, burned about the face and hahdsi
and r. c. Weber, a fireman, burned on the
left arm and shoulder
Richards. his clothing ablaze and oil in
his booths burning his feet, was running
through the building suffering great pain
when w. r. Henry, Brush automobile agent,
saved his life by wrapping his coat ABOUT
him twice, extinguishng the flames.
Tho garage building was owned by M. s.
Quimby Of Los Angeles, who built 1t less
than O year ago. w. f. Lynd purchased
the lease and business from Cook e. Shields
April /. The total loss today was nearly
SAC, 600, including $29,1SO on automobiles, 5000
on the building, S2lO0 on stock and SzOOO on
tools and machinery. Quimby carried S2oOo
insurance on the building, and Lynd had
$1,000 insurance on his stock and machinery,
but none on his own automobiles, which were
burned and which were worth $500.
The fire burned hercely and the fire depart
ment, which was not called until several
moments after the blaze started, arrived to
find the entire structure in flames, was han
dicapped by the intense heat and by poor
water pressure. An underground storage
tank containing $50 gallons Of gasoline was
not reached by the fire. but the enormous
crowd in the street could hear the popping
of tires and of tanks on the machines. The
fire started almost under the feet Of CITY
Electrician f. c. Barker, whose motorcycle
was being filled with oil. Barker had his
hands on his machine, but was unable to
save it, though he escaped uninjured. Rich
ards was cleaning $4,000 Premier car be-
longing to Mrs. NJ. G. Pattee of Riverside,
a guest at Hotel Virginia He caught
In the midst of the fire. Holden, the other
mechanician burned, incurred his injuries in
trying to save a $4,000 six-cylinder Olds be-
longing to his employer
JUMPS FROM WINDOW
Both this car and Mrs. Pattee's Premier
were consumed by the fire. Mr. Lynd also
lost two Duros, four-cylinder car and
the other a two-cylinder automobile.
Others who lost machines in the fire were:
A, B. Snow, Shirley V. Bacon, l.. A. Clapp,
]. Eyens' c. w. CTavens. f; Melchart' f. NJ
Douglas. Thomas Rice, ]. S. Blachly, S. K.
Hemphill, ]. c. Nichols, ]. Bartlett Leo H.
Smith, James Shackleton, Bert Stewart and
W. D. Cook, who had several agencies in
connection with the garage; Cook lost a
Tourist auto and rebuilt Stevens-Duryea.
Shirley Bacon's auto had been in the garage
only five minutes.
Other employees who were in the garage, but
escaped uninJured, were Ed Herman, Glen
Grant, Samuel Osborne, Bert Stewart and the
stenographer, Miss Minnie Even, who was
unable to get out of the office because OF
the flames but escaped by jumping through
a window
Lynd, who suffered a loss of $1,000, said
after the fire that he would soon be ready
for business In another location.
Several Of the pieces of apparatus in the
fire department were away from the head
quarters on morning drill when the alarm
was turned in. Among the exciting incidents
in connection with the fire were the death
of Assistant Fire Chief Craw's fox terrier
under the wheels of the hook and ladder at
First street and Pine avenue and the accl-
dental discharge Of Police Chief Meyers re-
volver when 1t dropped from his pocket and
fell to the ground in the crowd back Of the
garage. No struck by the bullet.
Surrounding houses and business buildings
were threatened and the contents were moved
into the street, but the fire was confined
to the garage.
Mrs F. D. Eddington, who was in the
crowd watching the fire this morning, said
she dreamed last night that the garage was
aflre. She was awakened by the dream and
went to a window to see If there was a
glare on the sky from the fire.