Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1911-08-13
Council Bluffs
ASPHALT MAKES Big BLAZE
Two Tons of Fluid on Fire in Heart
of the City.
USED FOR FILLER IN PAVEMENT
Kettle Ablaze While workmen Are
Using it and Firemen Have Diff
ficuIt Time Checking Flames
Many Feet High.

One Of the most spectacular fires that
has occurred In Council Bluffs for many
days was witnessed by thousands OF people
at 4 o'clock yesterday at the corner Of
South Main street and Broadway, the bust
ness center of the city Two tons of
melted asphalt poured from the big kettle
in which the pioneer compound is melted
for use as a filler for the broadway pave
ment. II streamed out on the pavement
and burst into flames, which were almost
hidden by the enormous volume of dense
black smoke that was liberated.
The big kettle was located few feet
from the curbing directly in front of the
A. A. Clark building. II requires ten
hours to melt the asphalt and to keep
ahead of the men using the filler the tank
was being pushed to h- extreme capacity
and contained fifteen barrels Of the pitch
heated to a temperature of nearly 500 de-
grees. The fire beneath 1t was as hot as
could be made in the furnace, and when
one of the workmen turned the faucet in
the two-nch pipe to fill one of the kettles
used in carrying It away a tongue OF
flames shot from the furnace and ignited
the gas that was being liberated in the
heated compound. He dropped his pail
on the pavement and the contents instantly
caught fire as II spread over the surface
Of the bricks. The man in charge struggled
bravely to close the faucet, but his wrench
slipped off In another instant the two
inch stream that was pouring from the
tank had made big pool, which instantly
flashed into flame. The man, who was
colored rushed into the burning pool sew
ersl times and attempted to apply the long
wrench and shut off the stream and was
painfully burned. He persisted in his at
tempts until dragged away from danger
by his fellow workmen and was taken away
before his name could be ascertained,
Department Called Out
The whole fire department was called
out, and all Of the chemical apparatus in
the city was turned upon the lake Of blaz-
ing pitch, which was being constantly fed
by the big stream Of liquid pouring from
the tank. The firemen dared not turn on
the water for fear OF floating the burning
tar over q wider area. Three or four
chemical streams we're kept playing upon
1t in the effort to keep down the flames
which were leaping almost to the top of
the three-story Clark building. The chemi-
cal fluid had but little effect and a score
or more Of men began to throw sand into
the flaming lake. After nearly half an hour
they were successful, and the heat died
DOWN suItlclently 10 permit the blazing vat
to be pulled away and the fiery stream
shut Off not, however, until all of the
pitch had run out. During the greatest
period Of heat terrific explosion tore off
the top OF the tank and the flames then
enveloped the whole apparatus.
The heat broke the big glass windows in
the Clark building and cracked a number
on the second floor. A seventy-foot tele-
phone pole on the corner was bla ing from
the curb almost to Its top and was seri-
ously damaged. The telephone cables and
electric light wires Immediately above the
fire were damaged and fronts Of the First
National bank and the Clark building were
BACKED by the oily smoke. The damage
will amount to several hundred dollars.
The great pillar of smoke attracted at
tention ali over town and thousands Of
people hurried to the scene.