The Detroit times., 1913-10-09
CAoked With Smoke and Gases
h the Basement. as Huge Pile
q Coal Becomes Ig-
nited
CRY THAT BIG TANKS
ON FIRE SPREADS TERROR
Flames Checked. However. Be-
3Drs Rsaching 270 Gallons Of
M-Phone Operator Hero

X0o whole intricate signal service
q ehe police department was endap&r
~, ana . score OF police omceSs
wog11nG In the building were given q
rel ooare, when one Of the signal Or
hoon IN The police barns on Fort-st.
eaok near BeaubienSt., rushed
thrUugh the building. at S:l5 Thugs
dAy morning. shouting: The gaso-
linz ping y out Of the big tank, and
itae aAre."
0Vory man In the Old building
knows that the big tank contains
20 gAllonS Of gasoline, and most OF
tho men In the building ded to the
st1o1k. - . slight explosion shook
the building. and dense, choking
snake nlled the structure in an in.
s1nA making 1t appear that the whole
buQ1lng was doomed.
Int while the flames from the over
hOW gAsoline shot from the furnace
to the .bdg tank" the tank itself.
buylsd under four feet Of solid clay.
w11)Doood I'll oe the excitement, pre-
vGaelne probable loss Of life, and the
css1ain destruction Of the signal sys-
tA1, which would involve an almost
inabelmabls loss.
mat danger was pointed out during
tho condemnation proceedings for
pru09rty on which the new municipal
bull0lng n 70 be erected. The danger
Of 0re was pointed out, and The po-
lico barns were referred to as AN
OF 0Te trap All Of which was
known 70 the men In the building.
anA the cry Of Gasoline burning,
crontnd = stnnnolde.
IN HaAr4 on duty ct the signal
beeDd q tho third hoor, woxsG tiny
l11GA 1aeh (a6a tipe ppatrolman
RpN1D : 49, 0tnck 20 hiA post
thsongA aA the excitement and breath,
cd a the dense smoke - he pulled
plun Aad answered the calls.
Wl1iAm A. Owen. the other man On
duty there, raced through the smoke
TO Iho street, but returned In few
minutes, when he found that the build
ing still stood, and knew that the
big tank" had held.
Supt. Charles Sponenburgh. head OF
the signal service. put on his hat ana
coAk and waited for Developments.
Lnter he took on tina extra garments
ana proceeded with his work.
Lieut. George Austin. OF the city
soalors once, which Is directly over
the gasoline tank. was talking with
setoGnl patrolmsn when the smoke
pouroA into his room. All Of the oc.
cupants dashed to the street.
6une cf the mon returned and roll
ed Ave patrol wagons out Of the back
door and into the alley.
Meanwhile, the IRE department had
ynaAe q record run. nd had lines OF
hoe1 into the building In q twinkiing.
The leaking gasoline had run
through the basement to the furnace.
beou0e knitted, and set hre to pie
az 20 tone Of hard coal. The gasee
from the esoline and the burning coal
mdo the whole building, and parucu-
larIv the basement, regular inferSo'
but the nremsn crawled down the
bsement stairway, and were lowered
through 6 manhole the front, no.
chokins and gasping, poured water
into the cellar until there was two
feet Of water In the place.
4 dozen hremsn were overcome "
the gAses, and were nauied OUT "
their comrades. after they had oeen
in The basement only matter OF mn.
utso. Others took their places. unti'
the men revived In the fresh All. ano
then they went back while the otners
were hauled out. :,
When the excitement was all over,
Il vas found that the damage done
was only nominal. mostly from smoke
ana water, and the destruction OF part
Of the big coal pile. The upper noors
wef0 not flooded, the hremen devotine
al oR their attention to the basemen''