Arizona republican., 1913-06-08
Blaze Occurs in Reed 4
Shippers Mems Furnish
inc House ON West Adams
Street and Gives Firemen
Hard Fight
ORIGIN Is
UNEXPLAINED
Nightwatchman at the Hart
Theatcr Sees Smoke and
Blaze. Cries "Fire!!' and
Policeman John McGrath
Sounds Alarm

Fire of the most mysterious origin,
discovered shortly before two o'clock
this morning in the mems furnishing
establishment of Reed < skipper at
50 West Adams street. resulted in the
practical destruction of the entire in
terror of that store the running of the
entire stock and threatened TO COM
municate 10 the Smart Shop on the
west and a real estate office and the
Bake Curio store on the east But for
the efficient work of the fire depart
ment WHICH quickly had several lines
OF hose playing streams of water from
the front and rear the blaze would
nave communicated to the other estab-
lishments and resulted in much greater
damage.
The nightWatchman at the Hart
Theater on First avenue. was the first
TO discover the blaze. From the rear
Of the theater he saw thin line of
smoke curling upward and an instant
later a flash of flame that Illuminated
the sky He began crying fire at the
top Of his voice and the call was quick
~ taken up by men in the vicinity of
the Cass Bros Chop house.
Policeman McGrath at the corner of
Washington street and Central avenue
heard the cries of fire and saw the
smoke and the illumination. Box is
located a that corner and to save time
he pulled in an alarm from that box
and stood ready to direct the firemen
as they passed the corner. The chemi-
cal wagon was the first TO arrive at the
doomed store and two tanks Were
emptied while hose were being laid TO
fight the fire from the rear
The interior Of the establishments
was so filled with smoke that it was
with difficulty that the real seat of the
blaze was located, but the breaking in
Of the front door and the opening OF
that in the rear created a draft which
quickly rid the interior of the gloom
and made it possible for effective work
There is a diversity Of opinion as to
just where the fire originated When
the firemen arrived the entire rear OF
the establishment seemed to be a seeth-
ing furnace. But the chemical first ap-
piled. and the water which followed in
floods soon had the blaze under con-
troll But in the timbers of the building
there was slow eating fire. which
crept along the joists and for time
made it appear that the establishments
Immediately east and west We're in
danger
Fire Chief Sullivan. directing his men
ordered that no other Establishments
be opened until it was ascertained
without doubt that fire actually exist
ed in them. With the aid of the police
search lights it was possible to obtain
excellent views of the interiors of the
stores and ii was not found necessary
TO turn water into them.
The entire string of stores in the dis
trict threatened are owned by Elbert
r. Winters. who formerly conducted q
drug store where the owl Drug store
is now located and who afterwards en-
gagged in the raising and selling OF
stock.
l. H Skipper present proprietor OF
the establishment where the fire
originated. started in business a few
months ago and had one of the bes1
equipped and most modern of the
smaller mems furnishing houses in
the state Mr.. Skipper proprietor
stated before the interior had cooled
off that his stock would exceed $1,000
in value and that it was insured foi
about tWo-thirds its value. He was
ut loss to explain the cause of the
fire.
When the Bake Curio store was
oIened On MF. Bake, II was 1OunC
that the fire had not reached that
store and that the only loss Will be
that from the smoke. There are
hundreds of dollars worth of valuable
laces. scarfs. Mexican drawn worl
and other delicate goods that may be-
practically ruined.
one of the interesting features o.
the fire was the saving of the IA
nous parrot which has been attached
to the Bake store for the past score
of years and which every day oc-
cupies a perch just outside the es-
adjustment. Upon closing up hi.
store late last night Mr. Bake hat
taken the pet home with him. other
wise the dense smoke which filled tn,
interior would have caused it's suf
location