Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1914-12-09
New Car Shed Raced and
Flames Spread to $4,000
Carpenter Shop Recently.
Constructed.
TWENTY-FIVE FREIGHT
CARS ARE DESTROYED
Delay in Laying 100 Feet
Of Hose Causes Anxiety,
but Carpenter Shop Is
Saved From Great Damage,


Fire destroyed one Of the new car
sheds. housing fourteen freight cars,
At the Santa Fc shops last night The
new carpenter shop. adjoining the
sncd, was set on fire. but the damage
there was not great. superintendent
n A. George estimated the loss at
$4,000.
The fact that. the carpenter shop
has brick walls and semi-fireproof
roof saved 1t. The Santa Fc water
svstem showed low prcasure---so low
IN fact that pipe line manned by the
shops department threw o. feeble
stream barely to tie top of the build
inc. Owing to the fact that the near
est fire hydrant was 100 feet from
the, fire there was delay in bringing
enough hose TO the scene to cover the
distance.
These facts combined against the
saving OF the shop and only its resist
ance to fire prevented a far greater
loss This building was completed
0 short time ago AZ cost of $4,000.
More than 100000 in machinery is
in The place. Il
Yoakum Discovers Blaze.
The origin Of the fire can only be
guessed at. Fire Chief Klein sug-
! sested sparks from an engine might
have caused II. Yardmaster George
Yoakum discovered flames shooting
upward from the southwest corner OF
the she'd shortly before 10 o'clock
when he was riding switch engine
from the upper to the lower yards.
The fire had gnined considerable
Roadway then. He called out the
shops department. This was followed
10 a few minutes by second alarm.
bringing the central company to the
| place.
The shed. which was entirely OF
wood. collapsed shortly after l0l
o'clock The fourteen freight ears in
the place we're destroyed and others
standing on adjacent tracks caught
fire Twenty-Five cars made UP the
total destroyed. The switch engine
crew saved several cars with a stream
from the engine tank.
Fights Fire With Axe.
Many Of the shops employees aided
In combating the conflagration. One
Of the men made n spectacular at
tempt TO cut off the fire on the roof
Of the carpenter shop. Scaling the
| hllefa.;n,. ho4 .tie ufftt, n lodaar ba
crawled on the slopine roof with an
axe and chopped loose burning por-
tons. Tho heat was terrific and fin
ally drove him from the post. Not.
However, before he had arrested the
spread of the fire over part of the
roof- by that time the central COM
pany firemen had heavy stream
playing on the roof.
crowd of several hundred people
gathered inside the shops enclosure.
most of them crawling through a
hole cut In the fence by firemen to
permit the passage Of the hose. Many
Of them assisted In handling the long
line Of hose
Third Alarm.
The engine from the central sta
ton unreeled its 1000 feet of hose
from the hydrant near the city I'm
us on South Second street and it
lacked several hundred feet of reach
ing TO the burning buildings. The shed
was beyond saving at that time and
me only efforts the firemen could
make would be directed toward saw
'ns the carpenter shop.
Chief Klein then called out the
nlehands engine and took 200 feet
OF hose from ii before he was able
70 play q lead on the building. The |
engine stationed ct the shydrant
pumped water through this single line
under 20 pounds pressure, giving a !,
stream that could easily be sprayed
on the roof Of the carpenter shop.
The Highlands company after leay-
'nR part OF its hose was returned 70
service Immediately.
At 1880 O'clock this morning the
nremen were still throwing water on
me carpenter shop to prevent flames
bursting out anew there. The car
shed and freight cars were shoulder
ing. but danger from them had pass
90. Chief Klein said he would keep
MS men at work all night wetting
uown the embers so no danger would
arise In case of high wind.
Company Wanted IIydrants-
AS recently as Monday night the
council received an oral communica-
Won from the Santa Fe. railway Pc
u'loning three fire plugs to be placed
y the Highlands across the tracks
from the lower part Of the shops en-
cosure. The city limits on that side
q the tracks extend farther south. i
IRON the hydrants placed at the
points indicated by the Santa re
Stream could have been directed on
.ne fire with less difficulty than the
nrenen experienced last night. TINS
request Of the council was made evi-
uently in the realization that what dio
occur last night might occur. Inc
seeond street hydrant was so iaf
away that valuable time was lost
Car Shed beyond Saving.
However. the loss Of time last
night was not attended by serious
consequences Tho car shed was he
sohd saving. even II the flremen hnq
Dean al - - .s~<& :, s<1,o fire