The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1915-09-14
Will Probably Never Be Known
What Was Cause Of Fire that
Threatened Destruction
Of City Hall
PAVING RECORDS
ALL ARE SAVED
Loss to Building Alone Estimated
at 5000 to $4,000; Fire Boys
Do Fast Work After They
Get Alarm

The blaze which visited the Chick
asha city hall yesterday afternoo
VIII probably remain on the list o
mysterious-origin fires.
1t originated in the offices Of Cit
Engineer Colby. but from what caus,
no one can tell Mr.. Colby was il
the closet where the filing case,
were kept al noon yesterday an
again about ! O'Clock p m. In bot
instances he knows positively that h,
closed the door tightly behind him up
on leaving the room MIR. Colby II
also positive that the fire could no
have originated from a cigar or Z
cigarette stump. rs he Is very careful
10 allow no smoking III his office. This
rule he has made on account of the
extra inflammable nature OF the maps
and papers with which his offices are
filled.
The fire was discovered by Clerk
Reynolds and the alarm turned in BY
w. w. Clark. city treasurer Mr.. Clark
and Mr.. Reynolds we're alone in the
building at the time the fire was die.
covered. They we're busily engaged
in Mr.. Reynolds office checking over
the delinquent tar lists.
Mr.. Reynolds stated this morning
that for some time before he investi
gated ON The top floor heh ad smeiIed
smoke Finally the odor OF the smoke
became so pronounced that he left his
office on tour of Investigation. Upon
gaining the main corridor, be noticed
smoke pouring down the main stair
way. while the hall seemed filled with
bats which had been driven from the
attic and the rafters above by the fire.
Running upstairs Mr.. Reynolds found
the front OF the building filled with
smoke which was issuing in volumes
from Mr.. Colby's offices. Mr. Rey-
nolds could hear the flames, distinct
ly. as they licked about the woodwork
inside the engineers office.
Rushing down the stairway three
steps at time Mr. Reynolds shouted
TO Mr. clark that the building was on
fire and turn In the alarm
This Mr.. Clark did. He rushed out
upon the sidewalk and shouted to the
firemen at the Central station next
door For Gods sake come quick
the city hall Is on fire
That the fireboys responded prompt
ly is evidenced by the fact that with
in three minutes from the time Mr.
Clark shouted the alarm to them they
had line OF hose inside the building.
up the main stairway, the door to the
engineers department smashed in
and a flood OF water playing on the
flames.
Seeing the rapidity with which the
flames were gaining headway Chief
GattIs turned in the alarm which call
ed fire company No. to the scene,
in the meantime having his boys run
M scaling ladders and carry lines Of
hose to the roof During this short
time the flames had eaten their way
through the roof and into the tower
which soon became seeth mass Of
red-tongued destruction.
Fighting the fire in a gale which
blew almost al a hurricane velocity
from the south. with all odds against
them and the predictions freely made
by those uninitiated in the art of fire
fighting that the building was DOOM
cd the chief and the members OF the
Chickasha fire department proved
their skill by having the flames under
control and practically extingulshed
within less than an hours time. In
fact. in AS minutes from the time the
alarm was turned in the "ail over
was sounded and only few jets OF
steam marked the places where a
short time before the devouring flames
had hissed and whispered that the
building was doomed.
The flats and others papers in the
having tax suit now pending in the
state supeme court we're saved.
Maps, however, OF great intrinsic
value, we're destroyed The loss from
this destruction will be hard to esti-
mate and the insurance carried on the