The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1916-12-28


revealed the fact that smoke was is
suing from the chemical laboratory
and an alarm was sent in while Su-
lperintendcnt Deamer notified tho night
school pupils that the building was
afire and saw to it that they were
marched out Of the building without
panic. Mr.. Deamer then put the school
records from his Office in the vault and
assisted by Ben Berger. driver for the
| Naftalin Fruit Co, succeeded in car
rying out about 20 typewriters from
the commercial department rooms of
the building.
The alarm at 1855 o'clock was a
tstil1 one and both fire stations re-
sponded. The headquarters station was
held up at the Eighth street crossing
Of the Northern Pacific by passenger
train No /, which compelled the fire
men to go back by way Of the Broad
way crossing, causing a delay of about
| five minutes.
The squad from No. 2 arrived with
out delay and took its station near the
wall between the high school and the
Central building and call for pres
sure was sent in to the waterworks.
/ It was then q battle to save the Gen.
trail building and the work was done
in a manner to again prove the value
of Fargo's fire department. Credit must
which was called over about 0 o'clock
TO help confine the flames 10 the high
school building.
This is the first time that the Moor
| head department has been called into
Fargo service since the j. !. Case
building burned, during which fire two
Fargo firemen were killed by falling
wall.
A Spectacular Blaze.
hA - Snnptnnn1Qr r
| that has been seen in Fargo for years
and thousands of people came and
| went during the course Of the
! confiagration, it being too cold to re-
| main standing in the snow for any
| great length of time. The mercury
stood at about s degrees below zero at
| the time.
The booster pump on the motor
| driven fire truck was given its first
try-out under service conditions and
proved it's efficiency during the course
Of the fire. Two lines of hose were
connected to the pump and 1t was
with ease that any portion of the high
Central building was reached. 1t was
not necessary to bring the steam fire
engine into service.
/ Had Plenty Of Time.
The night school pupils had plenty
of time to get from the burning build
ing without unnecessary haste. Five
minutes after the warning was given
them, the students had secured their
wraps and were all clear of the struc-
| ture. At that time flames were burst
! ing through the roof.
| Considerable of the personal proper
| ty of Superintendent Deamer, Prin. b
iC. TiEhe of the high school and Secre
tary Guthrie was lost in the fire though
some was placed in the vault of the
office. The greatest loss to these were
| books and similar property.
| No Fire Doors Installed.
| Although there were two heavy fire
walls between the high school and the
Central buildings there were no fire
doors over the openings that connect
ed the two structures and the work OF
| the department in keeping the blaze
| to the one building is the subject oi
much praise by the school authori.
| ties
| 1t required heroic work to keep the
fire out OF the Central school. There
were four openings where the fire
could gain access to this portion oi
the big structure--through the base
ment. through the entrances on the
first and second floors. and through
| the attic.
| All of these places had to be guard
| ed, lines Of hose being used in the
basement and the first and second
floors. while men with chemicals were
stationed in the Central attic and
when the fire came through the ROOT
1t was Immediately attacked Two
lines from the booster pump also hit
the roof from the outside. The firemen
worked inside from the Central build
ling in the Railways where the en-
frances from the High school build
ling were located.
| Not only did the firemen keep the
blaze from burning the Central build
ing which was damaged by fire In only
q few places, but they also kept
the fire from reaching the basement
of the High school section. The offices
OF the superintendent and clerk and