East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1916-10-05
Flames Break Out in Basement Of Schmidt DUldng;
Origin Unknown; Discovered About $50; IOStanB
Pour Water in for Three Hours Before Fire Drown
Cd Out Bond Bros, Popular Cash Store adDOmlS
Belts Heaviest Losers.
STOCKS OF TWO STORES ALMOST TOTAL LOSS
Fire Most Disastrous in PeHdttOH for Many Years. Loss Only Partially
Covered BY Insurance; Bond Bros. viii ResO& at Once One
Fireman Hurt in FgIt

Damage that will total around one
hundred thousand dollars was done
this morning by a basement fire in
the Schmidt block on Main street.
The heaviest losers are Bond Bros.
and the Popular Cash Store, occu-
pants of the lower floor of the build
ing, and Douglas Berts, owner of the
building
The fire, which was undoubtedly
the most disastrous that PendletOn
has experienced in many years. was
of a nature that made it difficult in
the extreme to fight. The flames were
confined almost entirely to the base
ment and the smoke was so dense that
the firemen found it impossible to
get down where they could see it. All
they could do was to pour water into
the basement and drown out the fire
and it took more than three hours OF
steady work to do this.
The origin of the fire is unknown
There had been no fire in the fur
mace since noon yesterday, according
to Al Richardson, the janitor. and an
examination of the furnace after the
fire indicates that the fire did not
start there. Fire Chief Ringold thinks
it was probably caused by combus-
ton of some sort. AT any rate, It had
doubtless been burning for hours be-
fore discovered about $50 this morn
ing, The alarm was turned in about
Gas and. when the rremen respond
ed they found the whole basement so
full Of flames and smoke that they
could not get down.
Ten lines Of hose were laid in a
short time and the nozzles were turn
cd into the basement through win
dows and holes cut through the floor
Meanwhile dense smoke poured OF
into the street and up through the
two stories Of the building. SO thick
that it was extremely dangerous for
anyone to go within the building at
all
For a full two hours little apparent
impression was ma lie upon the fire
aud it seemed that the building was
doomed The fire burned through
the wooden floors and spread into the
Popular Cash Store and Bond Bros
Almost the whole floor of the former
store fell through carrying the mer-
chandise stock down into the flames.
This, however, enabled the firemen
to work more effectively and by 9:45
they had the fire under control BY
1915 it was practically out.
LOSE HEAVIEST.
Bond Bros are the heaviest losers,
Their stock of mems furnishings was
worth about $S1.00e according to
Charles Bond and the Insurance car
ried amounted only 10 about hall
that amount A sreat deal Of the
stock in the basement was u COM
plete loss. This was worth at least
100000. according to the proprietors.
Practically all that was not burned
was carted away in drays as soon
the smoke cleared and was stored in
the vacant room in the Judd build
ing The salvage may amunt to Slo..
o00, but this is only an estimate
Will. RESTOCK AT ONCE.
The fire had not been extingulShed
before Rond Bros. had laid their plans
Tor reopening their store, Both
Charles and Willard Bond and prob
ably Lou Steelhammer, head sales
man, will leave within two days for
he east to purchase an entire new
stock Mr.. SteelhamnIer will stop in
Chicago to do the buying there while
he proprietors go direct to New
York. All of the stock will be ship
ped out by express,
Meanwhile the storeroom will be
lifted up for occupancy and the
Bonds declare they will put in entire
y new fixtures, The new store will
De as complete and as up TO date as
my such store on the coast they as
sure the public. Within two weeks
hey expect to reopen.
Only yesterday they received sl0.-
100 worth of fan stock and this was