The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1916-12-27
QUARTER BLOCK
AREA IS WIPED
OUT BY FIRE
Carpenter Lumber Yards and Bis.
marck Commission Buildings
Totally Destroyed
1cE.JAcKETED F1REMEN
FIGHT AGAINST GALE
Loss Estimated at Approximately
4$50,0c0 Fully Covered by
Insurance S..

Fire starting in the rear of the Bis.
narck commission plant, Seventh
street south and bordering on Main,
at 2 o'clock this morning and still
burning at the noon hour, completely
destroyed that structure, the main
office and sheds of the Carpenter Lum-
Der company and the small warehouse
of Armour e Co., entailing loss esti.
mated at approximately $4,000. The
area burned comprises quarter of
block.
Fight Blaze in Blizzard
Firemen in jackets of ice, moving
about as human icicles, fought the
fire under the direction of Chief
Thompson in blizzard considered
the worst since 1896. A 35-mile an
hour gale ragged at the time, threaten
ing to carry the flames across the
track to the Occident Elevator COM
pany and to the Nortz Lumber yards
to the east. Had the two-stOry sash
and door structure, in the path of the
flames, taken blaze, the other struc-
lures near by undoubtedly would have
been destroyed.
-Four Lines Of Hose Run.
Four lines Of hose we're run to the
scene, the streams being directed on
the sash and door building. As wat
er lashed the building it froze almost
instantly preventing the flames from
the yards from taking hold. This
morning the sash and door structure
looked as though a temporary ice pal
ace had been erected by the firemen
to stave the flames in their drive
southeast. The coat of ice given this
building held the fire in its limits of
devastation, and was a remarkable
piece of work on the part of the fire.
men.
The origin of the blaze is not known
but, according to Night Captain Mar
tineson, first man on the scene after
the alarm had been turned in from
the 90 passenger station, the flames
were first seen issuing from the rear
of the Office of the Bismarck Commits
sion company, of which w. s. Hughes
is the owner, and which is located
Just south of the office of the Carpen-
ter Lumber company! Famed by the
f1ale, the flames bucked the blizzard
and jumped the four-foot distance be.
tween the commission office and the
main Office of the Lumber company
and soon had Office building and yards
a seething furnace. Sweeping south
eastward, the flames switched to the
warehouse on the rear of the Armour
& Co. building, destroying that struc-
ture, which was owned by the Bis
marck Commissions company but oc-
cupied by Armour. The main build
ing of Armour & Co., located in the
middle of the block, facing Seventh
street, was badly scorched. The loss
to the warehouse and stock, consist
ing Of canned goods and merchandise,
was estiamted by W.. C. eastman,
MANAGER of the Armour concern, to be
between $1,000 and $4,000, covered by
insurance.
Buildings All Insured.
The destroyed buildings, all of frame
construction, were we'll insured in the
H. T. Murphy Insurance company OF
this city. The loss placed on the F.
H. Carpenter, yards of which John A.
Larson of this city is the general man
ager for this territory, and Homer
Spohn, the local manager. was estl-
mated at $4,000, ninety percent be-
ing covered by insurance, while the
loss on the structures and stock OF
placed at $4,000, fully blanketed. The
loss on the Armour & Co. warehouse
stock, the building owned by the Bis
marck Commission company was be-
tween $4,000 and $4,000.
skies Aglow From Embers.
The fire, as it ravaged the shingles
and the finished lumber, afforded a
striking spectacle against the white
ness of the blizzard. Burning embers
illuminated the heavens for several
hours. 1t was about 3 o'clock that the
fire was gotten under control. The
ruins continued to shoulder until
a late hour this afternoon.
Fire Chief Thompson stated this
morning that no alarm was turned in
to the department headquarters and
that the first knowledge the firemen
had of the blaze was the blowing OF
the fire whistle. He then arose and
asked central where the fire was.
The new booster pumps installed
recently worked effectively in giving
high pressure with which to combat
the flames and the blizzard.