El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1917-02-12


The steel framework OF the freight
! cars burned in the fire was twisted
) and bent by the heat. Three cars load
. ed with coal. as the wooden sides and
! floors burnt. let the coal down sb 'cll
the trucks After the coal had bSrDt
| for a short time. the solid car wheels
J and the steel framework was red hot
remaining in that condition many
hours.
When the blaze was at its height.
between and I o'clock Sunday morn
ing. spectators could not approach
within 100 feet OF the blaze because
Of the clustering heat When it was
( necessary for a person to approach
nearer, he shielded his face from the
heat with his arms, as If warding off
blow.
Hose Nozzle Too Hot 10 Hold.
Many Of the firemen wore wet cloths
and handkerchiefs about their faces
while fighting the flames. Upon one
occasion. the metal nozzle of one of
the hose lines became so hot that the
pipemen holding it could hardly retain
their grasp upon it. This was despite
the fact that the metal was cooled
continually by the stream Of cold wa
ter passing through the nozzle
Heat caused the right trouser leg OF
fire chief John Wray to burst into
flames as he directed his men. shortly
after the response TO the fire Not
sparks. but the actual heat, caused the
ruoberized cloth to catch fire The
burning clothing was extinSuished be-
fore it caused injury to chief Wray.
Oil Car Pushed From Danger.
An explosion that would have spread
the flames Of the Texas street fire TO
the Dawson Fuel Sales company, the ,
Wilson company and the Il PasO
buggy works was narrowly averted
when tank car. partly filled with !
oil. was backed away from the spread
ing flames by members of switching
crews firemen. soldiers and spectators
at 4 o'clock sunday morning The car
he WanWs 81.
cars and flat cars. on a spur track,
which led from the lumber yards
through the grounds Of the Dawson
company and the Wilson company. The I,
cars nearest the fire were burning.
The firemen and volunteer fire fight /
ers uncoupled the first car, box car
and pushed it so feet west on the spur
track. Then they went back for the /
while the first car, whose brakes had !
not been set. began TO roll slowly back 4
toward the fire. gaining speed each 4
moment Several bricks We're thrown /
under the wheels and crushed before !
the car finally was stopped Then
the second car was pushed back. and /
finally the tank car of oil was IN .
coupled and added TO the cars out Of .
coupled the car next 20 II was IN
flames.
Negro Saves Horses.
That q dozen horses and mules vera
not burned 10 death in the fire is due I
to the efforts OF John Wright, a negro !
teamster in the employ of the FL Paso (
Sash and Door company. Wright. with I
his wife. was asleep in his quarters
at 1907 Texas street. in the grounds of
the lumber yard The house in which l
he lived was burned 10 the ground,
nothing remaining except the brick
chimney After Wright saw the fire
in the mill. he ran 10 the stables and
led the horses out.
1t was rumored among spectators
Na# Tnlr-
Tor the yards, was q victim OF the fire
He succeeded in escaping. and appeared
lmong the spectators within a short |
Tine
Big Section Threatened
The entire southern section OF the !
,ity was threatened for a time by I
he Texas street fire. 4 strong breeze I
'arried the fire far above the build
ngs south of Texas street A column I
II sparks and smoke was blown over |
he section just south OF Texas street I
sparks dropped upon buildings fou-
blocks from the fire, on San Antonio (
lown shortly after the blaze COM s
nenced.
Many persons. aroused by the blaze,
bought the entire southern section Of !
portions OF the city" said James G.
fcNary, who appeared on the scene in {
n automobile shortly after the fire !
commenced. 1T presented a most spec
he wind, appeared 10 be sweeping
yer many times the area Of the fire" g
Cars Are Burned.
The flames were not under control I
ntil more than an hour after the :
rival OF the firemen. although nine 7
ines of hose were stretched and water I
ras turned on all portions Of the fire. /
he box cars containing the hay were
Snited during the earlier part Of the 5
ire and Sunday afternoon all that c
emained of most of these were the I !
teel trucks where the woodwork had | v
cen burned off. One steel car near | O
he fire was hot for several hours aft . I
rward as a result Of the tremendous T
eat TO which IL was subjected i
sheet Iron Building CauIdrOn.
From the planning mill. the flames,
fter igniting the large brick store {
ouse fronting on Texas street. where il
he general offices of the Sash and ! J
'oor company were located spread | f
long the G. H q, 5 A tracks to a I j
irge sheet iron warehouse which had ! C
cen recently rented by the Sash and j.
'oor company and which adjoins the n
Imber yard Here the heat was par c
cularly bad. the building containing >
large quantity Of oak The flames, g
atching this, rapidly spread to all II
irts of the building, maxine II mac Z