Deming graphic. (Deming, N.M.) 1903-1948, 1918-07-12
Fire Starting In DsHInH Garage At /
o'Clook Yesterday Afternoon
Puts Seven Concerns Out
Of Business.
e~Na~
FIRE DEPARTMENTS FINE WORK
Civilian and Soldier Fire Fighters
nsld Flames to Narrow ArOa
and Saved Lumber Yard.
Key to Situation.
HEARLY ALL TO START AGAIN
NEARLY ALL 70 START AGAIN
Small Concerns n Cody Building
Doing Business This Morning
eam Watkins and Sol Car
"a faalsn Heaviest Losers.


ThefwOrst fire in Deming's history
'starsed yesterday afternoon at about
o'clock in the Deming garage, Roy
Baker, owner, on Pine street, and be-
fore II was brought under control two
hours later had consumed practically
all the bsock between Gold and Copper
on the north side Of Pine, and had
tapped around both corners to the
nOrthward, taking the buildings ON
Gold occupied by the A. l.. Nicholson
hwhOlesale house, and on Copper the
"Carr building occupied by Mrs. De-
launey's dining room and the Walter
Russell residence, occupied by room
ers. On Pine street the buildings de-
strOyed were the garage where the
fire started and the Cody theater.
Beside Mr.. Bakers garage business,
the Sam Watkins auto accessories
and repair shop and the Deming Vm-
canizing company had quarters in the
garage bu'k'ng. The only building
left stand.lg in the block along Pine
street was the public library at the
corner Of Pine and Copper, which was
only slightly damaged, thanks to an
open space Of perhaps fifty feet be-
tween Il and the garage building and
n. tha fact thai tho wind WAS la tha.
west and s0nlh.
Concerns put out Of business tenn
porarily by the fire are the Baker
garage, Sam Watkins, the Deming
Vulcanizing company, the Cody
Amusement company, the Cody bar
Der shop, A. L. Nicholson & Co., cigar
and tobacco wholesalers and the De-
launay dining room. Several small
concerns in the south front of the
Cody building were saved by the hold
ing OF the stout fire wall behind them
spa can start up again today il they
can find the stuff that was carried
out into the street before the heat of
the fire drove several hundred Jealous
workers away. In fact several were
open last night. These are the Cody
confectionery, SCOTS sign shop, the
n Paso Times office, the New York
hat shop, the Hall auto repair shop
and "NOther" Cady's lunch counter.
Up to last night the cause Of the
fire could not be learned to a GER
tainty. One report being that a gas
Oline exT2osion was responsible. Mr..
Baker stated unequivocally, however,
that il was caused by "a nigger and
cigarette" He believes that a negro
threw n cigarette stub in some oil
soaked waste in the shop in the rear
Of the garage. At any rate the blaze
flared up with suddenness that
gave those in the building very little
time to get anything out. Before any
real fight could be begun against it,
the flames were towering sky high
and had spread to the curtain loft Of
the Cody theater. The fire boys,
ably assisted by the fire department
from the camp, made desperate ef-
forts TO save this building, probably
the handsomest theater in the state,
but il was very soon evident that Il
was doomed and they devoted their
efforts to stopping the flames within
the narrowesi possible boundaries.
For a few moments the water pres
sure was shut off at the plant by q
misunderstanding Of phone message
asking that il be shut off at the
camp, and for thia period ii looked
as II nothing could save the Fox
worth Galbraith lumber yard and the
Buildings to the north. The pressure
Name back on, however, just as the
fire seemed certain 10 reach the lum-
Der yard, and from that point the
firemen slowly but surely got the up.
per hand. Had il reached the lumber
Il Is not considered possible that any
Of the buildings between that and the
s. p tracks could have been saved,
and Il Is very likely that the wind
would have swept the fire to the
buildings across the street, which
would have meant the destruction Of
the whole business section north of
Pine. The frame building occupied