The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1920-02-27
|. c. RECORDS burn;
FIREMEN INJURED;
MONEY LOSS SMALL
Flames Confined to Office Of
inbound Freight Depart
ment-TempOrary Office
Opened.
INJURED.

Claude EIlert, driver Of truck No. y
burned about face and hands, taken 20
General hospital, TO his home later
Prentice Smith, ladderman, hose ana
and hands. taken 70 hospital, home le-
ter.
Harry Kelley, aid TO assistant chief.
burned about face.
Emmet venuchl. Iadderman, burred
about face.
-Four firamen were injured and all
the records Of the Illinois Central and
y & M. W inbound freight depot on
Calhoun avenue, the second building
west of the Grand Central passenger
station, were destroyed by fire tAat
started In the loft at the south end
Of the building about am. Friday.
burning off the room and cutting the
second story In which the offices We're
located. and an the records Tor i've
years hack were stored. The fire WAS
confined 10 the second story but the
inbound freight in the first floor storr
age room was flooded with water. The
freight sheds south Of the depot were
not damaged
4 short circuit OF electric wires Ia
the loft is supposed to have started the
fire
A blast OF flame swept the entiie
| second floor about 80 minutes after the
| fire started, apparently coming FROM
an explosion IN the record room in NE
south end. II was this blast Tint
| caught the four firemen. hurting them
to the floor and inflicting painful but
not serious burns about the face and
| hands a second explosion OF similar
! nature occurred little later.
j. r. Moews. local freight agent. said
that there was nothing considered q
an explosive nature stored In the build-i
| ing II is believed that the blast OF
| flames was caused by an explosion uf
| dust from the mass OF tissue records
| that filled filing room about 10 feet
1 long and 40 feet vide In the south end
The fire was first detected n the
| ceiling Of the record room by Leonard
| oliver, negro porter. He immediately
notified the men working In the front.
1 So rapidly did the fire spread that the
clerks were unable N save their hats
| and coats left IN the, record room, and
lii attempting TO do VI several had ~
jump from windows TO box cars stand
| ing on the tracks At the side q tno
| building
might shift, and about s5 CLERKS We're
On duty az The time, ss X
II RahullHsnk w ihe Illinois GenfEN A5iA
/ hOt9gld ffefglif Htl4lf. pagliF NHfnME ENH uy
fire eafiy Friday morning, win stAft Az
once Engineers tor the company Are
making estimates and drawing work
j ing ulhnR now.
i Losses, they say. VIII nor be nearly
so greaf IA was al first anticipated.
/ Ii ii believed that $4,000 win cover
the damage 70 the building. The rec
ords can never again be assembled. but
| copies OF most OF the documents are
| on file In other offices OF the line and
the greatest loss from their destruction
| will be the delay and Inconvenience in
getting access to other sources for such
data as may be needed.
Much OF the office furniture and ex-
| pensive billing machines, caleuiators.
| adding machines. typewrlters and other
| office equipment, used by the 100 or
more clerks, all Of which was thought
| TO have been ruined. has been found
to have been damaged only from wa
ter and smoke, and II is believed that
the most of it can be cleaned and re-
paired.
The roof and one side OF the building
win have to be replaced. Three sides
of the building were brick and were
little damaged. The other side was OK
| corrugated iron construction and viii
have TO be replaced. The roof was of
rolled roofing material. Floors were
badly water soaked, but only part
OF the flooring will have to be relRid.
| No estimate can be placed on the
value OF the records destroyed. Rail-
way officials consider them invaluable.
Their loss Is sure to mean many COM
plicatlons and inconyeniences. The
mass OF records OF all transactions oi
the local office, correspondence files
and reports for several years back.
filled a large section Of the upper floor,
| about rs by 40 feet In size.
Mr. Aioews transferred the clerical
force to other offices and arranged 70
handle the freight business from the
outbound warehouse Just across the
tracks from the damaged depot. He
said that there would be little inter-
| TIption OF business.