The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-04-25
MATCH STARTED
MEN YORK STORE
FIRE SATURDAY
! 4 Perkins, Had Of Wallpaper
Dspsrtnsnt Of Moline Store,
Tells How Fire Started.

~ 4 on the floor, and while at
s.tins to stamp 1t out, kicking
! .sSsr a stack of wallpaper. caus-
~ ! Maze TO be famed by a draft,
- spread too fast for one man.
!. ala to have been the origin Of
=. fire which swept the third floor
- ~ New York store early Sat-
srday afternoon
A. Perkins, manager Of the
~.iiAsper department lit the match.
- I'D the story Of how the fire
stsrted this morning as follows:
VI wanted to match some sam
,,.s NJ wallpaper. AS there was lit
4. Heht where I was working I
.tyuef match to find the right pat
I'm l dropped the match and
.tsnned on it I must have pushed
y hack toward the wallpaper
ssckeh on the floor. l took out
tro bundles of paper and as !
,icted up the last bundle, l discov-
srsd that the wallpaper behind me
vas on fire.
Il Immediately attempted to put
ant the fire by picking up the burn
ing paper, severely burning my
hands in the effort. Then / real
ized that the task was too big for
me and called for help.
"There is a strong draft made by
air coming up the freight elevator
shaft at the rear of the third floor
and going out through windows at
the front of the store. AS Saturday
vas warm, these windows were
omen. Tho draft took the flames
No an aisle between stacks Of wall
psper."
One Of the fingers of Mr.. Perkins
right hand was almost completely
charred as the result of his attempt
to remove the burning paper.
The fire, which started from a
match, swept the entire third floor
Of the downtown department store,
damaging stock worth approximate
" 100000, and throwing large
number of employees out Of employ
ment temporarily.
Besides the head Of the wallpaper
department., Mr.. Perkins, a fireman
from station No. 8 was injured,
when his head and hands were
severely burned, and Captain Joseph
Smith of the central station, had
bis left hand cut by a shower Of
glass during the fire.
However, all of the victims are
making rapid strides down the road
to recovery. Morrison announced
himself as feeling fine this morn
ing after a good nights rest and
said that he expected to be out to-
morrow. Perkins declared that he
was much better this morning, and
Captain Smith handled hose in the
weekly floor washing at the sta
ton this morning. He declares that
bis trouble is that cuts on the back
Of his hand keep him from bending
it
This morning a call was sent out
10 the employees of the store to re-
turn to work, so that inventory OF
the second and third floor stock
and the fixing Of the first floor and
basement could be expedited.
The proprietors of the store, Abe
WaXenberg, and Dave Brady, an
nounced that business on the main
uoor and in the basement will be
resumed in a week or ten days.
Watchmen extinguished two
mall fires in the store since the
large blaze Saturday afternoon.
James Bassett and Bert Donoway
found a smouldering remains of
saat had once been wallpaper, had
oufst into flames, and the garden
nose which had been left to meet
.ucn emergencies, was used 10 ex-
unquish the blaze. A second small
nre broke out in a pile of pillow
leathers at 3 this morning. This
was also quickly extinquished.
IN describing his accident, Fire
man Morrison says he would have
ven all right if he could have
time
II got me rom the side when I
w getting ready to play a stream
water on the east WALL" he said,
speaEng OF his accident. Il was
Maolng Just inside the window
.aa tongue Of flame was squirting
saong the cas-. wall coming toward
ae Hont Of the store. l was facing
~ and on my left was a rack with
sssnins paper on 1t, l think. Any
y the rack gave way and fell
sT*srd me. The flames were a
wv ny t0o hot for me and had to get
W. remember being on the lad
w. ~. ana trying to put out the flames
az were in my hair.
a.. DON'T remember much after
=. MAJ until the doctor put salve on
ourns. They felt better then.
'~pect to get out tomorrow"