The copper era and Morenci leader., 1921-02-04
$5O,OOO. LCS;Sj |SRESULT I IF BIG FIRE AT
 DUNCAN


 A disastrous fire, which was dis covered between four and five o'clock Sunday morning last, consumee four of the best brick business buildings in Duncn, causing loss of a pproxi- mately $5O,OOOO0.
 Those who suffered the principal loss were B. F. Billingsley, pioneer merchant of Duncan, who lost his en- tire stock of merchandise in the main store building.
 Spezia & Spezia, or Clifton, owners of the four buildings.
 Jos I. Cohn, merchandise and print ing plant.
 The buildings were an entire loss to the owners as no insurance was carried.
 The blaze was discovered about four o'clock by Homer Brook and wife, young married couple, who occupied a suite of rooms on the second floor of the Billingsley store building MT. Brooks was first awakened by the noise of a window crashing upon the sidewalk below. Looking out of his own window he could see the flames shooting past anu uDOn iSdDiIS OuI Ol DCu u1oCON- cred the flooring to be unberably hot. Making his escape from the burning building with his wife he witnessed the falling of the second floor few minutes later.
 On the first floor of the two story corner building was a general mer- chandise store owned and managed by B. F. Billingsley one of the oldest and most permanently established merchants in the Town. The second story of this building was used as dwelling apartments.
 The adjoining two story brick build ing was the home of the Duncan News printing plant, anG also Joseph l. 'Cohn's, fancy grocery store, while on the second floor of this building were furnished rooms.
 One of the single story buildings was used as a dwelling and shoe shop by l.. Crabtree and the other single story structure was used by B. F Billingsley as a warehouse.
 MT. Cohn was able to>save some of his grocery stock, and MT. Billingsley saved what goods he had in the ware house MT. Crabtree saved practically all of his furniture and shoe shop equipment but the Duncan News and all the rest of the merchandise and furniture in the dwelling apartments was lost.
 Duncan's ice plant City Meat Mar ket and Elks Drug Store were saved only by hours of hard work under dngerous conditions by the young men of Duncan. Those who deserve special mention for their heroic eff forts were: Tony Catherin, Ira Spoon Frank Hopkins, Clarence Martin Fred Oberholser, Homer Brooks ant Prof. Hullenbough.
 Duncan has no fire protection ant a small water tank used in ice mak inc which stands about on a leve with the roof of the ice plant, is al that saved the remainder of the cit! block However there was no watel pressure to be had from this tanl on the tops of the buildings and tht young men who so heroicly battlet the flames had---to carry the hose back and forth across the roofs O the buildings, sometimes walkin' within four and six rect of the roar ing fire and now and then dashin' cold water on each other to preveu suffocation.
 The flames rOared inside the bricl walls of the two story structures nk' furnace flames and the heat endured by those who checked the ravishin' fire was intense.
 What is known in Duncan as tn Spezia corner consists of four bricl buildings on a corner of the mail street near the depot. These build ings were erected by Spezia 6 Spezie of Clifton, about six years ago an were the pride of the town. Two 0 the buildings, facing the railroad were two stories high while tn other two brick structures wer single stories.
 It will be recalled to mind tha five years ago last October MT. Bil ingsley's old store located near tn depot burned to the ground and Il suffered a loss of some $60,000.Oc l this last fire Billingsley's loss estimated at from $25,000.00 to $30 OH000 which was covered by on sS 00o.00 insurance
 About three yeais ago the Dunca Union High School and equipmer was lost by fire which was disco ar at 4 o'clock in the morning.
 Just how Billingsley's old store, th High School building, and the Spezi corner, caught on fire appears many citizens to be a mystery. TT fact that these disasters happen the after part of the night appeal to be of some si 'nifficance. Mar ,,o,,ti,,7o5 or Paoa ITioht