The Elk Mountain pilot., 1924-08-21
PRESIDENT oU1GLEY WRITES LETTER

THE Montrose Press contains in its issue
letter from President Quigey of the Normal School
Like most Of the Presidents letters this goes out Of
the way false and misleading things of which
pique curiosity Regarding the fire in this office the
President says
been shack would have been reduced ashes
in five minutes" Now how does Mr. Quigey speak posi-
lively? He has not been in the Empire Office for nearly
year. He has not been in it since the fire to
knowledge and unless he has obtained entrance
time when thought it securely locked he is
totally unable make any statement touching the mat
ter We stated least 100 persons will confirm
view, that gasoline alcohol poured the desks
and tables The linotype stuffed with the seat
cushion having been up furnish also the
cotton stufng used to fill in between fine working
parts. Apparently these saturated with alcohol
bottle of which stood handy in the window gasoline
which easily obtained at the Office When gnited the
gas alcohol burned off quickly and the refused
to ignite to great extent, laying fiat Others
they were merely scorched The tops desks were
all scared and varnish spoiled but burns the wood
speak Of In just two places the wood work gnited
strongly And opposite sides of the building No
oline poured the floor and that is evident The
intent of the squad to destroy the nograph
in particular. The desks saturated be
destroy papers which they assumed would be valuable
Both efforts failed in the greater part that
looking at the wreck Tuesday morning did est-
mate loss We believed the linograph ruined 1t
barely hurt $4,000 worth The was cold, hav
ing stood for three days unred and the alcohol gas
did not burn long enough to than it. The
key board of course destroyed but is good
Our subscription lists and books harmed
The presses not harmed except for few melted
rollers Water damage, thanks careful fire fighters,
large Our building, which was uninsured was
damaged about $500, household goods loss, fully
ored of less than S100, material loss fully covered by
insurance, of about 5000, comprises the damage
counting the loss of time and the Inconvenience and
worry President Qugley with his customary dsrega
for truth says: 1T is unhappy and unfortunate cir
cumstance that Western Slope should have ped
ad fha
cias had engaged in the firing of the printing Shop Of
they did not publish anything of the They
printed the fact that of the several fights engaged
in by this paper in its campaign for honesty
public affairs superinduced the crime There are lust
three tenable theories incendiary fire: First the
fight TO ndict and convict the county commissioners
Second the support Of this paper the Stong
report of reckless extravaganza in the management
the Normal School Third and this begins have strong
color of probability the fact that the County Clerk
contracted with this paper for the tickets The
desperate attempt to destroy the inograph
presumed be absolutely necessary their produc
supports that view, The that Henrietta Lake was
promptly hand the next morning asking tick
cts and plainly showed his regret that county officials
still intended to send them the Empire supports the
view that this contract may have had much
the fire. However, without question these three
lead up to this crime The crppling of the f,e
truck also corroborates the incendary theory There
simply other conceivable way which the building
could have been fired Much talk always by those
seek to throw dscredt this paper and editor is
indulged in regarding spontaneous combustion. That
arises in printing offices from only principal cause
oily This is print shop in which this is
4 menace. Every employe is under strict orders M
mediaely after using and saturting it with oils
throw same in the stove We have this
der dsobeyed No oily lay around the offices
Saturday morning previous to the fire, Mr. Rsley
thoroughly swept the Office burning up dirty rags and
waste etc. Also the place where the spontaneous
combustion theorists point that started from
IS place where is thrown, of
corner And spontaneous combustion does not disable
fire trucks stuff cotton and into working
parts of machinery neither spontaneously start all
over plant at the time. The fire produced by
the identical the painting of the outside
yellow was produced, last winter Mr. Quigley is not
good diagnostician-
TOO SOON TO CROW