Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1938-02-19

basement, Bob tnougnC1ulIy 08Q con-
nected a small garden hose 70 water
pipe in the basement and was spraying
me store windows over which Stout
and Tait were spreading wet blankets
THE glass had cracked with the intense
heat and had fallen in. The blankets
we're the only protection against the
sharks and the heat. Without the wet
tinq given them by the garden hose
the blankets would not have lasted
long.
doWs on the Granite street side OF the
basement. There were several on the
west SIDE. They lighted the first floor
There was also a back door. All win
! doWs shared the fate Of the windows
! on Granite street. The back door be-
/ came blistered by the heat and finally
/ colrght fire also. We kept up the battle
! to keep the sparks from entering and
/ the flames from igniting Boomers
Soon we were joined by other employees,
Mr.. Ford, Gravelle, Eugene Gordon
/ Fontaine and many others. IL Is my
recollection that Walter Olton, Abe
Cohen, George Bowen and WIN POin-
dexter were also there when arrived.
Hose Saved Block
Notwithstanding our vigilance a
huge box Of waStepaper in the Bonner
basement took fire. Bob TAFT and !
extinguiShed the blaze and removed
the box. While I have no wish to de-
tract from the praise that was given
at the time to the fire departments
I am firmly convinced that 1t was the
little garden hose that saved Boomers
and possibly all the northern part OF
Butte. If Bonner's had taken fire, as
it would undoubtedly have done had 1t
not been for the little hose playing on
&1,a h1onlpfC flames would
have swept the entire block regardless
of the most heroic efforts Of the Alice
fire department. The intensity Of the
heat and the sweep Of the flames IS
shown by the fact that, in spite of all
the fire departments could do, the fire
leaped clear across Granite street and
destroyed several houses west OF
Bonner'S.
'Mr. Cornell IN. j. Cornell, at that
time manager of Bonner's) came into
the store greatly excited and during
the hottest part Of the fight exclaimed:
What have you fellows done with the
books and the money? What have you
done with the books and the money IN
the safe?'
1T was explained to him that the
bookkeeper had arrived, opened the
safe and taken the money and books
to Tait's home by hack. The Taits lived
in the northern part Of the city. Con-
nell WASH pleased. The fire Is head
ed north. he said. Tt will go to Walker
vile Get the books and take them to
my home at Granite and Idaho So
Bob TAFT had to rustic another hack
and haul the books and money to the
Connell home.
They Guarded Ruins
After the fire was conquered Mr..
Council named a group of watchmen
to stand guard in the store, to protect
the merchandise from pilferers. This
guard was Eugene Gordon, Bob TAFT, /
John TAFT, VIII Poindexter, j. H. |
Rooney and George Porter. Rooney, |
whom many will remember was Just
out from Boston, with an eastern mans !
idea of the tough character of the /
western people.
when he reported for his task Of !
night watch at the store he was well /
healed for the job. He wore hunting /
coat and cap A big "A revolver
was strapped to his waist and rifle |
was carried jauntily over his shoulder |
We were smart boys all of us. We af-
fected to believe that RooneyS equip |
ment was ideal for an outside guard
and stationed him back of the store |
while the rest of us sat inside and /
played poker.
"At midnight we became hungry
Eugene Gordon, although no older |
than the rest of us, had somehow /
blosSomed into manhood while the rest
of us remained boys. Gordon wrote an |
order on Whatley's for our midnight |
meal We went to the restaurant In /
relays Eugene intended the order to
cover only one meal but we found that /
it could be used to repeat so we ate
at Whatley's at the expense Of the
Bonner company for several weeks be-
fore it came to the attention of the
management.
when the bill from whatley's came
in Eugene was ON the spot But Con-
nell was a good sport. He seemed to
feel that, after all, we had saved the
meals were a small token of apprecia-
ton of our loyalty and our efforts.
went off fine.
Sam Clerke was a window trimmer
at Bonner'S. He had borrowed a dozen
bottles from the Trowbridge liquor
store for a window display. Somebody
walked off with the champagne. We
never learned who stole it, I am sure,
sure, that the watching
squad didn't take it-unless one or
two Of them Judged on the rest of us.
THAT was certainly a fire and a hot
one as well as big one, fighting as
The citizens and firemen were against a
strong wind The firemen worked hard
and Skillfully; am sure that the
people of Butte did their full share
but I am unalterably convinced that it
was a little group of boys with some
wet blankets and small garden hose
who saved North Main street from de-
Struction and, also, possibly the entire
northern part Of Butte Of 1885,"
0EAnTRE MEADE