SERIOUS FIRE IN COLUMBUS, OHIO

SERIOUS FIRE IN COLUMBUS, OHIO

Specially Reported for FIRE AND WATER ENGINEERING.

调度大楼在哥伦布的燃烧,Ohio, laid waste a whole business corner in that city, ruined the entire plant of the newspaper, wrecked the Butler and Hoster building, and caused a loss of over $300,000. The fire was discovered at 2.27 o’clock a. m., and the alarm sent in immediately by telephone. The first alarm was succeeded by a second and a third, bringing out the whole fire department. Acting Chief Daniels turned in the second alarm, which called out four additional engine companies and two truck companies, and word was sent to Chief Lauer, who, though a very sick man, turned out and took over the management of the blaze. He sent one engine headquarters and distributed the chemical engines at different points, to safeguard the other parts of the city. The rest of the apparatus and their crews he held on the seen' of fire, so as to prevent its spreading. The origin of the fire is unknown, nor is it quite certain where it broke out. The night watchman had gon his rounds in the building at 2 o’clock, and, finding everything apparently right, had returned to the basement. It is thought the flames started in the front of the building in the third story, which was vacant. On its floor, however, had been left a pile of rubbish. About 2:15 a tenant on the second floor heard an xplosion and, on going out into the hall, found the fire making its wav down from the roof of a billiard saloon in the rear. On reaching the front ball he found burning cinders and sparks already falling down the elevator-shaft. The watchman in the meantime had turned in an alarm from a private box in the basement. When the department arrived, which it did in two minutes, the blaze was chiefly in front of the building towards the north, and it was some time before the fire spread, to both buildings, as a wall that extended partly -between them kept it hack. Soon after the fire started, the north wall of the Dispatch building fell, and the west and south walls cracked dangerously. Its fall was preceded by the fall of the top floor and the roof to the floor below, while in front nearly the whole of the fourth floor came down upon the third, the stairway being one mass of debris from the roof to the third floor. The adjoining Hoster building, four stories in front and falling away to three, two and one story in front, became a complete ruin. Its three upper floors went right through to the basement. On the fourth floor was the valuable stock of silver plate and jewelry of the Hofman Jewelry company. The ruin was complete, the wall of the wrecked Butler building tailing upon the other and carrying everything down before it, sparing only the rear of the front floor, with its optical goods, flat goods, silverware, clocks, etc. The fire-wall alone saved the Raggery building. All that was left of the Dispatch building was the skeleton, to which on the front wall was still attached one room. This tire was exceptional in that the fire department was not hampered by a network of overhead wires. There were only one or two heavy wires on the Gay street side, leading into one portion of the Dispatch office. All the others, as well as those on the opposite side of the street, are in underground conduits. The firemen had a hard battle to fight, and fought it well from a little after 2 o’clock a. m. till close upon noon. The water supply was ample, and thus a worse conflagration was averted.