Show THE GRAND OPERA HOUSE where on thursday july 3 stood the te beautiful be 4 dutiful and elegantly fitted wand grand opera house is now a scene ot 01 ruin the result of a disastrous lire fire prom from monday to thursday even eveia jug da was occupied by the engagement of the held by the enemy cOrla na pany while friday and satur day were to be taken by the performances of Boucic aults after dark 11 on thursday even og about 11 the curtain went down on the pro gramme and tile he audience retired I 1 the he baggage mad and scenery of the held by the bellemy company cor nany was packed up d the trunks and boxes were piled together near the west door at the same me time a considerable consider ablo portion of the after dark companas comp anys effects were brought in to be placed ln in position as soon as room could be aade for them the stage carpenter desiring to unite in the celebration of the fourth was working to get the new scenery tiery inin the first entrance next to 0 o the curtain are a number of drops and d by the assistance of others these were placed in position and the he men had removed to number three entrance to place the drops in position there in number one the korder border lights are quite close to the 0 ro p and at about 1130 one of the t 1 e men on the stage saw a drop U abe fire from the lights he called 0 o the men in the flies to cut the ropes down quick and they made the attempt their knives were dot t sharp enough for the rapid work Ile flooded eded and they got only two of the blazing curtains down before they had to jump for their lives in instant tnora a the flames began to spread to the adjoining scenery and nd it seemed that the whole place was seized by the blaze almost like a flash when the fire was discovered the uen men seized the small hose that was 0 in o the building and turned a stream of water on the fire fl rebut but it appeared to have no effect the whole thing had bad happened so quickly that no larm alarm had been given to the outside the men who came down from the flies rushed for the door and out into to ahti alley on the west side of we building there they shouted pire fire aull and oie of them hait hastened ened westward and the other to a telephone across the street ani and both sent antin in messages mee sages to fire department at this time there was an uproar hi n the street the lattice work of scenery over the stage had formed as a it were a grate bottom for the furnace arnace ur nace into which a fierce draught was as drawn and flames from which seized the roof and shot to the outside the hose cart frow from the fire department part ment was there in a very orlef brief space of time buthe whole was a blaze even the auditorium being lapped in the flames A stream was turned on but it was only as a drop to the great torrent that was wag necessary to quench the lie fury ury of the devouring monster rhe fhe building was a very difficult one in which to fig figdore fight hOre jire and this the men soon discovered A one stream played for a time on the place there being some delay in getting on more it probably made little difference in this instance as the opportunity was not aff bided ded for effective work there was waa however a good deal of manipulation of tte the hose and turning on and off of water at improper times that would have been avoided by good management several streams were brought into play from the hydrants and two fire steamers sometimes on the fire sometimes on the solid brick walls some sometimes on the unbroken windows and doors im ia front aud and sometimes in fine spray on the roof there was some complaint because the firemen did not break in the front doors and windows but it is doubtful whether this course would not have had a damaging aging cheff effect act the flames shot up far into the air and could be seen from nearly dearly every part of town the heat was intense and for a time there was some danger of the fire spreading to other buil ings this however was prevented by the firm brick walls and the free use of water by the owners of the surrounding structures people at a distance of seventy to eighty rods saturated the roofs of barns and houses to insure safety in the early stages of the fire there were several explosions which caused a rumor to start that the flames had bad communicated to a gun and ammunition store near by but they were caused by the materials used in prof exhibitions and which had been left temporarily lu iu the building the firemen kept the fire from entering the rooms on the first floor in the front of the building to any material extent yet the th effect of the intense heat and the condition of the remaining portion of the structure rendered this part useless the roof burned for a long time the flames slowly creeping up the cupola over which floated the stars and stripes the water was thrown there many times but only delayed the progress of the fire on the outside the timbers within were doomed and it was with a pang of regret that at three minutes after 1 a m on the fourth the vast mul who were watching the scene beheld the roof with the flag still flying go down with a crash into the burning mass below from this time ou on the firemen had control over the flames so that neighboring places were not in danger it t took several hours however to quench the burning embers and when this was done ayrie there was nothing but ashes a few charred timbers and twisted iron rods left besides the w dis of the entire theatre portion of the building A few minutes after the fire started mr daniels the stage carpenter was engaged with others in endeavoring to check the flames in his anxiety he ventured too close to the burning drops and when the pole of one was let down through the burning of a rope it struck him on the head inflicting a severe and painful injury even after he was hurt he tried frantically to save property until he had to be prevented he was taken home to receive the attention that he needed there was considerable censure passed on the action of the police for refusing to allow any persons to enter the building and save property by carrying it out it is the height of foolish ness on the part of officers to stop the saving of property by those who are willing and at the same time make no do arrangements for supplying the deficiency they doit elsewhere has been the excuse bur bult the statement is incorrect what they do elsewhere is to exclude the public from burning buildings and immediately put into operation a salvage corps either volunteer or regularly organized and alid thus provide a more effective way for saving movable goods when the officers here combine the exclusion of the public with a proper handling of a corps of men selected to save property without incurring unnecessary danger then the common sense of such a euarse will commend it and there will be no cause for complaint in the case of the opera house fire however it can not he be justly said that the police are liable to censure for what they did it was the best method under the circumstances there was no opportunity for a salvage corps as some time before the officers arrived almost as soon as the alarm was gi given ven it was too late to carry out trunks scenery scene or baggage of any kind there were but a few persons there and with one small door to pass through and that opening right on to the burning stage the property of the theatrical companies could not have been saved to have accomplished this would have required a goodly number of benwell men well directed at the very outset and this was out of the question at one time while there were some trunks near the stage door that might have been saved if any one would have ventured in a member of one of the theatrical companies came up to assistant chief levy and said he had 1700 worth of property in odeon one of the trunks mr levy turned a stream of water on them and remarked we will keep here and it will protect you so you can pull your get wet was the reply well haid bald mr levy if you think more of wetting a 5 suit than saving 1700 it will have to go there are not enough of us here to hold the hose and drag out the boxes too so go the trunks went up in the blaze the firemen worked hard in the responsible position they were placed in but there is a lack of system this is probably due in part to the small force of men available the addition of a few reliable call men should at least be made and would materially aid in the ease case of large fires some of the wrong could be remedied if chief stanton would have the duty of turning the water on and off better attended to some rome times a call to turn the water off made by those at the nozzle of the pipe pe was unheeded for a considerable pi ab lo 10 t time me while to the command to A turn it on the response was no more prompt rhe phe police kept the crowd at a distance and in the main preserved good discipline there Ther earea are a few who wear uniform who should be instructed that it is not the business of officers to use abusive and profane language to citizens th walker brothers fire brigade comprises a sm 11 torce force of men but they deserve cecial eap ecial ere cre adit dit forthe for the good work they do and their systematic and prompt manner of action they are not continually at cross purposes i i the ln face of fire mayor deott also made himself useful and with a number dumber of others so manipulated a garden hose that the flames were prevented from spreading to the electric light buildings which were only a few feet distant the I 1 he ele trie light currents were turned off of fearly early because bei of the great danger to those working at the fire among the incidents that attracted attention was the action of a young man on the portico of the second floor he was in a very warm place but was in no immediate danger he had bad learned however that his way of escape down the stairway was cut off and called loudly and almost incessantly for a ladder rhe phe information that if he would keep cool and quieter he would betoken betaken be taken down as early as possible arid and before he was in any real danger seemed to have no effect on him he ve was so thoroughly overcome by fear that he was on the point of jumping to the Da when a hastily brought ladder epand he was enabled to come down his fright had taken such bold on him that he wasted no time in getting away drw fr m the place col blunt sent two com companies fanies of infantry and a hose company from port fort douglas but when they arrived their services were not necessary of all the lows losses it is probable that prof Crom is comparatively the most severe as s his hi entire stock of views gathered in more than twenty years was destroyed he hail had no insurance on them while traveling and with many it is an impossibility ever reproduce them wah wi h them he had a obries of 24 lectures which have made him famous his joss is not less than arid and it will take tahe fully five years ot of travel to replace those of the views that can be again obtained among the other losers are the denver deaver and rio bio grande express company the burlington missouri sour R R chapman why took dentists bowman lowd real estate men pacific union insurance company om pany knights of pythias the held by the enemy and after dark companies I 1 the brotherhood of locomotive engi and manager burgess the losses may be ed as follows grand opera house prof cromwell he d by the enemy company after dark company 2500 knights of pythias 2000 pacific insurance company 80 0 individual members of the dramatic companies W J burgess I 1 1500 other occupants of the building 2500 total r on this the opera rouse house had insurance for and the knights of pythias 1000 most of the others were uninsured one of the actors claimed to have lost in cash in his trunk the others particularly the ladies lost heavily in clothing jewelry etc manager burgess had a i fout four years lease on 1 he opera house und and this is now valueless eleos to him film the building cost to erect aud arid furnish but today it could be replaced for by an abrat arrangement with the management of the salt lake theatre the after dark corn com pa pany ny was enabled to make its appearance pe pei arance trance at a matinee there yester y ester day afternoon and for the evening performances advertised for the opera house the company is to appear in in denver on monday evening the held by the enemy company were trying to arrange matters so they would have sufficient costumes os to play at ogden i as a advertised I 1 verti sed the contents of the cellar were but slightly damaged thanks to the care exercised by the firemen |