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Show OCR LITTLE BLAZE. Three Buildings Burned; Loss About $8,000. THI! GREAT MED OF WATER WORKS. Briglum City ill ust Have a Fire Limit Established; This is uf Vast ImportiUiM ami Shu u Id Ik Attended to at Once. If we were to judge of the fire whkh occurred in Brigham Ciiy last Sunday morning from the reports re-ports which appeared the same morning in the enterprising Herald, the Standard and the Post, one would not be obliged to stretch hia imagination far to picture the entire en-tire city iu ashes literally destroyed destroy-ed from oft' the face of the earth. Instead of "eight buildings burned," burn-ed," "the buildings on two entire blocksdestroyed,ora"i00,000fire," the following are nearer the true facts: A saloon and meat market, both small frame buildings, were consumed and the biggest half of a two-story concrete store and tenement tene-ment house: total value about $8,000. Meat market, owned by C. W. Knudsen, estimated loss, $600; I no insurance. Goods in building ! owned by J. F. Erdmann cfe Co., estimated loss, $300; no insurance. Saloon and goods, owned by R. K. Wilson tfc Sons, estimated value $5,000 or $G,000; insurance $4,000 in London Assurance Corporation. Concrete building and goods, owned by J. C. Gasberg, estimated loss, $3,000; insurance $2,000 in London Assurance Corporation and Hartford Hart-ford Fire Insurance Co. The fire was discovered by Nightwatchman Baird at 12:40 a. m. The flames issued from between be-tween the tenement house and the saloon. Whether it was caused by sparks from the chimney, a cigar stub or the like is not known. Hundreds of men' stood around that night with their hands in their pockets, unable to render any aid, but bemoaning the fact that we did not yet have water works. By their aid, at least $5,000 worth of property could have been preserved; the Gasberg building could have been saved with the utmost ease. Had it not been for the law suit delay, the system would have been completed and we would have had two powerful streams of water, from neighboring hydrants, playing on the flames before the two frame buildings were one tenth consumed. This fire is another forcible argument argu-ment in favor of our City Council at once establishing what is called a "fire limit" in this town. That is, they designate certain limits, usually usu-ally along the principal business streets, inside of which no cheap, inflammable or .dangerous structures struct-ures can be built. Building permits are issued by a committee to all whose proposed buildings Are acceptable ac-ceptable in the way of being sufficiently suffi-ciently strong, permanent and non-combustible. ThiB is of really inestimable importance to a growing grow-ing town. It gives permanency to a city and is a grand safe-guard against destruction to life and pro- j perty. We believe there is not ; another city in the United States' as large as Brigham which lays claim to being anything which has not a "fire limit" ordinance. The City Council should not delay taking immediate action in tliis matter. We today have half a dozen dangerous fire traps right on Main street, in the business center of the town, which would not exist had the fire limit been established a few years ago. It must come soon; and the sooner the better. Today, between $50,-000 $50,-000 and $75,000 worth of property is in imminent danger on account of these six death traps with match springs. Good buildings materially material-ly reduce insurance and lend great stability to a place. Establish the fire limits. An old saying is that there is no I great loss without some little gain. On account of the Sunday conflagration, con-flagration, the sidewalk bordering the burned buildings will he cut down on a level with tlie street; j more creditable buildings will be ; erected; A "fire limit"' will most 1 likely be established; a fire department depart-ment will be organized; people who ; witnessed tlie consumption of property prop-erty will better appreciate the great ' need of a system of water works. |
