| Show salt lake informatory Infirm atory aged inmates have narrow escapes salt lake utah july 17 the lives of ninety three aged and decrepit women were endangered this afternoon when fire destroyed the ward and the administration building of the county informatory at fourteenth south and state streets thirty bedridden women were carried out by the seven employed emp loyes of the institution and some of them were rescued barely in time to save their lives mrs mary stewart the cook alon and unaided carried six of the patients down stairs and into the open air the property loss will not exceed A detective flue Is believed to have been responsible for the fire that there was no loss of life Is largely due to the presence of mind and bravery of mrs W R jones matron and A F kendell steward and other employed emp loyes in the building who immediately after the alarm was sounded took s to remove the patients and inmates from the building to a place of safety the fire was discovered at 1115 by steward kendell who entered the kitchen and saw a tongue of flame shooting along the ceiling from the flue he quickly turned in an alarm from the superintendents office and then took the necessary steps looking to the removal of the inmates many of whom gereon their invalid chairs or in their beds when it was seen that all were safe the attention of the able bodied was turned to the saving of as much furniture as possible the rapid work of this volunteer volu teer corps saved much property that otherwise would have been destroyed the wo menwer taken to the orphans home adjoining the infirmary where they vere temporarily cared tor until other quarters can be secured tor them the fire department a steamer and a hose wagon made a killing drive to the fire and then found that the efforts of the men ere made almost futile by the lack of water there was a large supply of water in a lake near the infirmary but an insufficient leng hose was carried to reach this and make it available the firemen berc absolutely unable to cope with the flames that had spread to all part of the building over the ceilings and all that could be done was to prevent the spread of the flames to the adjoining buildings the county commissioners ners vent to the infirmary as soon as they were notified that the building was in flames an undertakers black wagon leaving the grounds when the crowd was largest caused the impression that some one had been burned to death the body was that of john doherty an indigent miner who had died a half hour before the fire of miners consumption i there were inmates and em aloyes in the institution of these thirty were women occupying the doomed building sixty two were men in another building and seven were employed emp loyes superintendent jones was the one hundredth hun drenth person superintendent jones viba granted a short leave of absence a day or two ago and is now in weber canyon efforts to reach him were futile this afternoon the building that was destroyed was built about eighteen years ago it wag brick and two stories in height with frame and shingle roof some confusion was caused by the sending in of an alarm for a grass fire at third and P streets a few minutes before the telephone alarm was received notifying the fire department of the alre in the infirmary fir mary |
