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Show Fire Department Called Out Near Midnight to Fight Destructive Conflagration Well ! Under Way Fire Ihought to Be of Incendiary 0riginStarted in Lower Part of Building, Discovered When Bursting Through Roof Firemen Do Heroic Work Saving Postoffice -and Browning Garage From 'Sharing Fate of Rink. Near midnight last night. Ogden was visited by a destructive conflagration, as a result of which the Auditorium Skating rink on Grant avenue, between be-tween Twenty-fourth and Twenty-fifth Twenty-fifth streets, this morning is a mass of charred ruins. -The building was practically gutted by the fire, nearly all of the woodwork of the building having 'been burned. The fire was discovered by Dr. Robinson Rob-inson at 12 o'clock, he being occupied in his office in the Lewis block on Washington avenue. Hearing a crash and peering from the near window of his office, he witnessed a blaze of fire leaping from the roof of the Auditorium Auditori-um and a part of the roof had then fallen In. He Immediately sent in an alarm to station number one and within with-in ten minutes after that time three streams of water were. toeing poured into the burning building. The brave firemen fought the fire from the post-office post-office side so as to protect that building, build-ing, together with the Ogden Automobile Automo-bile garage, the Congress dancing hall and a number of residences near there all of which were threatened with destruction. de-struction. The entire fire force of the city was brought into action and the work done was very commendable. Their work saved the adjoining buildings and the valuable contents of the same. Tho postoffice building and the garage contained con-tained thousands of dollars worth of property, none of which was damaged. The loss to the Auditorium Skating rink is very considerable and it will 1 i ' have to be lrtually rebuilt before It 1 can be used again. The conflagration was as picturesque pictur-esque as it was deslruclhe. the ilames leaping skyward from the burning burn-ing structure lighting the city for blocks around. Within a very short space of time hundreds of people who had 'been awakened from their slumbers slum-bers by the noise of the crackling lire and the glaring Illumination which it gave were on the scene, some of whom escaped from nearb buildings build-ings in1 scanty attire. Every one who could gave a helping hand to the firemen fire-men in their work and within an hour's time the fire , was practically extinguished nnd the other buildings in the block were saved. Soon after the alarm was given men rushed Into the garage and begau hauling the great machines Into tho street which was soon filled with them. Great piles of mail sacks lay heaped upon the floor of the postoffice building awaiting the orders from tho fire chief to remove them and while the building became so heated that It was not comfortable for one to remain on the inside, yet through the splendid splen-did efforts of the fire department and other helping hands the building was protected and it did not become necessary neces-sary to carry anything from the office. Pandemonium reigned for a brief time. It looked as though the lire fighters would not be able to control the flames and that all the buildings within a radius of a hundred yard 3 from the auditorium would be burned to the ground. People were scampering scamper-ing hither and thltljer in an effort to get a glimpse of the burning structure und aid lu whatever way they could to quench the fire. People living In nearby buildings were busily engagod piling their household and other ef-facts ef-facts together preparatory to hasty rotreat In case the firemen did not get control of the fire. The fire started from the ground floor of the rink, madly making its way to the rafters and the roof above, taking everything in its wake. The origin of the fire will perhaps never be known, but it is thought to have been incendiary, nor can the loss be determined at this time. Hie building belonged to Phil OWTara of Salt Lake, the manager of the skating rink, After making a hurried investigation investiga-tion after the fire had been extinguished, extin-guished, Chief Paine made the statement state-ment that he was thoroughly convinced con-vinced that the fire was of incendiary origin. He 6-sId the flro started on tno floor of the building neer the ioint where a large number of roller skates were being kept and where considerable consider-able rubbish, in the shape of paper and pieces of old clothing were scattered scat-tered about. He found a box filled with paper that had boen turned over and it showed evidences ot haviuj been Bet on fire. He also found rags stuffed back of the radiators lu different dif-ferent parts of the room, which had evidently been set on fire. The purpose pur-pose In burnmg the building cannot be fathomed at this time. |