HomeMy WebLinkAboutC.P. Herald 06/17/1909 (2)The wind waa blowing a stiff breeze
in a straight line with Third street and
so quickly did the flames spread that
'within five minutes of the time the
alarm was first aoun_ded the Grieve .
house was a seething malls. df flames
while the residence of T. Ti. Jones, ad-
joining was ablaze. Within a very.few ~
minutes of the alarm it was realized'•
that the town was doomed without out-
side help and a call for assistance waa
telephoned to Medford. The fire de-
partment of that town respohed noFly
and within 36 minutes from the time the
alarm was sent in the Medford fire boys
with four chemicals ware on thegrou7rd.
In addition to these 100 or more citizens
of that town, coming in autos, on hiey-
cles and on horseback were doing every
thing in their pewer to help save the
town. The fire company with theirap-
paratus came down on a special train,
tl:e P. $. E. ~:.gine and cars, which
.`.a°---ad to ho dt[ rho Sidi~txaek were
rr~~•
pressed into service.
From the Jones house the fire spread
to the dwelling owned by Mrs. R. C.
Hensley, of Ashland, and occupied by ~
Mrs. Goetze and her tittle daughter.
Mra. GoQtze's furniture and personal
effects were mostly saved. The next
building to go, and the last one in the
block was the home of John Sims. Mr.
Sims is visiting at Phoenix, Arizona,
and the premises were unoccupied, but
the house was broken into and practi-,
cally all the contents were saved. In
addition to the four dwellings destroyed
barns on the rear of three of the lots
went up in smoke as did a barn across
the alley belonging to Jacob Stone, on
the property occupied by Ben Aydlott.
Had the wind remained in 'the diri:c-
tion it~was when the fire started noth-
ingeould have saved she town. The
flames were being driven directly across
the street against the dwellings on the
Green property, the Downing property
occupied by J. B. Holmes and the Klee
property odcitpied by 'W. D. Lewis.
These bq{ldings were a 1 appar@ntly
" doomed, but the boys who were'iiraking
the fight against such terrific` odds
pending the arrival of the 'chemicals
from Medford stayed with the .gatne'
and fought it out antis a seemed by
...,,.__ ,.....,_ ...._ ...Y..,,b
street. In this meaner and in count-
lase-places the town was caved. -About,
this time the roof of the opera house
began to smoke. It is the tallest buitd~
ing in that pact oY, the town and if it
went it meant destruction to Query
thing around it. it took several min-
utes to find a sadder song enough to
reach the'eavea and while a dozen men'
were hunfing the ladder sad getting it
in place b'cank Ilatfleld, a i6-year-old
High School bpy, did the biggest etubt
of the dqy. Frank, acting on his own
itlitiative, ran up the buteide stairway
8t file rear of the building, ahitYned up,
the poet whiob aupporM a frail wooden
awning over the upper landing, wormed
hie way to the top, climbed from there
to the roof dad ptYlied the biaxing
9hinglea -away with his bare hands and
caved.the hig Building and the fawn.
liy this time the ladder was up •and
i?ther willing workers were on the roof
fighting the faBt fBHlbg flaming flre-
branda.
While the fl're leet~d the~aatrongwind
ear. led blazing embers all over 'the
south ahd southeast pares of the town
and probably a thousandincipient blaz-
es, which unhindered would have meant
serious property loeseawereextingmsh-
ed. Better fire fighting, considering
the means at hand, waa prdbably never
done. ` Everybody, men; women •and
children, seemed to keep their heads
and did yoeman service in the common
work. Not a man or woman seemed to
think of their own property more than
bP'their neighbors and to ih'at spirit
may be ascribed the happy outcome.
Dozens of yoµng man stuck to theradfe
on the buildings :directly opposite the
fire when they had to duck back'of the
'comb every moment to catch a breath
or air and to escape-the blindingaizzling
-gaata of hest and smoke and flame that
threatened•their very,.,ivea and often,
had their clothing:amoking and blaring.
Bdt they stayed''uti~d to their elforta is
due. the. fact that the firs was confined
tp~the=fiist half block and that'CentNal
'Point is not a blackened'apot in thefgir
'valley of'the Rogue today. .
Blazing embers pad firebrands were
carried nearly a mile to the ,southward
falling all over 'the Hopkins orchard,
Ui4tlILLWR Llia4 ne aLLI[ertla Iiejn neaFp, ~'
failure and hie life was diaparsd of dlit3~t
ring the night. ,. " 1
iNayor Expresses Thaliksv
Expressions of,~ appreciation .OY the
splendid work of the Medi'grd Fire Da+:
partment in reaching this place ;and•
rendering help at Monday's fire .were
heard on all sides after the sire and ev
cry body joined in praising the 'quick'
action'ahown. To get the company and;
the apparatus together, secure a:spe<;
ciai train and get orders from the di-.
vision trg~in diepntcher to show of• its
being run and get here within 86 min-
utes required'no dillydsllging. The run'
from Medford'wae made in about •ave
Itninutss, almost a mile a minnte. By
way of oflicisl recognition of the neigh'
ii borlinaes displayed Mayor Leaver sent
tKi: follpwiog, letWz., . Mayp~a,ltlauoa
Monday eveningr ~ ~ *""~ "`'M'me`"'
'Central Point, Ore:, rune 14, 1900,
Hon. W. H. Canon, Mayor.
Medfora, Oregon,
My Dear Mr Canon:-On~behalf of__.the
citizens of Central Point 1 wish to
thank you and through you ydux effi-
eient fire .department, and your citizens
generally for timely assistance renders
ed and good will eatpreased this after+
noon when our fowls was threatened
with distraction by fire.
Your fire department made a record
run"and their presence together with
your chemical engines redewsd qur
c6erage in the last stages of the flgllt.
Under any like cireumatancea, should
ypu need our help ea,l onus.
Yours truly, `T_
~. t`i. LEeQer,, .
City otlicials of Aallland also ctili
Mayor Leaver ae soon as they heard
tAe fire asking if~jielp ttiiaa nestled t
offering-than fire fighting apparatus
it was needed. hlayo~.'Leever reps;
by phone to thiaiinesspgethankingifi
land for' the. proffered seaiet~o' i
advising them that „tie ' flam`e>i,1w
then ender c6nttoE. '
A large delegatfiin of cite. -
Gold $iil caste upF~+~n thq,8~
offer assiaf;itlie anti a ntim~r ' `~
place also came is sutgmohllea. - _s,
C.P. Herald
. Jut ~Y~=• i~q
..~_ : _
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..:
• • • while a number o4 fires w ii;°'
th..
Vn~u~t~er Firemen . Fw h guishad in the dry gross eu'~eK '
grounds and around the Bopkitl~
A source of•great. danger. Vii'`
® is been neglected, were the hfg6;~q~
~~~(!~._ C ~ ® ~~ power wires oP the'_l;~irtdoe_,ag'._
„ s,, m gas ~ a d ~' t~ J running from the power. planiC ; ~ i
itay to-the sutiseabion-here:;.
- - • . issuer, however, thought o€Lfa
Firo bmlcs out Monday afternoon at an act of providohc®, the wmd shi}'teil he fIi•'st saw the fir-ii-arid` wEti~ ... ~
1:20 in the barn of the Grieve property, I to the eastward and diagonally with moments he had .notiflsd the
~....
at the dam to shut pil' the c i_
corner Third and Manzinits streets, and the streets, thus easing up on the I which was promptly done. ~ ' •
,,
in leas than 45 minutes the entire south bui dings now smoking end blazing in I Ed Whiteside was'on the gpoii~
man laces and lvi the fire fi tare `4'
half of that block was in ashes and a y p g ng gh shed in the rear of the GresiA rtl ~'
property lose of froth $8,000 to $10,00018 chance to a silt wet down the ex- R
I g ~ putting out fires when ~8 41d eiiii~l~a
n waa entailed. "' - ~ posed portions of the roofs. Because ~ gave way under him giving Mira' ~ . b "di
The property waa occupied Oy George ~ of the change of wind the fire was fair=' fall oP some ?A feet to the ground ~ 6
W ilkinaon and .family, who recently I ly well under control by the time the I was rendered unconscious sud wale ~~:
moved here from Eagle Point, snd their, sp@cial train reati;hed us, but the I rigid across the street to hishome~here
_ _ loss, including furniture, personal ef- presence o#• our loyal heighbore put he soon recovered but wae,fiad • e kea
:~ct~ . u ~.:sh~:vas nroTiably'~t200:-"Yjt new o`oira 8`tne7>- ~
g ever~*imart'and p-aml-received-a~avere•~prairr-in-
this $750 was in currency locked in a : tldey were here all knew that the fight wrist and arm.
trunk on the second tioor and so quickly was won for sure. A number oP others were scfsched
did the Hames do their work that It was When the fire was the fiercest the and blistered froth the intense heat lit}
impossible to reach the money. It is roof of the Pleasanta hotel, new owned none were cerioualy injured, j
believed generally believed that the fire I by Mre. Whiteside, began to blaze and One of T. M. donee' children wets
was started by children playing in the ~ it was then that many brave hearts 1 quite sick wish tfie ilre star~edaadtvge
barn where neighbors say there have began to quail in the fear that the taken from her bed snd• carnied to a
been a number of small bonfires started entire town was doomed. But in lees place of safety. The ehfld was BCTious-
nnd extinguiahedrecentlyalthougheome time than it takes to tell the story the ly ill all night froth theexcitement»
contend tint it might have been a case I roof was black with men, who, bare- John Wright, an old and Yeepected
of spontaneous combustion in the mow- .handed, were tearing the blazing eitizen~ was ao overcome from the ex=
ful of new hay. ~ shingles loose and hurling them to the citement that he' suffered from heart
The wind was blowing a stiff breeze I street. In this manner and in count- pailure and hie life was diapered of dui
in a straight line with Third street and less places the town was saved. About ring the night. '
so quickly did the flames spread that this time the ror>f of the opera house _
within five minutes of the time the i began to smoke. it is the tallest build=
alarm was ftrst sounded the Grieve ~ ing in that pavt of, the town and iY it Mayor Expresses Thanks.
house was a seething ~ ma'sa oP flames 1 went it meant destruction to every
while the residence of T. T.S. Jones, ad- ~ thing around {t. It took several min- Expraeaions of~ appreefation of the
joining waa ablaze. W ithin a very few ~ utea to find a ladder tong enough to splendid work oP the Medford Fire lle-
minutea of the alarm it was realized reach the~eaves and while a dozen men partment in reaching this pleas •snd
` that the Lown was doomed without out- ~ were hunting the ladder and getting it rendering help at Monday'a fire were
aide help and a call for nsaiatance was ~ in place Frank Hatfield, a 16-year-old' heard on all sides after the fire and ev-
telephoned to Medford. The Rt•e de- ~ High School boy, did the biggest stunt cry body joined in praising the quick
partm¢nt of that town respohed no~;ly 1 of the dYiy. Prank, acting on his own action shown. To get the company and
and within 35 minutes from thetimethe initiative, ran up the buteide Stairway the apparatus together, secure a=bpe-,
alarm was sent in the Medford fire bays at the rear of the building, shidned up eial train and get orders from the di-
with four chemicals were on the ground, the poet which aupporttt a frail vrooden vision train dlapatcher to sl'o'w of its
In addition to these 100 or more citizens awning over the upper landing, wormed being run and get here within 86 min-
t ., • . _ _ __ __ _. a_ __ 1 ___ I L:~ .~.~.. •~ •L~ ....-. ~]:~,...] <_~.Y aL c _ _ . -.. _ .
C.P. Herald ~-(7.r9a9 ~ /