Vol. I
Palmer, Alaska.. * .A-'ril 25, 1936
No. 36
FIRS DESTROYS OLD WARE
HOUSE ADD RADIO STATION
A fire of undetermined origin
broke out at 6:10 this evening, com
oletely wiping, out the old warehouse
and contents, also the U. S. Signal
Soros Station which occupied a cor
ner of the building.
The Colonial Volunteer Fire De
partment was on the job early with
all equipment, but the dense and
acrid smoke made entry to the seat
af the fire an impossibility^.
Elmer Waugh, Bill Wallet and some
>f the other boys crawled across the
office floor and into the main stor
age oart to where they could hear
vhat sounded like frying grease, but
10 flames were visible and the heat
Irove them back.
T‘kLth the aid of Woslosky’3 big
tank of fFire-FreezeT WTes Griswold
and Ike Moore, together with some
volunteers, saved the safe, some
radio receivers and other equipment
from the wireless shack. Further
salvage was out of the question when
she roof started settling, and
names began to lick along the par
titions.
With the bursting of the blaze
through the walls it was obvious
;-hat the whole warehouse was doomed
;nd efforts were concentrated upon
hie saving of other buildings. By
hi is time embers were flying and
• errts on all sides were in danger.
Chief Bill Taylor enlisted the
iid of corporation employees to aug
lent his force of firemen and large
'-arps were spread over the paint .
;hop and wet down by hose. Willing
lelpers, many already dressed for
-he big Legion Dance, rolled heavy
irums of turpentine, varnish and
'ther inflamable material away thru
-he mud.
The warehouse was by now a roaring
urnace. A chemical fire extinguish
r exploded in the center of the
uilding and shot a hundred feet in
o the air, falling three feet.from.
small boy standing over near the
epot. With a rattle like that of
schinegun fire, 6000 rounds of
ieavy rifle ammunition started1 :o
i
ing off. There was no need for
guards to keep the spectators bach
as those waves of heat sweet out.
The fire itself created a draft
and soon flames were leaning the
narrow space to the lumber piles.
T.,e dry wood charred, smoldered
and then burst into flames. It be
gan to look like a sweeping vic
tory for the blaze. More tar.ps
were called into pJLay and nozzle
men Sammy (MI cola, Mil O’Mi ell,
Mari Ramsey and Bill, Young changed
off in that terrifiely hot alley
between the burning building and
blazing lumber piles where they
could spray a hose. T’ eir only
protection was from the mud they
smeared on their faces and in spite
of this the first three named were
scorched. BillT^ too tough to let
a fire eat through his skin.
Ebbers flew and lit on storage
tents tbat the big 40 'cats’ were
dragging away. Residents along
Aristocrat Row began erro tying their
hones of personal belongings. Eire
Idw.rs.hal Sulznan was. busy advising ■
the fighters uron methods he had
learned as a fireman, in other Al
askan towns. Chief Bill Taylor,
his face roasted a lobster red, was
everywhere at once, Don Irwin,
from.a vantage point aton the open
storage shed, shouted out the loca
tion of new fires. And within an
hour the roaring flames had crump
led the low building to.the ground.
The danger was vast.
Tv.at more property was not des
troyed is due to the efforts of the
fire crew and volunteer employees.
T >~t more men were not serious!?/
hurt is a matter of luck.
Mr. I* win estimates the loss at
$6000*00 including .the building.
The reason for the low estimate is T
fhe fact that much of the stuff in
storage there was salvaged ecuir
Fient from tie Transient Division.
T .e biggest single item was the
loss of the creamery ecu!ment.
Pen I-Matrolas, forty-five land
rashers and six rower washers, and
El quantity ci cots, bedding and
naturesas3 wore also lost, It was
dui r cv. town * a worse fire*