fires
A Secretary's Sacrifice
Submitted by larry on Tue, 2007-02-27 09:17.
Feb. 27, 1907
Los Angeles
A thick cloud of smoke from a raging fire in the basement swept through the Germain building on South Spring Street at lunch hour, engulfing businessmen and office workers. In a fraction of a second, the building’s occupants were transformed from powerful executives conducting elaborate stock deals into blind and struggling humans groping on their knees through the hallways to save their lives.
There were many daring rescues and examples of selfless sacrifice. One man was saved as he was about to commit suicide rather than die in the fire. Firefighters battled the blaze until they were at the point of collapse, left to revive themselves and then returned. The only fatality was Emma Stewart, a secretary who died because she turned back from her flight to telephone her employer about the fire.
Her last words were: “Mr. Germain, there is a fire in the basement. Come quickly.”
Reporter E.O. Sawyer dragged her to safety after finding her next to the telephone, the receiver hanging loose from its hook. Doctors spent an hour trying to revive her but she never regained consciousness.
Lmharnisch.com
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Incendiary Ramblings
Submitted by larry on Tue, 2007-02-06 07:34.
Los Angeles
Here’s an architectural drawing of the O.T. Johnson Building, which burned in yesterday’s fire.
Looking north on Broadway at 4th Street. The burned structures are at the right.
And here are some snaps of the damaged structures:
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The Deadly Inferno
Submitted by larry on Thu, 2006-10-26 09:09.
Oct. 26, 1907
Los Angeles
Two women in the West Adams District were badly burned and expected to die after a bowl of gasoline they were using to clean a soiled dress exploded, engulfing an apartment at 42 St. James Park in flames.
Mrs. James P. Burns (identified helpfully by The Times as the wife of James P. Burns) and maid Catherine Blake had spread a dress across a table and wrapped their hands with rags soaked in gasoline to clean it. Because the electric lights weren
Fire Threatens Orpheum
Submitted by larry on Sun, 2006-10-15 09:31.
Oct. 15, 1907
Los Angeles
On a rainy night in Los Angeles, a fire broke out in the four-story brick office building at 235 S. Spring St. housing the Orpheum Theater and the Elks Hall, which was engulfed in panic as visitors at a Japanese festival rushed for the exits. The second-floor hallways were so jammed that members of the Elks Club rushed to the rear of the building to use the fire escapes.
At Orpheum, on the floor above the Elks Club, veteran actress Minnie Seligman calmly made the smoke and the sound of fire engines part of her skit. Rushing offstage for a moment, she returned covered with soot and announced:
Was That an Earthquake?
Submitted by larry on Thu, 2006-08-03 06:54.
Aug. 3, 1907
Los Angeles
An enormous explosion shattered the night in the Dayton Heights neighborhood near what is now Virgil Avenue and Middlebury Street.
Burning Bridges
Submitted by larry on Tue, 2006-07-25 11:22.July 25, 1907
Arcadia, Calif.
Despite the efforts of 75 volunteer firefighters, a blaze rapidly consumed a 150-foot wooden bridge on Foothill Boulevard over the Santa Anita between Arcadia and Monrovia.
Although the firefighters had a chemical apparatus,
