Tuesday August 20, 1929
Merced Sun-Star
Y. V. Railroad Plans New Station;
Fire Loss $50,000
NEW STATION TO REPLACE BURNED Y. V. STRUCTURE
Railway Service Continues Unchecked After Fire Claims Building
Thousands See Blaze Starting From Car at Freight Depot
Construction of a new freight depot, passenger station and general office building by the the Yosemite Valley railroad company, on the site where the former depot and station burned last night at a loss of $50,000, was promised for the immediate future by William L. White, manager, today.
In the meantime, White announced, the agent's and dispatcher's offices will be located in the Southern Pacific passenger station, the freight office at Southern Pacific depot, and general offices in the Bank of Italy building.
Service was resumed as usual this morning, and trains were kept on schedule last night, regardless of the blaze that totally wrecked the building, destroyed a number of valuable records, and spread to a home across the street to cause $3,000 damage. Three freight cars, two loaded with merchandise by the Y. V., and an empty owned by the S. P., were also destroyed.
Two full gasoline cars within a short distance of the blazing building, were removed by a S. P. engine manned by James Williams, engineer, and W. A. Crossman, conductor.
Shortly, after five o'clock, after the office force of the Y. V. had left, H. M. Craven, agent and dispatcher, working in his office heard a crackling sound. He rushed to the rear of the building, opened a door leading to the freight warehouse, and was confronted by smoke and flames.
Phone Lines Down
Craven snatched the day's cash receipts and fled. He attempted to telephone the fire department but the lines were down. In the meantime, a call had been sent into the fire station, and the apparatus arrived just as the building became enveloped in flames.
Several thousand persons were attracted by the blaze shortly after 5 o'clock yesterday afternoon. The flames spread quickly to envelop the entire building and run along the oil-soaked platform. Firemen were unable to use a fire plug immediately in front of the building, and could not work on the street within a few hundred feet because of the intense heat. For this reason flames quickly spread to the residence of Harry Lee, 630 R street.
Records Saved
All the valuable records kept at the building had been locked in a steel vault encased in brick, and none was destroyed. Insurance amounting to $12,000 covered the other records lost and equipment. The building, of frame construction and finished in stucco three stories in height, erected more than 20 years ago, was covered by $25,000 insurance.
White declared today he believed the fire started inside one of the freight cars that had been loaded and sealed 15 minutes before. A string of four cars was on the rails next to the building as the fire started. The Southern Pacific train crew removed these cars, three of them a seething mass of smoke and flames. One was saved.
On White's arrival from an inspection trip he ordered the gas tank cars taken further from the burning building.. City police officers kept the crowd of several thousand persons back as this was being done. The police department had little difficulty in maintaining cleared crossings at the intersection of R and cross streets.
7 Lines of Hose.
More than 330,000 gallons of water was thrown on the fire during the two hours that three pumps kept seven continuous streams in action. Seven hose lines were out utilizing all the departments 3,500 feet of hose. A line was kept playing on the smoldering ruins throughtout the night, and the city police department maintained a man at the site to see that nothing was carried away.
More than 25 men were called out in an attempt to keep the flames from spreading to nearby buildings. Fire Chief McSharry said today that he was not able to understand why a call had not been sent in sooner, and expressed the belief that if residents of the section, seeing the smoke and flames, had called in immediately that the flames would have been better controlled.
No One Injured
No injuries to those fighting the fire were reported, although several of the firemen came near being overcome by smoke.
White was unable to say what type of building would be erected to replace the structure, but indicated that a modern building to surpass the
other in accommodations and size was in view. He declared that as soon as the wreckage from the old building has been cleared away plans will get under way for immediate construction of a new one.
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