Page:Newspaper writing and editing.djvu/134



The flare of light over the roofs and through the trees warned the suburb. The citizens promptly filled bathtubs, buckets, pitchers, and all other available receptacles. This exhausted the supply in the mains and the firemen found they had no pressure of water with which to fight the fire.

Half an hour after the blaze was discovered the tower was transformed into a pillar of flame. The fire swept around it in a circling whirlwind, crackling and snapping until it reached the top, when it billowed into a black cloud. Most inhabitants of Riverside and nearby towns came to the blazing tower. The firemen found themselves helpless. In an hour the chemical truck from Cicero arrived, but the fire had too big a start.

When the tank collapsed there was a dense smoke and a scattering of brands, but the effect of the loosened water did little to extinguish the fire.

The water tank was built in 1870 and was a landmark for many years, especially valued by automobilists entering and leaving Chicago along the Riverside road. There was $15,000 insurance, but the total loss was estimated to amount to approximately $50,000.

During the interval when Riverside was without water children were sent both to Lyons and to Berwyn for bottled water. Then John H. Rogers, a grocery man, obtained wagons and automobiles and brought 2,000 gallons of water into the town from a nearby bottling works. At the breakfast hour automobiles were lined up in front of his store with customers waiting their turn to be served with water.

In many residences where hot water heat is used it was necessary to let the fire go out. For the relief of these persons Arthur Hughes, commissioner of public works, sent men to bring what water wagons and sprinkler carts they could from the neighboring towns. Water for the heaters and also for live stock thereby was provided.

The town board held an emergency meeting in the morning and made preliminary arrangements for a new plant. The water is pumped from two artesian wells 2,000 feet deep.

"We will have a temporary power plant in here by next Saturday," announced Henry G. Riley, president of the board. "When we are ready to install our new plant it will be on a different plan than this one, which was inefficient, anyway."

3. Are the essential facts presented most effectively in the "leads" of the following stories?

(1)

Belleview, Wis., Jan. 3.—William Schmidt, a farm hand of Branch Township, confessed to-day that it was he who attacked Miss Lizzie Martin of this city last Saturday, and injured her so