The White Pass and Yukon Route shops in Skagway were gutted by a fire which broke out Wednesday evening in the roundhouse area.
Completely destroyed were six major buildings, including the roundhouse, the blacksmith shop, the machine shop, the boiler room, the oil room (called the hostler's shack) and the workmen's wash and lunchroom building.
The major portion of the rolling stock was saved; but two of the new diesel locomotives were lost; a switch engine called a "three spot", one old steam engine used as a stationery boiler, one caboose, one parlour car and a flat car. The remainder of the equipment was salvaged or saved in a gallant fight put up by all the men and boys in Skagway.
Cause of the fire was not immediately known.
Two men were injured fighting the fire. One was Bruce Rogers, a surveyor from Juneau who suffered a leg injury when a piece of steel fell on him. His leg was not broken but he was admitted to hospital.
A second man, Ellis Hubbard, longshoreman of Skagway, sustained first degree burns to his face and possible eye injuries when a burning plece of wood fell on him. He too was admitted to hospital. Others were treated for smoke inhalation.
The fire started between 5:00 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. yesterday in the southwest corner of the roundhouse. The water pressure was reported poor at the start as men fought the fire and in less than two hours the buildings were levelled.
The firefighters managed to put out the flames which started in the paint shop and by so doing saved a number of new parlour cars nearby. Some welding equipment and tanks of oxygen were brought out successfully, but all equipment and tools in the shops are gone.
Estimate of the damage was not immediately known but was thought to be in the millions of dollars.
General Manager Marvin Taylor of Whitehorse travelled to Skagway by "casey" last night. Superintendent Dave Pepper, in charge of the south end of the railway line, was away on vacation at the time of the fire but was expected to fly back to Skagway today.
The Alaska state assistant fire marshall is conducting an investigation as to the cause (thought to be electrical).
The roundhouse area is not connected to the new terminal and warehouse built on the Skagway waterfront. It is a mile inland, near the Skagway River, and is where maintenance work on locomotives and rolling stock takes place. It was destroyed once before in a fire in November of 1931 and was rebuilt the following year.
"This is a very large and serious loss" said Marvin Taylor, Manager, Northern Operations. "But we can assure everyone in the Yukon that we will remain in full operation and the economy of the Yukon will not suffer." Plans to handle the emergency are in hand.
All other buildings in Skagway were saved despite the flying embers carried by a 25 mph wind settling on buildings three blocks away.
