Northern tribune. [volume] (Cheboygan, Mich.) 1875-1885, 1875-11-27
FORTUNATE FIRE.
Marrow Escape Of the Fountain
House.
The Building Saved Through the Exer.
tions Of our Citizens.

tions Of our Citizens.
| Yesterday about eleven O'Clock the
dread cry of fire :" was heard i'm this
village. The alarm Was also given by
the whistle of the Cheboygan Planning
Mill Company's mill. which directed all
attention that way. The heavy smoke
rising over tue Fountain House showed
plainly where the fire located: s.
!. The crowd gatheredrapidly and if was
very few minutes before the usual scenes
at fires were being enacted by parties
whose judgment seemed carried away
by the excitement Of the moment.
Without waiting to ascertain the real
danger to the building, or the chances to
save it, the principal effort seemed to
be to get every movable thing out of
the house whether i'm close proximity to
danger or not. This not seeming to salts
fy some they proceeded to knock the
doors off their hinges with axes. and TAX
ing windows out, thereby opening up a
! draft 10 feed the fire.
| Fortunately there Mere those who
coolly proceeded to the business of put
ting out the fire, anI so ef1ectually did
they work, although it seemed that the
whole inside of the roof was on fire, that
it was but few moments before they
had the fire under control, although it
was sometime before all danger was pissed
and the fire entirely out After the buck
ct brigade was once organized all worked
with will, and there was no lack of as
sistance. Still the great wonder is that
the building was not entirely destroyed.
1t was only through the most strenuous
exertiOns that it was saved.
/ THE LOSS AND INSURANCE.
The loss upon the building is not heavy.
probably in the neighborhoOd of $500,
which is fully covered with insurance in
a company represented by j. p. Sutton,
Esq. The policy covering the building
is for $4,000 and would have expired at
noon to day. This was a close call tor
insurance and shows clearly that insu-
rance policies should ise renewed prompt-
ture, the loss upon which is fully as much
as upon the building, caused by breakage
and careless handling.
THE ORIGIN.
From all indications which could be
discovered by a TRIBUNE reporter, there
could be no other conclusion arrived at,
but that the fire caught from some defect
in the chimney allowing spark to es-
/! cape into the dry dust and dirt between
the wall and the sheetinS. The fire then
followed the studding TO the 80. "''d
garret, where it burned slowly on ac-
count of lack of draft. That the build
ing was saved was undoubtedly owing to
the fact that the roof was covered with
snow, which not only prevented the roof
from burning, but kept the fire inside in
check because no air could get through.
There are parties who have examined the
OAiiIAhCJ dLuCi''ihI eldo t1CiC iS io oCiSt''
and that the fire must have originated in
some other manner.
A WARNING. sr-c
We trust that this will be taken as a
warning by our village fathers.
Had this building been on Main street,
it would probably have been burned for
the want of water. 1t plainly shows the
necessity to which the TRIBUNE has re-
peatedly called attention-that of having
a Babcock engine. The engine which
the village has, was not brought into
requisition, and probably would have
been of no use had it been. The people
knew how to handle buckets better than
they would the engine. An engine with
out an organized force is of no account.
This fire could have been put out with
Babcock with one half the damage to
the building. This fire should also show
the necessity of the village having fire
warden, whose duty it should be to care
fully examine all stovepipes and chin
neys and see that they are in safe con-
dition. This might result in a great saw
ing to the village, and would result no
doubt in finding many unsafe chimneys.
RETURNED.-The inland lake survey
ing party returned to this place last night.
L 4. Il IL