Northern tribune. [volume] (Cheboygan, Mich.) 1875-1885, 1876-05-27

equate Fire Protection Manifested
Heavy Loss No Insurance Plen.
~ Of Pe0ple-L0ts Of Water, but
NO Organfzati0n-Resu Ruin.
The most disastrous fire that has ever
visited Our village occurred last Tuesday
night, and i'm few brief moments the
accumulations of years were swept
away; and the adage that 'sfire was a good
servant, but bad MASTER" was never
more fully cxcmplified. The alarm was
given about 10 o'clock, and soon vast
throngs of people were rushing to the
scene of destruction. 1t caught i'm the
blacksmith shop and wagon mandatory
of Oliver S. Clark and r. F. Howard, and
before 1T was discovered i. had got such
headway that, with no organization or
means of quenching the flames, it was
utterly impossible to stop its progress.
1t soon burst forth from that building,
and the excessive heat set fire to the
foundry of Mr.. II. A. Blake. situated but
few feet fl ON the blacksmith shop, and
it was speedily enveloped. In the mean-
time the fire had spread to the dry kiln
Of w. F. Kemp. imm ediately north Of
the shop, and soon all the buildings i'm
that immediate vicinity were one mass of
flames-burning with heat so intense
that it was only with the greatest diff
Guilty and arduOus labOrs that the build.
ings on the opposite side of Main street
were saved.
The fire is supposed to have originated
from the forge in the blacksmith shop.
Persons passing OIL Main street, sometime
previous to the alarm being given no
ticcd light in the building. but as the
occupants of the building have frequent
ly been enga, ed at theirlabors after dark
it was taken for granted that they were
at work, and no investigation was made.
The first alarm was given by Mr.. Whar-
ton, who was fishing near the locality.
and who discovered smoke issuing from
the building. As soon as the alarm was
sounded an army of ready and willing
hands were promptly OH the ground, but
the want of organization and a head to
direct and utilize the mass, rendered it
almost useless and everybody was work
ing OH their own theory, and without
the necessary concentration of effort, as
we'll might an army without general.
or any commander, expect success, as to
have expected any successful result from
the unorganized thronS at the fire on
Tuesday night.
The loss is serious one, not only to
the owners Oh whom 1t falls the heaviest,
but to the entire community. Cheboy-
gan can ill ah6rd to lose the least of her
manufacturing interests, but when they
are swept away as they were Tuesday
night, the loss can hardly be estimated
it goes far beyond the amount actually
consumed, for it is blow, the effect of
which is felt in the interests OF the village
at large.
Clark and HOward's loss was complete,
nothing at all being saved except as old
iron. Their tools and stock was all con-
sumed. A buggy that had just been
completed, and was to have been deliv-
cred the next day, was burned. and 9TH
er work in progress shared like fate.
ID. A. Blake is one of the heaviest losers.
All his patterns, some of them very valu-
able, were consumed, and his machinery
so badly warped by the heat as to ruin it
almost completely. He thinks his en-
gine, however, is but little damaged, and
can easily be put i'm condition for service.
They succeeded in getting out his small
lathe and planer and some of his tools.
w. F. Kemps loss was the greatest, he
having three buildings burned, beside
the most of his machinery destroyed.
The planning mill being surrounded at
the time, on account of the high water i'm
the river, with water, but few seemed
willing to wade through it to assist i'm
getting out the machinery. Had there
been any well-directed effort made, the
most of the machinery might have been
saved but as it was, it was left 10 be
consumed.
J. w. Lindermen had some machinery
also burned.
Mr.. E. Nelson lost the building south
of the foundry, formerly used as cooper
shop, and some other property.
As near as can be estimated the loss is
as follows: Planning mill, $1,000 to ST.
600; H. A. Blake, about $1,000; o. S.
Clark and r. F. Howard, $1,000; E. Mel
son, $1,000; j. w. Linderman, $500; j.
NJ. Zorn, $500; making total of $4,000
actual loss, beside the loss incidentally
connected with the disaster, and on the
whole amount there was no insurance.
Owing to the want of any protection
against fire, the rates are so high that
it is heavy tax to any person TO carry
and until there is some eff.
cient measure adopted for protection it
be reasonably expected that the
insurance companies will reduce their
rates.
The papers in the village have endeav-
ored to arouse an interest in the commu-
nity in regard to some organization and