Daily press and Dakotaian. [volume] (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1875-1880, 1877-12-26
BURNED OUT.
A Fire Tuesday Morning Destroys
Three Wooden Buildings,
Valentines Block scorched and the Mer
chants Hotel Endangered.

valentinc's Block scorched and the Mer.
| chants Hotel Endangered.
| At four o'clock Christmas morning fire
was discovered in Mrs. c. A. Lyons milli-
merry store, on Broadway, few doors north
of the Merchants hotel. An alarm was
promptly sounded and the hook and ladder
company and numerous citizens repaired
to the scene. The fire originated in a
wooden building and it soon became
apparant, in the absence of any fire quench-
ing appliances, that the entire wooden row
adjoining, consisting of four buildings, must
be burned and efforts were directed to the
removal Of the goods they contained and to
saving Valentines block, adjoining, and the
Merchants hotel, both of which were in
great danger Of total destruction. The build
ing just north of the one in which the fire
originated was occupied by Shannon and
Washabaugh as law Office, the one next
south by Mrs. NJ. Stokes as boarding house
and the next wooden structure on the south
was the Atlantic hotel, owned and occupied
by T. II Mehring. A portion of Mrs.
Lyons stock was saved, the law library and
Office fixtures of Shannon and Washabaugh
were taken out in good order, most Of Mrs
Stokes goods were hurridly tumbled out
and Mehring's furniture and fixtures were
mostly removed. All this saving work was
hurridly done by excited men and the con-
tents of the buildings were badly damaged.
Little effort was made to save the
wooden structures. The hook and ladder
company worked the be,t it could, but with.
out plentiful supply of water it's saving
efforts were Of little avail. 1t soon became
apparant that Valentines brick block and
the Merchants hotel, adjoining the burning
Atlantic hotel, were in great danger. A
bucket line was formed from the cisterns in
rear Of this property and a plentiful supply
Of water conveyed upon the roofs of these
buildings and into the north rooms of Val
entine's block, which were exposed to the
direct action o, the flames from the burning
wooden structures. An hour and half
suficed to consume the latter and during all
this time the advancing flames were perSis-
tenly met by the veil directed efforts of men
who lahored with determination deserv-
ing of success. After the Atlantic hotel
which stood close to Valentines block, was
given up for lost the efforts of the fire.
fighting portion Of the crowd were wholly
given to the saving Of the brick blocks
The flames larpe'i rouud 'he corner through
the front windows of Adler & Ohman's
store, and entered the windows of the
rooms on the north side of Valentines
block. These windows were burned out
The rooms occupied by Commodore Coul-
son and his family, room in the rear and
DR.. Miller's room were the scene of the
conflict and when it was over they pre-
sented a deuoralized appearance. Water
was used plentifully and judiciously and
the building was saved with the loss only
of the windows and window casings Com
modore Coulson's furniture was mostly
moved out into the street, but it was bad!,
damaged. He had in his rooms thirty-fiv'
hundred dollars worth of elegant furniture
which was damaged fully forty per cent
Dr. Miller moved portion of his goods
but his rooms we're not so much exposed
as those farther forward and his loss il
light. Capt. Raymond and family occupied
the front rooms over Copgleton'
store. Their goods were all moved
out and the damage in his case is slight
The lower portion of Valentines block, oc-
cupied by Adler and Gilman with whole
sale liquor stock and L. Congleton and Mrs
E. Morrow with dry goods and milliner.
stocks, were emptied by the crowd and losse
by those parties are heavy, all from damag
to goods by removal From the hotel ther
was but little removed and the loss devolv
ing upon Mr.. Harvey will not exceed tw,
hundred dollars. There was considerabl
fright and confusion exhibited in the hote
during the fire. 1t was pretty we'll file,
with guests and to be awakened
at SO unreasonable an hour b,
an alarm of fire is calculated to drive ava
peoples wits and induce them to perform
variety of surprising feats. To say any
thing about the man who kicked bis new
plug hat through an open window into th
street. about the lady in white who rushe'
out barefooted but had her hands warml,
protected by muff, or the other lady VIII
saved her napkin rings and tides and for
got all about her baby we have neither tim
nor space today. There were various lu
dricous scenes, but the serious phase wa
uppermost in that hour of peril.
The losses by the fire are distributed a
follows
w. B. valentine. .........................S I0
Commodore COulson. n........................-1,5 i 81
L. l.. Shurtleff. ...........................