Daily press and Dakotaian. [volume] (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1875-1880, 1878-02-09
ANOTHER A
The, Livery Stable Of Wn. Powers
. s CsgRedacsd y Ashes.
Adjoining Properly Saved by Hard Work-Phllip
~ Lamb Falls from a Building and
> Breaks a Leg.

ladder house and when the people turned
out into the streets to ascertain the cause,
fam e. mud smoke were issuing from the loft
of poaers & Cos livery stable, on Third
street. In a few moments after the alarm
the fire company and a. crowd of several
hundred citizens hadsgathered at the scene
and Immediately began to do what they
could to rescue properly from danger. All
the horses were run out and al the carriages
and wagons on the lower floor were saved.
1t was apparent from the beginning that
the stable building was doomed to destruc-
ton and all efforts were directed to the pre-
vention of a further spread Of the. flames.
In the upper story Of the stable were stored
thirty-five tons OF hay, five light wagons,
three cutters, fixtures for twenty-four lum-
Der wagons, one hundred bushels CT
oats anil one hundred bushels of
corn. The fire originated in the hay and
the large quantity Of this inflammable ma
terial stored in the loft furnished ready fuel
for the c%onfagration which was we'll under
way before it was discovered. The build
ing was quickly consumed, q fresh north
wind rendering it necessary to use the ut
most vigilance to prevent the fire from
communicating to adjoining property. On
the east are the out buildings of the Jencks
hotel, separated only by a narrow allev
from the ecene of the conaagration and
communicating with the rear and wooden
portion of the hotel. The out houses were
speedily torn down or removed by use OF
the hook and ladder apparatus and the pro.
gress of the fire cut off in that direction.
Blankets were hung from the roof of the
hotel kitchen and these and the whole ex-
posed side of the building were kept wet
until a subsidence of the heat rendered this
precaution unnecessary. The hotel proper
ty was saved and the damage was slight.
On the west side Of the burning barn,
with a vacant lot intervening was the wood
en- building Of I. B. Cooley and the wooden
building belongings to J. H. Balmat and
NJ. T. Woolley. Here the fire fighters en-
countered difficult and dangerous work, but
by the united and unceasing efforts of will
ling hands these structures were saved.
Cooley's building was unoccupied,
Balmat's was used as a saloon and
Wooley had his store filled, on both floors,
with groceries. These stocks were rapidly
moved out, and though the stores did not
burn the removal was a measure of safety
fully demanded by the imminent danger.
On the opposite side of the street the
buildings in immediate DAGGER were the
residence and other structures belonging to
j. v. Bunker and Peavey s Co. Bunker's
property was occupied by E. L. Wright as
a butcher shop, by John Carey as a black
smith shop and. by Ruch & Tobin as a
paint shop. Peavey & Co. occupied their
building as an agricultural warehouse. The
contents of all these buildings were re-
moved without much loss. The direction
Of the wind placed them in a dangerous
position, and an hour of hard fighting ensued
before they vera saved. But severe work
and we'll directed efforts triumphed and the
burning stable sank into ashes without
harming the adjoining property.
By the fire VIM. W. Powers & Co. have
lost $4,000 in the destruction of their build
ing, hay, grain and wagon fixtures. NJ. T.
Woolley's loss will amount to $500 thro'
the removal of his goods. Other individ.
ual losses are Insignificant, and will not ag.
gregate more than three hundred dollars.
Powers & Co. were insured as follows: On
the building $4,000, IN the Hartford
and Phenix. Mark NJ. Farmer,
agent, which is q total
loss on the contents of the building, $500
in the Connecticut, L. B. Partridge & Co.,
agents, on which there is a loss of probably
5000. NJ. T. Woolley was insured as fol-
lows on stock In the German, E.T. White
agent, $1,000; in the London, Liverpool
g. Globe, G. w. Roberts, agent, $1,000. D.
B. Cooley, Ruch & Tobin and Peavy & Co.,
had no insurance and not much loss.
The cause Of the fire is one of the mys-
teries which will probably never be solved.
There are all sorts Of rumors afloat re-
garding it, but all that anybody knows is
that about eight o'clock the fire broke out
in the hay which was stored in tbs loft of
the stable. Men had been at work in the
loft during the afternoon, putting wagon
seats together, but no fire was used in con.
nection with this work. Incendiarism and
spontaneous combustion, are suggested as
causes, but these theories
are based on mere supposition. Like most
Of the fires which have occurred in Yankton
it has furnished us a fortunate escape from
serious disaster. To the windward Of the
burning building with its large store of hay
were two blocks of wooden structures which
were ready fuel for an extensive confagra-
ton. By the most persistent work the men
Of Yankton prevented the flames from COM
municating with this finder pile and con-
fined 1t to the building in which it origi-
mated.
During the fire Philip Lamb, a workman