Mexico weekly ledger., 1882-12-28
AT LAST!
The Frame Shanties ON the South Side
Go up in Smoke.-Big Blaze but
Small Loss.-The Fire kept
Under Good Control
Sketch Of n
First Court
House.

At a. m. Tuesday our citizens
were startled from their deep morn
ing maps by the changing of the fire
bell, and it was evident from the
manner in which the bell was rung
that the fire was On the public square.
When your reporter reached the scene
of action, only a moment after
the first alarm, he found fire raging
in the real of Hablutzel's boot and
shoe shop. The whole inside of the
back room was filed with fire which
soon spread through the entire block
of frame shanties. The fire company
turned its attention toward saving
adjoining sproperty which they sue
ceeded in dong. Mrs. Ferris and
Charley Weinand owned the houses
and were well insured. The ground
is worth more without the buildings
than with them. Large brick stores
+H -
will at once be- erected. Geo. Hab-
%lutzel, j. H. Runkel, Maccubbin and
Arnold were all insured and suffered
very little loss. JIM. Bush suffered
some in moving his goods. 1t is not
known how the fire originated. There
was no stove in Hablutzel's room but
the fire might have caught from
stoves in the adjoining rooms or
from the fiues running up the parti-
tions. 1t is a wonder the old traps
did not burn years ago.
EARLY
In 1886 this property sold for $50.
The log cabin then put ON it was the
first house on the square. The prop
erty is now worth at least $500 per
foot. This log house was used for
three years as a court house. Mr..
-Garish then used it as a store. j.
W. Levaugh then bought it. After
ward j. p. Clark occupied it as a
store. This vas one of the oldest
landmarks in the county, and while
around it clustered many memories
OF the past, more or less pleasant, at
the same time no n was loath to see
it go the way of all old landmarks
and 'oldest" inhabitants. 1t is a
rule of nature that the old gives way
to the new and out of the ashes of
these shanties will rise, phoenix like,
stately bricks with plate-glass fronts
and fire-proof walls.
The fire company, as usual, got
it's work in in good shape.
If private citizens would work at
the pumps instead of trying to give
commands to the fire company more
good would be accomplished.
At least 1000, 900 rats, more or
less, went up in smoke or down in
ashes.
This is the second time Bush has
been burned out in a week.
Both the late fires occurred on
Tuesday morning at the same hour
and the origin is a mystery.
The lots on which the shanties
stood is worth more now than before
the fire.
The fire company pumped two
wells dry and then moved into the
court house yard.
The fire threatened at one time to
suck around the front aud catch the
Ringo.
The fire company pulled the front
put of the shanties to keep the blaze
down.
Hablutzel's shop was the first build
ing ever built on the square and was
composed of logs.
The night police should be ordered
to wake up parties who sleep in Bot
kin's livery stable SO the fire compa-
ny will not have so long to wait for
the engine.
The debris is being cleaned away
and new buildings will be erected at
once.
All parties were well insured and
no one regretted to see, what has
long been an eye-sore, reduced to
ashes.
Bush has moved back into his old
stand.
Insurance rates on the south side
of the square should now be much
less.
There are only n or two more
frame houses on the public, square.