Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1884-03-22

vigorous fire alarm aronsed the city, and
those who took the trouble to investi.
gate the cause soon discovered an exten.
sive blaze on the levee. Accompanying
the first alarm was the rapid discharge of
q revolver and the shrieks of woman
on Cedar street. The cause of the shoot
ing has not been ascertained, but the
woman was only trying to convince the
neighborhood that there was fire in
town. The two circumstances were en-.
tirely independent of each other, though
it was supposed at first that some one
was trying to murder somebody and that
the contiagration was part Of the trag-
edy. Madame Hattie Bells levee estab.
llshment. consisting of one large, two.
story wooden building and one small
story and half wooden building stand
ing close together was on fire.
The fire was in the smaller
building, which was we'll ablaze
when the alarm was given. With their
accustomed alacrity the bose companies
rushed to the rescue and the hook and
ladder truck. propelled by horse power,
was soon at the scene. Teller hose com.
pany No. was the first to respond, and
in few minutes after the alarm it had
hose on the hydrant on the corner of
Cedar and Third. Champion company
No. 2 quickly followed and Joined their
hose to that strung along the street by
the Teller boys. The fire was little
more than q thousand feet from the
hydrant, and the two hose carts carried
only Eve hundred feet of hose each. By
stretching the line taut they were able
to bring the nozzle within couple OF
rods of the burning building, and to
shower the building with spray
while one of the carts returned to the
hose house for fresh supply of hose.
By the time the cart returned the first
building was nearly consumed, and the
second building was wrapped in
flames. Two hundred feet more of hose
was attached and the iremen then be-.
gan their work in earnest. They poured
stream of water into the burning mass
for two hours, but were unable to rave
the property. Madame Briggs house
standing near by on the east and
Madame Leslie's house on the west were
both saved, though the former was badly
scorched. Some of the furniture was re-.
moved from the burning buildings and
the rest was lost. The fremen worked
about the ruins until nearly daylight.
The two buildings occupied by
Madame Bell and her girls belonged to
Dorcas NJ. Shaw, of Sioux City, and were
worth about $4,000. They were insured
for So, 900 in the Hamburg and the On.
derwriters, White 4 Cox, agents. The
furniture was insured for $1,000 in the
Commercial Union, same agents. Con.
siderable furniture was saved.
1t IS plainly to be seen that had the
hose carts carried seven hundred feet oi
hose each, which they will accom-.
nodate, the boys could have been ready
for effective work ten minutes earlier
than they were and in this ten minutes
they had the best opportunity to
smother the fire. The department really
needs about thousand feet more ol
hose and some siamese attachments
which will enable them to throw two OF
more streams from the end OF one long
stretch of hose. The water is ready TO,
immediate service at all times and What
is now needed is full complement o.
other accessories.