The Livingston enterprise. [volume] (Livingston, Mont.) 1883-1914, 1885-08-08
DEVASTATING FIRE.
Nearly Whole Block Of the Town
Burned,


On Tuesday MOI ming about 4 80 o'clock
c. II. Mohr, who was sleeping in his sa-
loon on the east side of lower Main street,
discovered that the building was on fire IN
the back part and in few seconds the
whole interior Of the saloon was mass OF
flames. In getting out to give the alarm
Mr.. Mohr had his hair and one of his ears
scorched and man named Cook who was
also sleeping in the building had his hair
singed. The alarm was not sounded very
vigorously and by the time crowd had
gathered Curran & Lenihan's building ad-
joining Mohr's on the corner of Main and
Lewis streets and Mrs. Zimmerman's
building adjoining Mohr's on the other
side were prey to the flames. BY great
exertions Curran s. Lenihan saved almost
their entire stock of groceries and provis-
ions. Mrs. Zimmerman, the tailo1ess, was
not so fortunate. She saved her sewing
machine and her stove in damaged con-
dition; her children escaped only half
clad. The attention of those of the spec
tators who went to work Immediately up
on their arrival was first directed to pre-
venting the spread Of the fire across street
from Curran & Lenihan's building to the
Bingham building in the next block.
Blankets were obtained from Thompson
Bros. and suspended from the roof, and
these and the exposed portion CT the
building we're kept thoroughly wet by wa
ter poured from above and from hose at
tached to pump in the back yard. The
air was perfectly still and so remained, by
great fortune, while the fire was burning.
The slightest breeze would have entalled
intellectually greater loss. The fire burned
slowly, the flames rose straight into the air
and the work of saving property was rem
dered comparatively easy. The Bingham
building was saved and the same tactics
which proved its salvation were adopted
for the protection Of property on the west
side of Main street opposite the spreading
fire and with equal success. The fronts
of some of those buildings were scorched
almost black but by the most vigorous
efforts they were kept from burning. The
contents of all the buildings in the burned
district below Mrs. Zimmerman's were
saved though in an unavoidably damaged
condition from the hasty removal. Water
was scarce and the appliances for utilizing
it so primitive that nothing could be done
in the way of extinguishing the flames.
Much might have been done to save prop
erty by tearing down buildings but there
was no organization to take the lead in
this work, no suitable implements to work
with and even the advlsability Of doing
something Of the kind did not seem to
impress itself upon the minds of the
crowd that idly watched the progress of
the slowly advancing flames. Had the
two small and flimsily constructed build
ings next below the Metropolitan hotel
been torn down and the debris dragged
away the flames would have stopped just
there. This fact penetrated the under
standing of two or three of the active
workers when the flames had almost
reached them. Even then the necessary
work might have been accomplished if
enough willing hands had taken part. An
attempt was made to blow them up with
giant powder but the only perceptible re-
suit was the shattering of glass across the
street. In few minutes they were on
fire. BY that time enough interest had
been reused to do some good. Work was
transferred to the two small buildings be-
tween the Davis and the Stillman build
ings. A long stout rope was hitched to
the logs Of which one of them was built
and it was soon razed to the ground The
same was done with the Dennis building
adjoining and sufficient gap was created
to stop the progress of the fire. Ed. Still
mans building was slightly damaged by
tearing down its neighbor but did not
catch fire. None of the buildings back
of the lots fronting ON Main street were
burned; several of them were in danger
at times but were saved by good work.
The greater number of the buildings
burned we're among the first erected in the
new portion of the town when the removal
of business from Clark City began. The
Kicher building owned by Frank Clark,
J. F. Mann's store, the Carr building and
the Metropolitan hotel owned by D. j.
Kennedy were two stories high. Curran
s. Lcnihan's, G. H. Mohr's and Smith Da-
vis' buildings we're also good structures
The others were not very valuable. The
total number of burned buildings, large
and small, was sixteen and the total loss
including damage to stock removed, will
reach fully $4,000.
The following is statement of losses
and insurance:
Loss. Insurance
Curran s. Lenihan. $4,000 $4,000
G. H. Mohr. ......... $500 SOC
Mrs. Zimmerman ..... 1850 -