Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1885-05-07
THE FIRE FIEND.
Disasl rOus Fire Consumes Nearly u
Half Block on Front Street early
on Wednesday Morning.

Half Block on Front street early
on Wednesday Morning.
SCENES AND INCIDENTS.
About five O'Clock yesterday morning
when most OF our citizens were wrapped
in the arms Of Morpheus and indulging
in the recuperat,ng luxury Of "na,urc's
sweet restorer," the Northern Pacific
railroad yard and switch engine TO whose
sleeplcss vigils our citizens have on sew
eral occasions before been indebted for the
first warning of fire transformed from a
good servant into hard master, sounded
the alarm which makes ones halr stand
on eRd for the danger hich it proclalms
to whom and where he knows not.
For years the row of wooden buildings
on Front street from the old Grand Cen.
trail corner west 10 Sixth avenue has been
looked upon as extremely dangerous, and
whenever the alarm has been sounded
day or night the people have instructive
ly turned their eyes in that direction
expecting to see the cause of the alarm.
1t was conside,c cd as only question Of
time when the disaster would come and 1t
came at last Unexpectedly, yesterday
mLrning at the time stated.
The alarm sounded by the locomotive
was Immediately taken up by the fire
alarm bell, which indicated the location
of the cause IN the third ward. The tire
department and hundreds Of citizens were
soon ut the scene, hut the row OF wooden
structures were doomed to destruction
beyond the power OF the fire department
and citizens to prevent from the first
discovery Of the fire. The only practical
thing that could be done was to confine
the fife to that block, save = S. Altschul's
veneered building on the corner, which
fortunately had solid brick wall on the
west side made in anti :ipatlon Of such .
disaster, and save the goods and effects Of
those who occupied the doomed build
ings. This was done with partial success.
The Altschul building stood the test of
protecti IN of wet blankets over the front
which were kept well saturated with wa
ter and with gas from the fire engine.
Ward Bills residence, just north of the
west end Of the wooden row, was saved
by wet blankets and the fortunate cir
cumstance of the course Of the wind be-
ing toward the south.
The brisk wind from the north, howev-
er, dangerously imperilled the Northern
Pacific freight depot on the south side of
the street, which extends east and west
the entire block Had this burned the
Express office and division headquarters
building Immediately to the south of that
would certainly have also been destroyed
and from these tho buildings on the south
side or Main street from the James River
National bank and Grcene's block west to
and including the Alert Office would
probably have been consumed, and from
these buildings still farther south.
To save the freight depot the railroad
men defended it heroically, and but for
their fortitude in enduring the heat of
the flames and the untiring vlgor Of their
resistance it must have heen destroyed
and with it probablya block or two fur
ther south as before suggested. The To-
comotiyes provided water which was
thrown by means of hose upon the build.
ing from the south side and ran down
the north side next the fire. This water
passing through the injecter was ncces.
sariIy boiling hot which increased the
oppressive heat to those handling the
hose. While none of the railroad men
were wanting in determination the heroic
endurance of the nightw atchman, Petit,
was the marvel of those who witnessed it.
For over an hour and until the danger
was passed he atood at hls post on the
top of the building against the blisterlng
heat of the flames which at times almost
reached HIM and handled the hose from
the locomotives sending up their boiling
streams. HIS face and hands were badly
blistered, almost roasted, by the flames
while his feet were severely scalded by
the hot water from which he must have
suffered almost as by death at the stake.
Except the restaurant where the fire
originated and the Immediately adjoining
buildings the goods were for the most
part saved but IN a damaged condition.
For this purpose the people and firemen
worked with a will and good intention
but in the excitement usual on such oc-
ca ions much of such property was un-
necessarily ruined by handling.
About two hours after the danger to
adjacent property from the fire on the
north side of Front street had subsidized
volumes Of smoke were seen emitting
from the upper part of Mr. Mulhken's
building on tue south side of Main street,
the lower part OF which building was oc
cupied by Neimcyer's harness shop and
the upper rooms on the west side as sleep.
ing apartments, the two rooms on the
east side being vacant. The people made
an onslaught upon the contents o. this
building which were soon empt,ed into
the street during which the glass front
below was crashed In. The fire was soon
ex,ingulshed by tearing up the upper
door in few places and breaking through
the plastering in several places. This
building is believed to have caught from
flying ember which fell upon the floor
of one Of the vacant rooms through an
open window during the pr ,gress OF the
fife on the north size.
The loses and insurances as nearly as
we have been able to ascertain are as fol-
lows.
Lloyds, the red front restaurant build
ing, value $500, insured s4oo. Pierre
Rouge, proprietor Of the restaurant, loss
on stock e400, insurance s250.
Lloyds, q small house adjoining the
| restaurant and one back OF it, valued at
elo0 each, no insurance.
Tho, nr,acoll aaloOn I'M aiding And