Morris tribune., 1890-02-12
One-Third OF the Business Portion OF
the Town in Ruins!

.he partition. and that mice probably
got at them. causing the contlagation.
Other theories have been advanced
of the origin of the fire,
but they all seem coniectures without
proof.
The night was calm, but Il pine
unplastered, burns rapidly
and the J. D. Good building was soon
q solid sheet of fire from front 10 rear.
No stock of much value was saved |
either by J. d. Good or + a. Han
cock.
In the second story the Golden
Sheaf Lodge, y. +. & A. NJ, Bethel
Commandery and other Masonic
bodies had their hall, fitted up in
elegant style and containing all the
regaiia and about 40 uniforms of
Bethel Comnlandery, which went up
in smoke and down in thin ashes at
q terrific rate.
Meanwhile the Morris fire depart
ment had started stream on the
building when the water guage broke
and an hour of precious time flew by.
The wind now began q careful fam
ming Of the flames and Morris looked
doomed. kilograms were sent to
Hancock and Willmar for help, and
Hancock responded in thirty min
utes with hand engine. This went
to pieces in five minutes and again
the flames held the fort. Finally
after J. D. Good, F. A. Hancock, NJ.
J. Foley, Larson and Nilsson, and A.
E. Anderson & Co. were totally burned
out, and the drug store of Fritz
Buckentin was almost a total wreck;
the Morris engine threw stream
from the Metropolitan tank over the
last of the Buckentin ruins. jacob
Christianson & Co.'s saloon adjoln-
ing Buckentin was by this time a per-
feet volcano and the tiremen turned
their nozzles towards this building,
bat il had GOT so far ahead that it
burned 10 The ground and took the
sidewalk with it, despite strong and
manful effort. Gus. Kohler's harness
shop adjoined Christianson & Co.'s
and Of course being without protec-
ton was well on fire before the ad-
joining saloon went down. By good
generalship the firemen had by this
time got their nozzles directed both
at the front and rear end of the
Kohler building, and 1t could have
been saved in a badly damaged con-
dition if the Metropolitan tank had
held out; but at this critical juncture
the water gave out and the engine
had TO be run down to the J. D. Good
tank, with all the delay of shifting,
uncoupling and re-coupling hose, &C.,
&c. A delay again occurred of
quarter of an hour, and when the en-
gine responded the Kohler building
was a wreck. The fire was now how
ever under control and by means of
hand buckets and what water was
thrown from the Good tank it was
reduced to the consuming Of the de-
bris of the destroyed buildings.
The Hancock firemen after the col
lapse Of their engine went to work
like beavers with the hook and lad
der apparatus and materially aided
in subduing the flames.
The Willmar people arrived on
special at six o'clock, too late to take
any hand in the fray.
We herewith append schedule of
the losses and Insurance.:
F. A. Hancock, grocery stock loss,
$4,000; insurance, German, Freeport,
$500; Western Home, $500; total in
surance, $1,000.
J.D. Good, loss, $4,000; insurance
on store building, $4,000; warehouse,
5000; hardware stock, SO 600; fixtures,
$4O0; timers outfit, $500; furniture,
coffins, &c., $500; total insurance,
$11, 400.
Golden Sbeaf Lodge, loss, $4,000;
insurance, $1,745. Loss on individual
uniforms, Bethel Commandery, $2,-
500; insurance, $735.
Workman Lodge, loss, 800; insur
ance, 5000.
NJ. J. Foley, loss, 81 200; insurance,
none.
Larson & Nilsson, loss, $1,000; in-
surance on buildings, $2,500; stock,
So 800: fixtures, $500; total insurance,
s6,50O.
A. E. Anderson & Co., loss, $500;
no insurance.
Fritz Buckentln, loss, $4,000; no
insurance.
Jacob Christianson, loss, - 500; no
insurance.
Gus. Kohler, loss, $500; insurance,
building, 5000; stock, $500; total in
81 1000.
s. A. Flaherty, law library, &C.,
loss, $50; insurance, $1,000.
J. Berkin, loss, $500; insurance, 3d.
900.
DIR. Duley, loss on library and sur
gical instruments, $3.50; no insurance.
G. J. Croonquist, loss, 81 900; lnsur-
snce on building, $400; stock, 81 500:
totaI ine;,ranca At 900