Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1891-11-14
BUFFALO GAP BURNED.
The Business Portion of the Town Wiped
out of Existence Sunday
Afternoon.


place. and that the prospects were that
the entire business portion Of the town
would be destroyed. The names OF the
losers and the extent OF their loses were
not known here. until the daily papers
Of the Hills, containing the particuiars OF
the fire were received. The following
exhaustive account is taken from the
Rapid Journal a Journal reporter
went to the scene of the confagraiion |
and found that thirty buildings were ip
ashes and nothing xS"os nF shnis~ss--r
tents. The citizens Of that place work
ed hard removing goods from the buru
ing buildings and piling them in the
center Of the streets, there 10 be con-
sumed by fire before morning.
The loss TO buildings, and merchandise
was estimated at 5000 on which
there was insurance 10 the amount Of
$1,000. The loss to some of the rner-
chants il such that they are financially
ruined, while others are worse than
ruined, as they were involved. and have
no means to liquidate. The loss on the
latter class will be keenly felt as they
are turned out OF door with no means Of
support for their families, and hard
winter staring them in the face. The
merchants at Buffalo Gap have not for
the past two or three years been having
a continual round of pleasure, having
xt..l in I,at hn,
ing TO secure at least one good crop, but
in this they have been disappointed.
1t has been hard struggle for them to
continue in business, and with Sundays
fire they are utterly ruined.
The fire alarm WAS sounded at 2:30
O'Clock Sunday afternoon having been
discovered in the rear end of K T..
Thompson's store, which was supposed
10 have caught by spark from a stove-
pipe sticking ont of building near in
which was a hot fire as bread was being
baked. The sparks ignited the oil room
in the rear end Of the store building
and sooa the entire building was wral-
ped in flames. The heavy wind spread
the fire TO the south and east, and be-
fore it was under control one aud half
blocks square had been burned over.
Ii was thought for time that the Elk
horn freight and passenger depot
would be burned. as heat ia that vicinity
WAS intense. but the wind changed and
the railroad property was saved.
The following are the losers with the
amount of insurance each carried X.
r. Thompson, one building aud stock,
$1,000, Insurance 81 $40; nothing saved,
S. e. Smith loss Oh building. 81 200; in
surance, 500. Fred Dashley, loss on
building, $500 no insurance: o. Fer
guson, loss on building. 81 500 no in-
surarce. Patrick Lynch. loss on build
ing stock and fixtures, 81 800 no insur-
ance. Oscar Silver, loss on building.
$500 no insurance. FL. w. Byrne, loss
on building $500; no insurance. Lake
and HALEY, loss on building, $500; no
insurance. A. U. Swinford, loss on
building and stock OF drugs. S2,20); it,
surance, 81 500, J. S. Noodle, loss on
building 81 900 no insurance. i. IL.
Chase loss on building and stock Of
clothing, $1,000; insurance. $500
About $4,000 of this stock was put in
the fire proof in the rear Of the building
and was supposed to be saved. w. J.
Wood and company had a $4,000 stock
1f aNan k,.sf
which were total loss. The firm car.
ried $4,000 insurance. The Grand
hotel, owned by ]. ]. Clark the build.
ing and furniture was valued at $1,000,
on which there was no insurance
Franklin and Baer, building, $500 no
insurance. This building was occupied
by j. S. Putnam who puts his loss at
$50. The Windsor hotel owned by A
W. Riorlan. The building and furniture
was valued at $1,000, on which there
was no insurance. The hotel was oc-
cupied by James Fluey who had stock
of goods opposite that was total loss.
Fluey's loss was $500, on which there
was no insurance. Frank Koch, build
I
ing. S400; no insurance. s. r. Smith,
building, $400; no insurance. NJ. i.
Chase, loss on building, 5000; no in
surance. Julius Deetkin, loss on build
ing $500, no insurance. A. Ramsey, loss
| on building, $500, no Insurance. q. G.
Boiand, two buildings. 5000; 10 insur.
ance. Fred Helm, loss on buildines
500; no insurance. G. l. Jensen, stage
barn, 500 no insurance. A. c. Boland,
loss on building, $500; no insurance.
Mrs. ii. Rosengarden, loss on building,
$780, no insurance. Quite number Of
these buildings were occupied by fami-
lies who lost their house hold effects
and upon which no estimate could be
made at the time.
The town had no protection but a
hook and ladder and bucket brigade
worked from the first alarm until the
fire was under control. Everything was
swept by the flames from the depot to
the Lake and Ha;Iey bank building on
one side Of the street and 10 the Van De-
wort building on the other.
The only business houses left in the
town are the bank Of Lake and HALEY.
Bonesteele and Turner, general mcr-
chandise. Conants drug store and
Stewards drug store.
There will be only one or two c. these
burned buildings rebuilt this fall on ac-
count Of the financial condition of the
business men OF the unfortunate town"
To the stricken people of Buffalo Gap
the citizens Of Custer extend their heart
lest sympathy. The little city that came
into existence few years ago under
most prospitious circumstances, has
fonnd many difficulties in the path of
it's progress OF late. This fall its citi :
sens were looking forward hopefully to