The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1891-10-22
Depot burned.

Just before midnight on Saturday, an
alarm OF fire aroused our citizens to the
fact that the Great Northern depot was
enveloped in flames and beyond hope of
salvation. The structure was an old
wooden shell, erected when the road
was put through here, aud had been in
service ever since, dry as finder and it
burnedas thought really enjovedlt. So
rapidly did the fire spread that the night
operator in charge, Robert Firth, barely
had time to wire the news to head quar-
tiers that the building was on fire. lock
up the safe, secure few books and the
case oilocal tickets, and make his escape.
The firemen responded promptly, but,
their efforts were unavailing, though
they fought like heroes. Besides the
building and contents-the depot con-
tanning considerable miscellaneous
freight the value of which cannot be as
certained in the absence of documents.
Three box cars were destroyed. One was
empty, one had forty-two barrels of salt
for Albert Dahlem and the third had in
it twenty barrels of apples belonging to
E. c. Perry of Minneapolis. The salt
was worth $1.50 a barrel, and the aI-
pies $500. Inthe building was a bicycle
and some books belonging to D. ]. Jones
the day operator, valued in all at about
SIS: 90, and an organ and tent belong
ing to Robert Firth, the night operator.
A stacker on the platform, the proper
ty Of McMnrtrie Brothers was also de-
stroyed. The building was valued at
$4,000, the three cars at $500 each, and
the contents at about 500 more, while
no approximation of the value of freight
and express matter can be arrived at
yet.
The destruction of office records and
supplies was complete, together with all
coupon tickets, freight bills, ETC. The
loss of these can not be measured in
money, but the damage TO the business
of the road will be considerable.
The property of the railroad is covered
by insurance, blanket policy covering
all the belongings of the company. The
contents of the safe were not seriously
injured, although somewhat discolored.
The origin of the fire is somewhat pecu-
liar. The signal light at the front OF
the depot was not burning properly, and
young man who has been about the
depot more or less, although not regu-
lar employee, Albert Wadsworth by
name, took down the light for the pur-
pose OF trimming it. He took it into the.
back room and placed it in sink de-
signed for the purpose. He turned to
look after the shears, and all at once the
lamp exploded scattering burning oil in
all directions, setting fire to a large can
of kerosene. He attempted to put out
the fire, but was driven out, and in
moment the whole interior of the freight
house was mass OF seetheing fame. In
little more than an hour there was not
a vestige of the depot left.
On Monday temporary quarters were
fitted up in passenger car, which was
run upon an improvised track, which
serves the purpose very well. A freight
car does service as baggage room. The
passenger train from the east arrived
while the fire was still burning, but found
no troublein getting by. The track was
not injured in the least, Four pieces OF
baggage were burned ia the baggage
room. A full stock of supplies for the
railroad and express offices arrived on
Monday.