Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1892-12-31
1T COMES AT LAST.
The Fire Fiend Holds High Carnival in
Our Midst During the Dark Hours
OF Christmas Morning.
A Resistless Torrent Of Flame Sweeps
Away Old Landmarks and the
Accumulation Of Years.
Men. Women and Children Fight the
Demon Of Destruction With Set
Faces and Sinking Hearts.
Only Blackened Ruin Marks the Spot
Where Dozen Business Houses
stood One Week Ago.
1T COMES AT LAST.

Where Dozen Business Houses
stood One Week Ago.
Yes, 1t has come at last. That expert
ence which comes to every town not
provided with the means with which to
protect itself from the rayages of fire.
Our beautiful little city has had its
baptism Of fire, and ashes and cinders
now cover the ground where few days
ago eight Of our merchants piled a
holiday trade.
1t was probably about 2 o'clock Sun
| day morning when SANDY" Gibson, an
old placer miner, came out Of Johnson's
place near the Kleemann House, and
noticed the bright light of a fire in the
vicinity Of Wells barber shop. He
, stepped back into the saloon and gave
the alarm to several other men who
were there, and only a moment later
general alarm was being sounded and
half dozen men were running to the
spot where the flames were seen. By
the time ten or fifteen people were on
the scene both the Wells building, and
the one adjoining, known as the "Red
Front" were enveloped in flames. and
the impossibiliry Of saving them with
the means at hand was apparent. Mr..
| Wells and family, who lived ia the rear
Of the barber shop were awakened by
the cracking Of the flames and the
shouting, and barely escaped with their
lives. The fire was quickly commnni-
Gated to the dry goods store OFFS. n.
Fitch, and when the biggest part Of the
crowd got there all three buildings were
hopelessly afire. The ringing Of the fire
bell and the church bells awakened
, most Of the citizens Of the town, and
I brought out large number of ladies as
well as the men, and as long 40 the fire
! lasted the members Of the gentler sex
| assisted with the strength and endur-
ance of Amazons in the work of carry
ing water and saving the contents Of the
doomed buildings. A dozen men and
two or three Of the ladies stayed with
the Fitch building rntil the walls com
menced TO tr mble, ard great part
of the goods which were not in the fire
proof were carried out to the street and
thus saved.
A desperate effort was made to pre-
vent the fire crossing the alley on the
east Of the red front. ana the old Bliss
building was fairly submerged with
water. But the herculoan labors Of the
! citizens were in vain. The terrible
Neat drove them from their positions on
the Nssf, and the hungry flames wrap
ped anosher structure in their inmuner-
able arms. With the fire once across
the alley it 81 y realized by all that it
would be imf kible to get it under
control until it reached :.t.s corfsi store,
occupied by Bailey & Co. and every at
tention was turned to saving the stocks
of the burning stores, and preventing
the confagration from crossing Custer
Avenue, Sixth street, and the alley to
Ainstey's livery stable. Willing hands
carried out the greater part Of the con-
tents Of the building occupied by II. F.
Lake, boots and shoes; Kimble 4 Carr,
harness and sadjlery; w. A. Smith,
clothier; Koppelkom & Blain, butchers;
Bailey & Co groceries and hardware |;
Z. r. Taylor, jewelsr. and Douglas
Greenwood, barber. Everything was
deposited in the streets, and by others
removed to places Of greater safety.
The fire followed close upon the work
ers, and as it forced its way down the
avenue compelled them to retire before
it, but not until most Of the portable
articles in sight had been removed.
The building west Of Fitch's, owned by
W. w. Olds, and occupied bv Assayer
9. d. Porter, was among the first to
burn, and Cochran's store on the south
west corner of the block, would also
have been consumed has it not been for
the tin roof on it, and the volumes OF
water with which it was dsluged. Part
of Mr.. Cochran's stock was removed
when the building commenced to
smoke. but the damage was slight. For
time when the FIRE was raging most
fisrcely, and the heat was most intense
it was thought that the business houses
on the south side OF the avenue muss
90. and had there been particle Of
wind, nothing would have saved them
The excessive heat shattered the glass
fronts, the pitch oozsd from the smok
ing timbers, but men and women fought
gallant aud winning fight In this
instance and bsde the roaring demon
defiance
A similar scene was enacted on Sixtf
street when the Bailey 4 Co. building OF
the corner was burning. The big tw'
story brick built by H. A. Albien defee
the storm Of nery brands, but in thu
rear of it the fire found more vulners
BILE spot Sheet after sheet Of fame. an.
shower after shower of burning brand
were hurled toward the frame buildin
y known az the Albien Annex and tn
residence of Mrs. 8. NJ. Booth, but ono
= more brave men and heroic women hel
the enemy at bay.
Probably no harder or more s6ectiv
work was done ths that along the allie
on the north side Of the row Of burnin
buildings. Ainsley's big livery m
fed stable was just on the other sid
. and |. was we'll known that should
burn, the firs would be carried acrol
the street and at least two more blocl
devastated. Spurred on to almo
superhumsn exsrtions BY this know
edge, tho members Of Custer Fire
Hose Co. No. ], assisted by other Gil
,eas. equipped with hooks aud axe