Little Falls weekly transcript., 1894-09-21
|AlDSI 5IDE BLlA.
Interstate Milling Company's
Cooper shop Goes Up s.
4 & *sg.5s In Smoke.
The Hdjoining Building is
Saved by the Heroic Work
OF the Fire rennen.

A3fre broke out in the cooper shop
of the Interstate Milling company
on the West side Friday night and the
building and most of the stock in it
were totally destroyed. Tie fire
was discovered bursting through
the roof OF the building about $40,
and a general alarm brought out
the ent tire department. in snort or
der Norman Van Ruskirk and -
p. Frampton were near the scene
and ina short time had stream
playing ON the fire from the hydraat
near the gate house, to which a hose
is always attached. No. 3, the West
side company, was soon ON hand
and had two more streams playing
on the fire by the time the East side
companies arrived. Two II more
streams were Immediately turned
on, but by that time the whole thing
was one mass Of flames, the shaw
ings, barrels and barrel stock burn
ing like. tinder.. Great burning
brands were hurled high in the air
and fell upon the surrounding build
ings. Van Buskilk Bros. machine:
shop and McGrane's blacksmith shop
occupy the building only eighteen
inches distant, and upon this the
brands fell in a shower, and time
and again the roof was on fire, but
streams were kept playing upon it
until the flames were put out only
to blaze up in a. new place. Thus
the war was waged against the fire
by the tiremen who were pouring
river OF water on it from five nOz-
zles, and it was fully an hour before
they had hopes Of saving the ma
chine shop. A car load OF barrel stock
was piled in the corner next to the
machine shop and in this the fire
lodged, worked down into it, and,
while the firemen were directing
their efforts toward putting out the
fire on the roof of the building,
worked through under the addition
to the machine shop and set
fire to the jOist. The fire on top OF
the barrel stock was extinguished'
and the firemen went to work re-
moving the slaves 50 as to get
under. the machine shop. There was
about a car load OF it but the boys
threw it back and soon had streams
playing under the, building and
extinguished the fire. -. 49,. .:. S.: :
The cooper shop was two story
frame structure, and on the. first floor
the barrel stock and manufactured
barrels were kept while on the
second floor we're berths. where
dozen coopers might work, On the
second floor were the stoves for dry
ing and it evidently was sparksf from
one OF them that set the fire.. Some
of the barrel stock that was in the
rear OF the building was saved .a,.~.g.
The loss to the Milling company
amounts to about 81 500, the coopers;
about t$2o0.; Van Buskirk Bros,
$3.50; and III. G. McGrane $50. None
of the parties carried any insurance.
1t would be impossible to give too
much credit to the Little Falls fire
department for the work done last
night. The boys worked hard, and
a paid department could not
have done better. Everyone who
witnessed the fire or has since
visited the scene and viewed the con-
dition in which the machine eshopisleft
say it is one OF the best pieces Of
work ever done. Little Falls
people ought. to be proud of their
ire department., as it is good as can
be found anywhere in the Northwest
Hs" H1non TIN s., -.