Little Falls weekly transcript., 1894-07-27

For the first time in several months
the business portion of Little Falls
was visited by fire Saturday MORN
ing and, as result, Chas. Pullman's
livery barn, and the Peoples Ice
cOmpany's ice house and barns were
totally destroyed.
AL. Sjogren and o. w. Irwin slept
in the barn office, and the first they
knew of the fire was about $3.50 a. m.
SjOgren was awakened by the noise
OF the horses in the stalls. When he
awoke he rolled Irwin out of bed
and they Immediately proceeded to
turn the horses loose. The barn
was full of smoke, and the hay in the
second story was on fire. The
whole thing was liable to drop at
any minute, but the men worked
like heroes to save the horses, and
succeeded in getting the seven out.
They did not make as much trouble
as horses usually do in cases of this
kind, only Long John. the race
horse, which had to be driven from
the burning building three times.
After saving the horses the men
turned their attention to the buggies,
but only succeeded in saving three of
them. Five or six OF the best
vehicles were elost, together with all
the robes. harnesses, cutters, etc.
Officer Lefebyre was standing on
the corner by Hotel Buchanan
when he first noticed the fire, and
immediately turned in the ALARM.
ABOUT the same time it was noticed
by the engineers at the mills and also
by the engineer on a passenger train
that had just pulled in to the sta ton.
They all blew their whistles and
this noise together with the alarm
bells soon brought out the firemen
who lost no time in getting to the
scene of the ecOnf1agration. The barn
was old and dry and the hay in the
second story burned like powder, SO
that before the department. arrived
the building was one mass Of flame.
They saw any attempt to save it
would be useless, and turned their
streams to the adjoining buildings.
A short distance west of the barn
were some sheds in which Mr.. Pull
man kept horses, and the Ice COM
pany's barns and tool shed. Owing
to a loose bolt in the pump at the
station which was noticed when the
heavy pressure was turned ON a de-
lay OF less than two minutes oc-
Cured. but to those who were
waiting for the water it seemed
much longer. The delay was long
enough, however, to give the flames
time to gain headway and communi-
cate to the large ice house of the
Peoples Ice company, where the dry
saw dust on top Of the ice burned
like paper and the dry boards of the
building almost as fast. Streams
were kept playing ON the building
and also on the laundry which was
only feet distant. 1t was not long
before the department had the fire
fully under control. The only other
damage done was the breaking OF
windows in Chas. Tanners residence
east of the barn.
In the Ice company's barn were
-four horses, but they were saved by
the prompt action of Mr.. Lewis and
John Bowman, two employees of the
company who live ON first street. a
short distance from the building.
The total loss is over $4,000. with
only $500 OOinsurance with the Phoenix,
Of Hartford, represented by G. w.
Massey, as follows:
Chas. Pullman, barn and con- 49,
tents..... ............................. $2,OOO
Insurance ...........~ ~................ 600
= Net IOSS....... !. .4Ut
Peoples Ice company. build II. .:= =.
ing ......................... Tot
Barns......... neutrality-suspicious.. l5t
Tools. SOC
Total. !, 100
No insurance.
The origin Of the fire is. mystery
and one theory advanced is that