The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1895-09-27
THE FIRE ladies.
THEY PREVENTED A BIG FIRE
FRIDAY NIGHT.
Two Ancient Structures on Main
Street Badly Damaged-Prompt
Work Keeps the Fire Within Linz
its-No Insurance on the Stocks
Two Firemen Cut by Glass-HOw
the Fire Started Mystery.


the Fire Started Mystery.
MankatO came as near having a
sweeping fire. Friday as is possible
and yet escape, and that it did not
can be laid to the credit of the fire de-
partment, which has once more shown
it's efficiency and it's capacity for deal
ing with emergencies. Every building
in the city was as dsy as finder, and a
furious gale was blowing from the
south. The fire was well started in a
mass of old frame rookeries when dis
covered, and had a fair field before it.
Once upon the old hotels, and the
sparks would quickly have reached
the lumber yard at the other end of
the block, and the north half of the
city would have been at the mercy of
the flames. The only hope was in
quickly smothering out the fire, be-
fore it should gain Roadway.
1t was about ten o'clock when Off
Ger Schuette and ]. @. Thro saw the
flames shooting up between two build
ings on Main street and turned in an
alarm, and in an incredibly short
space of time the fire department
was on the ground.
Rob. Collins was the first to discOv-
er the fire and it was then between
the frame buildings occupied by r..
V. Waters grocery and feed store
and Harlon & McGrath's North Star
pillow and repair shop, between Front
and Second street. A brick building
interviewed between the pillow shop
and Fred Kron's new building. Rob.
Collins broke in the door of Mr.. Wat
ters' store and secured the books and
took them to MI Waters house and
told him of the fire.
The fire department turned on six
streams of water and in a short time
had the fire extinguished, but not un-
til the front of Harlon & McGrath' S
and the rear of E. V. Waters
buildings were badly burned. The
former firm lost all their stock
of wood and the betting was all
burned off, but the tools were unin-
jured. Fire and water destroyed
nearly the whole of Mr.. Waters
stock. A portion was removed, but
some of this was destroyed and some
disappeared. The new fire police
found plenty to do in guarding what
was taken from the buildings. The
department remained until midnight,
to make sure that no smoldering
Goals were left that might later
be famed into blaze by the wind.
An accident happened to two mem
bers of Superior Hose Co. No. 2, Geo.
Wagon and Ed. Pfffer, while they
were turning stream of water
through window and reaching in.
The glass had been broken out, and
the jagged edges lined the frame, and
the firemen were badly cut about the
arms and hands, especially Mr..
Wagon.
Mrs. Dudley, wife of the proprietor
of the Washington House, had mar
row escape, while crossing the street.
Superior Hose Co. No. 2 wagon was
playing out line of hose, and Mrs.
Dudley did not notice the team rapid
ly approaching. Gates Phillips was
driving and sounding the gong, and
by pulling the horses down on their
launches stopped them a few inches
from the lady.
One section of the cotton hose
burst, which was the only damage to
the fire apparatus
The buildings belong to the J. w.
Hoerr estate, and were not of much
value. A few hundred dollars will
cover the loss on them, and it is not
known whether they were insured.
They are too badly damaged to be re-
paired.
e. V. Walters places his loss on
stock at 500, with no insurance. He
had $500 of insurance with J. T. Will
Williams & Son, but it expired Sept
4th, and he decided not to renew it,
thinking that there was no danger of
fire on account of the care which he
and Harlin & McGrath always exer-
cised. He states that he will start in
again as soon as he can find a loca-
tion.
Harlin & McGrath place their loss
at $500 or 5000, with no insurance.
They will also seek new location
and start in again.
How the fire started is a mystery.
1t was first seen between the two
buildings where Mr.. Walters kept his
horse during the day while it was not
busy, but there was no hay there. 1t
must have started beside the plow