The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1895-08-02
DISASTROUS FIRE.
Grant CounIy.s Court House Sue.
cumbs 10 the Flames on Tues
day NOrning.
Nothing Saved from the Building
but what was IN the vaults,
and these were PARTIAL.
Nv DeStrOyeh

" Destroyed.
Tuesday morning about five o'clock
our citizens were awakened by the fire
bell ringing in the most energetic man
ner, and they FASTENED to what will nn-
doubtedly prove a very disastrous fife to
the people o. Grant county. Mrs. Nj. n.
/ Wiseman was the first person to notice
the fire and give the alarm. She arose
at a few minutes to five O'Clock, and as
i she had just started the gasoline stove,
heard a peculiar rafting noise, and looking
out saw that the court house was in flames.
She Immediately ran to the neighborlng
houses of J G.. Elliot and 4. 2. Lind
quist and gave the alarm. About the
same time one of the bcarders at the
city hotel, Dana Hodgson saw the fire
| from his window up-stails, and awoke
Joseph Wilson, who started for the en-
gine house and gave the alarm by the
fire belt 1t vas some time before the
hose cart could be gotten to the scene Of
action, and some little time was lost be
fore pressure Of water could be secur-
position. and by tins time the whole
structure was in IA mass of flames, and
beyond all hope Of subauing. Previous
to this one or two parties had entered
the building in an endeavor to carry out
books, but the rapidity with which the
smoke and flames had spread, and sew
eral explosions which are said to have
taken place made the attempt TO save
anything from the building most dan
gerous proceeding, and it was not again
attempted. When the uselessness of at
tempting to save the building was made
evident all efforts were directed to the
protection of the surrounding buildings,
and as there was but little wind blowing
at the time, the workers were successful
! in their efforts, though the burning
building made an extremely hot fire to
fight against. The windows of the brick
Jail, twenty or thirty feet to the south
OF the court house were burned out, and
the residences of j. c. Elliot and NJ II
Wiseman OH the opposite side of the
street where seriously endangered when
the fire was at lis height, but the bucket
brigade did valiant service by keeping
the buildings watered while the wells
lasted, and the destruction was limited
| to the court house. The building burn
ed like tinder box, being entirely COM
posed OF lumber, perfectly dry, and from
the first i, was plain TO be seen the struc-
ture was doomed with the great start
the fire had when discovered.
The building was erected some IA
years ago, during the troubulous times
OF the county seat war, and was largely
built by private subscription and donated
to the county at the location of the coun-
ty seat in Milbank. The addition oc-
cupied by the register and treasurer
with the vault. was built by the county
after the county seat was located
| here. While it WAS not such q
structure rs would command ad.
miration as q public building, yet j,
served the purpose of furnishing cour,
room and offices for the county officials
and would have probably continued to
answer the purpose for some years to
come had it Leen permitted to escape
the element OF fire. The building was
probably worth $500 or $4,000, on which
there was 81 900 insurance in the Fire
mans Fund Of San Francisco. and there
was also $500 insurance in the German
OF Freeport, on the furniture and
movable property Of the county,
Blu. il is the loss of the books and re-
cords OF the county which makes the fire
public calamity Of almost lrreparable
character, and which may cause any
amount Of trouble and annoyance in the
future.
The books OF the register OF deeds and
treasurer were in the vault, and it was
at first hoped that these might be found
to have escaped the flames. but the fire
hal. gotten into both ends OF the vault
and created havoc among a number 81
the hooks and paper Packages. OF the
registers records, book 10 OF mortgages
real estat. OF the year 1892. was hal
burned, and book 18 oi mortgages. 1885,
and 1887 was also Ia the same condition
while books II and 1e, constituting tht