The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1897-02-05

sumed During the Night.
1t is not pleasant experience to be
awakened from sound slumber during
the night by the odor of smoke and to
find that your home is being consumed
by fire, yet that is the situation which
confronted Geo. A. Clark about three
o'clock Friday morning, and despite all
possible efforts he was unable to save
his home and but very few of the con-
tents.
During the evening Mr.. Clarks two
daughters we're attending a sociable
and after they had returned they sat
up to study their lessons and Mr..
Clarke remained with them, so it was
about o'clock when the family went
up stairs to bed. Mr.. Clark fixed the
fire for the night and left it, as he sup
posed, in perfectly safe condition.
Several hours later he was awakened
by the odor of smoke in his room and
he hurried down stairs to make an in
vestigation and found the dinning room
| full of smoke and flames. He returned
up stairs to apprise the girls OF the
danger and by that time it was impos-
BILE to move around on the lower floor.
The only possible means of escape was
by the second story window. Without
hesitation Mr.. Clarke opened the win
dow and dropped to the ground, secur-
ed ladder and in this manner rescued
the young ladies from their perilous
position. They did not have time to
dress themselves even comfortably but
they made their way through the cold
and bitter night to D. A. Browns
across the street and apprised them of
the terrible situation. Mr.. Brown hur-
ried over to the water works to sound
the fire alarm.
Some little time elapsed after the
alarm was sounded before anybody was
awakened and then it was nearly i'm
possible to haul the the hose carts and
trucks over the snow drifts to the scene
of the fire. BY the time the depart
ment arrived the house was practically
consumed and the water simply
quenched the flames. With the aid o.
the neighbors Mr.. Clark saved few
articles OF furniture in the front room
and a few bed clothes, and other thar
that everything was consumed. The
night was fearfully cold, the thermom
ter being Is degrees below at that hou
and the fremen had difficult time il
extinguishing the flames. But the,
stuck to the work nobly until the las
spark was out.
Mr.. Clark had insurance of 81 300 Of
the house and furniture, 81, 1000 on tn
!, former in a company represented by A
, B. Hager, and $500 on thefurniture an
= $400 on the house in a company repre-
= sented by j. E. Wells. The house we
a large two story structure and sui
stantially built.
b In conversation with MIR. Clark
a reference to the origin OF the fire /
y said that the only conjecture he cou]
a make was that some live Goals hs
b fallen out OF the stove onto the carpe
G the fire spreading from this sourc
d AS soon as the news spread over tow
n the many friends of Mr.. Clark went
e him and proffered their aid in evel
n possible way until he could get thinI
of Strengthened out. Mr.. and Mrs. Clal
le have both been in the country uni
st yesterday when he returned alone, al
le the two daughters have been stayil
IT in the house aione, 80 that the retu
r of the father was providential, as U
r. doubtedly the girls would never ha