River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1898-02-24
A DAMAGING FIRE.
Stores of c. ]. henriksen and G. F.
Winter badly Burned We'd
nesday morning.

Fire was discovered at shortly before
four o'clock Wednesday morning in
the stores Of G. J. Henriksen and G.
f. Winter, and before it could lie
luenched had ruined large amount
of stock. injured considerable more
and badly damaged the two store
buildings The loss will probably |
amount to $1,000. Mr.. Henriksen's |
loss is about $4,000, with but $1,000
insurance: while Mr. Winters less
will exceed $4,000, but is probably !
fully protected by insurance.
The fire was first detected by Mr.
Finch, who was aroused from his
bunk in Winters. store by a brisk
noise, like the roaring and cracking
OF burning pine. The flames seemed
t. fiji the partition between the
jewelry store and Henriksen's shoe
department and were evidently raging
in the narrow space between the cell
Ing and the roof. Finch promptly
gave the alarm, and began the work
Of saving the choicer jewelry and solid
silverware In the end, this finer
class Of goods was almost entirely
saved. The show cases and other
valuable furnishings were also
promptly removed, and the contents
of the mammoth safe, which receives
every night all the high-grade watches
and jewel trays, were carefully rescu-
ed. In spite Of the brisk efforts fer
saving the stock, which were carried
on in "a binding mass of smoke that
Strangled like tuTbid water, a mass OF
valuable merchandise was strewn
broadcast along the floor and totally
destroyed. In Henriksen's store the
smoke was too dense to breathe.
Consequently little could be done in
the way of rescue, and in a short
time all attempts to save the stock
were abandoned.
In the meantime the tiremen were
putting in some vigorous strokes.
The fire was hidden and hard to locate,
and it required heroic work to get at
its center. Finally a hole was broken
in the roof and from this vantage
point the flames were deluged with
heavy streams Of water until com
pletely extnguished The tiremen
suffered far less from the heat than
from the sitting swirls Of smoke,
which poured up through the
apertureS as dense as water Smoke
also penetrated the walls into Dadges
hardware store on the north and
Levings Sisters book store on the
south.
In the morning the burned stores
presented sad and very discouraging
spectacle Throughout he length Ut
each there was a confused mingling
of hlackencd water, heaps Of burnt
wood and cinders. broken crockery.
and a general air Of dilapidation and
smoke stains In the middle Of each
store several black afters hung down
from the ceiling and the daylight
came in through big holes in the roof.
In Henrikscn's store the dry-goods
looked soaked and draggled. Some Of
the rows Of shelves were entirely
burned down. Crockery was broken.
boots and shoes damaged in large
quantities and the greater share Of
the groceries quite ruined. In
Winters jewellery store the outlook
was nearly as ugly and diSpiriting.
Two or three of the tall cabinets were
broken and marred. dozens Of clocks
lay crushed along the floor and high
grade crockery. stlverware, jewelry
and cut glass were trampled together
in sorry heaps.
MI Winter is already installed in
the south half Of Leyings Sisters
store. and is doing business as usual
Mr.. Henriksen, whose loss was more
than twice as heavy. has not vet com
pleted arrangements for resuming his
business. but will purchase new
stock at once and reopen his doors as
soon as possible
Money to loan on first mortgage
security on improved farm property
in Pierce county in sums OF $500 and
upwards
GRONDAHL & RASMUSSEN,
Red Wing. Mimi.
T,,o-I,. CI,,b n~or~,,, Mach 4