The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1898-05-20
PLANT BURNS down
The Electric Light Plant Was
Destroyed by Fire Last
Sunday Evening.
Fire Originated From an Ex-
p1osion and Spread in
the Straw.
THE LOSS is ABOUT $1,000
No Insurance Was Carried
on Account Of Using
Straw for Fuel.
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS., <,l,-r r,,> -, o..x
THE LOSS is ABOUT $1,000
THOUSANDS GONE UP IN SMOKE.

THOUSANDS GONE UP IN SMOKE.
Mitchell's Electric Light Plant Consumed
by Fire Sunday Evening.
Probably one of the most disastrous
fires which has occurred in Mitchell in
q good many years was the obstruction
of the electric light plant Sunday night.
Shortly before o'clock Milwaukee
engine blew q blast, which was followed
by the round house and the water
works whistles. Off in the southeast
part of town vast cloud of smoke arose
and it didn't take long to determine
that the electric light plant was ablaze
In a short time an immense crowd had
congregated there to watch the con-
Migration. The fire department was
on hand Immediately, but was handi-
capped in getting to the fire quickly as
the boys had to pull the carls down
there by hand. They had to lay the
hose three blocks from the fire and by
that time the entire building was prac-
tically doomed. The department was
handicapped perceptibly in throwing
water, for the reason that 80 many pri-
vate hydrants were open during the
fire that good stream of water could
not be obtained, which nearly rendered
their efforts useless. In short time
the large smokestacks yielded to the
immense heat and toppled over, and
the steam escaped from the boilers
with strong Kissing noise, which pre-
cluded an explosion in that direction
An explosion occurred during the fire
which scattered the people in every di-
rection. Pieces of the iron were picked
up quite distance from the plant. The
fremen worked with heroic effort to
subdue the flames in the west end of the
building, where the dynamos and
engine we're located but they could do
nothing whatever, and these necessary
adjuncts to the plant were nearly if not
wholly destroyed. The boilers were
not injured to any great extent.
For some time M. B. Cleminger, the
owner of the plant, has been using hay
and straw for fuel, instead of coal, as q
matter of economy and so far there had
been no apparent danger from fire.
Sunday evening James Bately, the cleo
trician, and a young man named Ander-
son, engineer, repaired to the plant to
commence their, usual duties. The
engineer started his fire and turned the
damper in the huge smokestack to shut
off the draft, and kept pitching IN the
.straw. With no outletfor the smoke
and what gas would form there was an
immense pressure against the furnace
doors, which finally blew open the
doors and forced the burning straw in
to the engine room. In twinkling
the burning straw ign1ted with the big
pile of the same material lying outside
at the east door and it was but few
moments before the rooms we're envel-
oped in smoke, when it seemed that
nothing could be done to extiaguish the
flames inside. There we're about three
loads of dry straw outside of the plant
which acted as inflammable material
sufficient to endanger the plant at once
and there was nothing to. arrest the
progress of the fire.
M. B. Cleminger, who owns the
plant, places his loss at about $1,000.
There was no insurance on the plant,
as the companies declined to carry the
risk when he began burning straw.
At present Mr.. Cleminger lie unable
state what he intends to do about re.
building the plant. Several gentlemen
expressed a willingness to come for.
ward and extend assistance in again
erecting the plant.
Under the present situation Mitchell
will be in darkness for some little time
at least such will be the condition o
the streets. There is strong hope
already formed that the plant will be
erected at once and in operation ir
short order. Mitchell cannot afford te
be without an electric light system and
we are confident from the many expires
sions OF sympathy with reference to Mr.
Cleminger and his loss that plan viii
shortly be adopted to erect the plan
again.
Mr.. Cleminger desires to thank the