The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1898-07-29

Mankato narrowly escaped great
conflagration Monday afternoon.
Had the wind been blowing in any
direction great damage would have
been done, and as it was, remarkably
good work by the fire department was
the only thing that prevented dis
astrous spread of the flames. The
old wooden buildings that cucumber
ed one of the alleys furnished fuel TOR
a hot fire, and the experience should
not be lost, for the council should at
once take steps to condemn all similar
dangerous fire traps in the vicinity of
business property.
The fire yesterday could not have
happened at a better time. There
was no wind to speak Of, and the bust
ness men were all on hand to help
protect their property. The loss was
not great, but it might easily have
been much more.
The fire was discovered at about
five o'clock by John Frescholtz, who
shouted to bicycle rider to give the
alarm. Mr. FreSchOltZ had just driven
into the alley to put up his horse in
the barn back of his mothers store.
When he opened the door Of the barn,
he saw fire coming through the board
PARTITION that separated his barn from
the one used by Benack & Harris.
The fire was then under much head
way. Mr.. Frescholtz states that the
fire seemed to come in with rush, as
though driven by an explosion.
Fred Allen, who drives Benack &
Harris delivery wagon. had just
hitched up the horse at the company's
barn, which was next to Mrs.
Frescholtz's. There was no fire at
that time. He went to the store to
get something and on returning to
the barn few minutes later found it
on fire. He thought that the fire
came from Mrs. FrescholtZ's barn.
Mr.. Allen called G.. D. Benack, and
the latter states that the smoke was
coming out just at the PARTITION be-
tween the two barns. How it started,
no one knows.
An alarm was turned in from box
26, but before the fire department
could arrive the buildings were mass
of flames. They were as dry as tin
der and warmed by the sun, land ready
to 60 off with a flash as soon as fire
should touch them. Just north of the
Benack & Harris barn was ware
house used by the firm, separated
from the barn by board partition.
This made three buildings built to.
gether, each separated from the other
by board PARTITION. Some twenty
feet north of these buildings was a
large frame warehouse, also occupied
by Benack & Harris. All four of these
buildings were destroyed, the first
three being burned to the ground.
The fire was hot one, and the
roofs of the adjoining buildings in
every direction were set on fire. At
one time, twelve buildings were on
fire in this way. The greatest diff
Guilty was had in saving the Mil
waukee freight depot and the old
warehouse just east of J. 81. Michael's
livery barn. The roof Of the depot
was ablaze at one time, but the eff
forts of the firemen were successful.
Agent Moore and the railroad men at
one time thought it impossible to
save the depot, and the merchandise
was all removed, and the freight cars
standing on the side tracks were pull
led out.
The warehouse was afire a number
OF times and was considerably burned
in the rear, but was saved. Had this
gone, it would not have been possible
to have saved Mr.. Michael's barn, and
everything portable was removed
from the latter, as a matter of pre-
caution.
The iron sheeted warehouse directly
back of Benack & Harris store was
only saved by being drenched with
water. The west end window panes
fell in upon Mr.. Benack, but he for
tunately escaped injury.
The heat was so great that the plate
glass windows of the Glass Block were
rendered hot, and sparks burned holes
in j. A. Lewis & Sons awning, two
blocks away. A large number of
streams of water were turned on the
fire and on adjoining buildings.
The Losses.
Benack & Harris saved their horse