The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-10-01
HAD A NARROW ESCAPE
Fire Threatened Destruction for
Chinook.
WAS A VERY CLOSE CALL
Lack OF an Adequate Fire Supply Made
1t Difficult for the Fire Fight
ers-Started in q
Saloon.

Great Falls, Sept. 3O.-People in the
city from Chinook state that a fire on
Thursday threatened to clean out the
town. and as it happened did destroy
considerable property, several thou
sand dollars worth. The question Of
securing an adequate water works sys-
tenn has been agitated several times,
: but each time fell short of accomplish
!, ing it's purpose. Now that loss has
occurred that would pay the expense Of
erecting it, it is probable that the next
movement in this line will be success
full.
About o'clock in the afternoon
T. smoke was seen raising from the roof
: of building occupied by Darrell &
E Sheldon as a saloon, and an alarm OF
fire was Immediately raised. The build
ing, one Of the first built in Chinook.
burned like finder and in a very short
time the building was in flames.
Charles Sheldon and Fred Masckke
were just putting several barrels of
whiskey, just received, into the eel
lar, and had got the last one down,
when some one cried fire. All the bar
rel goods were removed
The crowd, ever ready to assist in
such cases, had not time enough to
carry out much Of the stock or furni-
ture, though considerable was remov-
ed in the short space allowed. The
loss of stock to Darrell & Sheldon.
over and above what their insurance
should net, is between 1900 and $1,000.
The building was owned by DR.. j. V.
Carroll of Fort Benton, and was fully
insured
The attention of the workers was
next directed to the -postofiice and
drug store, and the work of getting out
nd CT hir,er Ia
taken out and the loss will fall on the
building, which was valued at $1,000,
with partial insurance. 1t looked for
long time as though the Montana
hotel would surely go, it being only We
neered with brick and only a few
inches between it and the drug store,
and but for the good work done in
cutting and tearing out the studding
and the wall of the drug store, which
threw the walls away from the Mon
tana, it must have gone. ~
Everything was also. removed from
the Montana house, and some very
amusing incidents were reported. One
in particular was striking. A full
grown man grabbed a couple of pill
lows in one room and started to carry
them out, when he espied the wash
bowl and pitcher, and he dropped his
pillows and grabbed the bowl and
sent it flying out of the window, and
regiments on the street. This good
work done, he resumed his march down
the stairs with the two feather pill
lows, which We're safely deposited
across the street. Fred Walner
vouches for the truth of this story.
Just such excitement in handling all
the furniture was evident. and it was
badly smashed. Fire broke into one
room. but it was quickly extinguished
by the aid Of the new fire extinguish-
ers, and soon the walls of the postof-
flee fell and the great danger was pass
ed.
All the time and from the first start
Of the fire w. S. Rainbelt's property
was in great danger, and but for a
stream of water which was kept run
ming from A S. Lehmans cistern it
surely would have gone A good large
force pump was put in by Mr.. Lehman
when he built the cstern, and he got
about 300 feet of two-inch hose, and
this hose would just reach to throw
water on Rainbelt's property. The
pump and hose paid for themselves
because they werO the means of saw
ing Rainbelt and thus his warehouse
chock full of merchandise.
How the fire started will always be
mystery. 1t was first noticed in
the ceiling of the restaurant in the rear
of the saloon and had gained such
Roadway before it was discovered that
it could not be put out with buckets.
If one good stream of water could have
been had in time would have averted
the loss of the two buildings.