Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1902-02-18
FIRE, SMOKE, WATER.
The Pilot Had a Plentiful Supply of
Each Wednesday Morning.

Wednesday morning the fire fiend
got in his work at this office, and our
building came very near going up in
smoke. The editorials that issue from
these columns each week, Hot Time"
music as played in the James Music
Co.'S store underneath us. or the cay
enne pepper sold by our tenant grocery
man, VIM Baerwald are all luke
warm in comparison to the degree of
heat that issued from our p'-ess and
composing room on the morning above
mentioned We have never looked
with favor upon willful destruction of
property, or upon incendiarism, and in
order to clear ourselves of the charge
of designing fire SALE in which our
tenants would be benefited, we will
tell the story truthfully as newspaper
men always do:
Steve Bessie, since fall, has each
morning at six o'clock visited the
furnace rooms of our building aud fired
up the hot water heating system. Ou
Wednesday he noticed smoke is suing
from the doors and transoms of the
building, and, thinking something
wrong, went around to the front of the
building that lie might peer through
the windows. Policeman DeNoe came
along about that time, and the two
found flames in the James and Baer
wald stores DeVoe ran to the nearest
fire alarm box and turned in an alarm
while Bessey went to the central office
of the local telephone company and in
formed those interested in the build
ing and stocks of what was happening
The department turned out promptly,
and we wish to compliment the boys
on the efficient service rendered and
the promptness in which the flames
were extinguished, and the way in
which the whole matter was handeled.
Three lines of hose were laid but the
men used as little water as possible,
and though things were badly soaked
they might have been worse. The hire
was between our floors and the ceiling
Of the stores underneath. Its origin Is
not exactly known, though it was un-
doubtedly due to someone's careless
ness. A wooden box filled with saw
dust, used as a cuspidore, is thought to
have been responsible, by the act OF
someone dropping pipe ashes or
throwing cigar stub in it, and then
burning slowly during the night, eat
ing its way through the floor Beneath
the hardwood floor was q layer of as
bestos paper, and also sawdust and ee-
ment for deadening purposes. This held
the fire in check and it was nearly
morning before the flames broke
through the ceiling beneath, and it was
fortunate that such was the case. Had
they not been discovered when they
were the damages would have been
greater, for in few minutes more they
would have reached partition wall
that leads TO the roof, and then the
wreck would have been complete. The
smoke was so dense that the fire could
be fought only with the greatest difficult
ty for a man could only work in the
room but few seconds, and then would
have to retire and another take his
place. Everything in the top floor of
the building was smoked up, and the
whole building has had to be repainted
inside. The damage done to our plant
" as not as great as reported by the
Milwaukee Sentinel. which paper very
enormously stated the condition of
affairs after the fire. We were kept
busy next day at the long distance
telephone in denyiEg reports in response
to inquiries from frieh3s About 81 900
will cover the loss to the building
while the stock of groceries of VIM.
Baerwald was soaked up with water
doing it damage to the extent of about
$500. The James Music Co. had
several valuable pianos damaged by
fire and water, and figure their
loss at about $500. All these
losses are covered by insurance and
each considers himself lucky to have
escaped with so small loss and so
fortunately. We will be contented in
the future to get along without fires of
this nature.