Morris tribune., 1902-12-06
FIRE
HANCOCK SUFFERS LOSS OF BUSI-
NESS BLOCK. -,
Losses Almost $25,ooo--The Rest of
The Business Portion Saved Only
by rlost Desperate Work by Cit

Over twenty thousand dollars
loss.
That is the result of fires work
for a short hour and a half despite
the most desperate work of men,
women and children.
A few minutes after five o'clock
Monday evening Albert Miller and
Oswald Schneider stepped into Wm.
Schlip's saloon and bought cigar
and glass of beer. Mr.. Schliep was
just lighting his lamps and one Of
them, large Rochester brass lamp,
was standing on the bar. Evidently
some oil had been spilled and was
burning on the bottom open work OF
the lamp. The lamp was also turned
a little high.
Schneider spoke ABOUT the lamp
and Mr.. Schliep merely replied that
the lamp was all right and to let it
alone at the same time turning it
down as much as possible, Schneider
advised that something be done with
the lamp at once remarking it would
explode. Miller who was partly in
toxicated pulled off his coat and in
spite of Schliep telling him to let the
lamp alone threw his coat over it
with the intention of carrying it out
in the street. Not being fully sober
he was unsteady and the coat slipped
off while the lamp tottered an in
slant on the bar dye and then fell
to the floor.
e A. butcher whose land Office
was next door, ran in just in time to
see the lamp fall and turning ran
back after some old blankets and
SACKS to smother the flames. He was
gone scarcely a minute yet when he
returned the three men came stagger-
ing out and it was impossible to
enter the building which was en-
veloped in a sheet Of flame almost
instantly.
An alarm was turned in and the
whole village was on the spot before
the bell stopped ringing. From roof
to roof the fremen and citizens
fought, slowly forced back by the
flames.
Unsuccessful attempts were made
to blow up the drug store and Her
man SchIiep's saloon in order to stay
the flames. Though there was
vacant space Of considerable extent
between the building occupied by
the Stone Stebbins company yet the
intense heat set fire to tie roof and
and the building went down together
with two others next west Of it while
the elevators across Atlantic avenue
were just prevented from catching
Fl y and that was all. Had they
caught the town would have been
wiped out.
At Wilcox & Wells brick building
the fire was stopped and this build
ing together with the two ware
houses Immediately behind it and
two barns close to the alley are the
only buildings left standing in the
block between Atlantic avenue and
the aIiey.
The loss as nearly as eau be IS
certained at present is as follows:
The Stone-Stebbins Co who lost all
their shelf hardware and machinery,
many stoves, barrels of paint, etc,
managed to save nearly $4,000 worth
of their goods but lost fully $4,000
worth with $4,000 insurance.
Ii. G. Thorpe owned this building
as we'll as the one occupied by E. A.
butchers land office and his loss will!
be close to $4,000 with insurance of
$500.
VIM. Schliep's loss will amount to
nearly $4,000, buildings $4,000, stock
$1,000, household furniture and
clothes $500 with $1,000 insurance.
Emil LindbIad, who occupied the
second flood of the land Office build
ing lost some household goods and
clothing amounting to some $500,
fully insured.
[. T, Tollifson had in a stock of
nearly $4,000, holiday goods, wall
paper, drugs, paints, oils. ETC., and
will loose probably $4,000 with in
surance of $4,000.
L. B. Wheeler in the same build
ing had $500 insurance and man
aged to get most of his valuable
property into the safe.
.Ars. Bevig who owns the building