The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1903-09-25

SlnOKe TOQay would go a good way to-
wards establishing such system Of
waterworks as we need. It is sheer
folly to depend any longer on our
chemical engines. AS an additional
proof of their inadequacy it may be-
stated that at the time the, Sol1ris
company arrived the supply Of chem {
icals was completely exhausted. The
people of Bottineau should feel graft 8
fed beyond expression for the timely
aid given by our sister town on the
west. And credit is also due to the
Willow City department, who wired,
as soon as they heard of the fire, that
their company was at our disposal if
it was needed. We certainly feel
grateful to our sneighboring towns but
right here we want to say emphaticaly
that there are some people in this town
who do not deserve treatment at the
hands Of the generous people up and
down the line There are a number
of business men in this burg whose
souls would rattle in the Uranium Of a
gnat, who are too hopelessly mean,
and mercenary for any use. Some Of
Bottineau's s citizens have disgraced us
in the past by inexcusable greed in
business matters but our crowning
shame occurred oday, when a number
of the Souris boys, who were toiling
in fire and smoke, their clothing
drenched with water and their hands
blistered with the heat, went into a
couple of our leading stores to get some
gloves and these generous ( y mer-
chants instead of being glad to give
the brave fellows, who We're defending
their property from harm the articles
necessary to continue the fight. sold
them as in the usual course OF trade.
Think Of it? With a stock worth
thousands of dollars in jeopardy to
charge a price for an article to be used
in defending it? The man, who, on
such an occasion will exhibit such a
contemplate spirit of greed and in
gratitude is beyond the power Of words
to administer the reproach he so richly
deserves. If all the citizens of our
town were built on so cheap plan as
the parties referred to we would con-
slider the question of better fire protec-
tion hopeless reBut there are some
people here who have an element of
common decency in them and will
blush for the disgrace brought upon us
by some of our leading( ?)citizens =. Z
There was yet another evide nee of a
spirit that was unworthy Of our citi-
zens. AS soon as the Souris boys were
at work a number of our people, in
Guiding some Of the fire, company re-
turned to their respective business
houses and let the Souris boys do the
work. Quite number of our boys
worked though to the finish and all
honor to them for it. Some of the
strangers within our gates did noble
work and most of these had no goods
here to protect and did their part not
with any hope of reward for their
efforts, but for humanitys sake.
There was no loss Of lives, but
one of our boys had a very narrow
escape. Axel Rekken, clerk in w.
r. McIntosh's s hardware store, was
carrying water to the parsonage and
passed the church just as the big brick
chimney fell. A warning shout caused
him to jump aside and as he did so 8
mass of bricks that would have crushed
him struck the ground at his feet. II
was close call. 80
Citizens we have had costly lesson.
Let us wake up. Talk is not enough.
We must act. We should at once
take steps to incorporate as city and
then bond for. waterworks. AS The
Courant has stated before we have
wonderful natural advantages in the