New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1904-03-30
RESIDENCE Quilted BY FIRE
Flames Destroy Home of Samuel
%. Peterson.
Hot Air Furnace Responsible For
Conf1agration.
Dwelling Very Badly Damaged
Only Shell Remains.

Fire which broke out in Representa-
tive S. D. Peterson IS residence at the
| corner of Minnesota and Second South
streets shortly before noon Saturday
practically destroyed the building and
caused loss variously estimated from
600 to $4,000. Inside Of two hours
! MIR. Peterson and his family were rem
dered homeless and much of their fur
niture was ruined or damaged. 1t was
themost destructive contiagration that
| New Ulm has witnessed since the Van
| Deusen elevator fire seven years ago.
| An over-heated radiation pipe con-
nected with hot air furnace is thought
| to have caused the blaze. In Mr.. Peter
sons dwelling these pipes run upward
to the second story through the walls
and it is supposed that one of them be-
came too warm and the wood ignited.
Only ten minutes before the fire was
discovered Arnold Gulden, an employe
of Mr.. Peterson and whose duties COM
prise tending the furnace, visited the
basement. He did not see anything
wrong with the furnace and is confident
that the fire did not originate in the
cellar.
About twenty minutes to twelve, how
ever, Miss Susan G. Hohmann, prin-
ipal of the high school and boarder
at the Peterson home, noticed smoke
issuing from a register in her room.
She gave the alarm at once but in a
very few minutes flames broke out in
several of the apartments on the upper
floor. AS the fire appeared at different
points almost simultaneously it is the
theory that it had been smouldering in
the walls for some hours and did not
gain great Roadway until discovered.
An alarm was turned in from Box
81 and the department responded but
when the firemen reached the scene
they found themselves confronted with
several difficulties. Dense smoke filed
all the rooms, even to the basement,
and as the fire was concealed in the
walls it was very hard to work effective
ly. Flames would appear in one place
and be extinguished only to break out
at another, and in this way it was
ordinarily have been the case. The de-
partment was successful in combining
the flames to the burning house, how
ever, and at no time were adjacent
buildings threatened by flying sparks.
When the fire was put out it was
found that only shell of the building
remained. The roof of the south wing
was d total wreck and the walls and
partitions eaten away. In the early
stages of the fire a salvage brigade
succeeded in saving a piano belong
ing to Mrs. Peterson and another the
property Of Miss Ida McCabe. Both
instruments were damaged, as were
also large number of other house
hold articles carried out and Mr..
Peterson's valuable library. To this
water contributed as much or more
than fire and all the carpets and
draperies were ruined.
The owner of the building estimates
the damage to the structure at $4,000,
the total cost of erection having been
between So, 600 and $4,000. His house.
hold goods and chattels he valued at
$1,000 or S., 900 but the loss on these
cannot be reckoned, although it will
probably reach 40per cent. In addition
the Misses Susan @. Hohmann, Ida
McCabe, Mary Fitzpatrick and Jessie
K. Hummel lost clothing and personal
effects having an aggregate value of
$500 Or 5000. Mr.. Peterson carried
49, 900 insurance on the building in the
Springfield Fire & Marine Insurance
company and 81, 700 on his furniture
in the Firemen's Fund but the property
of the young ladies was not insured.
Temporarily Mr.. Peterson and family
will occupy Geo. Doehne's cottage on
Second South street.