Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1905-04-28
DEPOT AND ELEVATOR BURNED.
Fire Sunday Destroyed C. & NV.
Depot and Van Dusen Elevator.


April %, fire was discovered ia the
friegot room of the G.. a. NV. de.
pot. Agent Stimson worked hard
to extinguish the flames in the
freight room and at one time
be supposed he had complete
control of it, but soon discovered
that the fire had caught under the
building and he was powerless to
stay its progress. A large crowd
soon gathered at the alarm of fire
and the hose was attached to a
hydrant and carried as far towards
the depot as possible. However, the
fire could never have been extinguish-
ed except by drowning t1e whole
building. The plank floor aud the
outside platform had, in the course
OF years, become saturated with
oil and burned with a ~ferceness
only equalled by an oil we'll. There
was no plaster used in the construc-
ton Of the depot, or any other
material that would at all stay the
progress of the flames.
As soon as Agent Stimson discov
cred the fire was was beyond control
below be went up stairs and found
the living rooms full of smoke. All
he could do vas to get the family
out of the building. Not a taing
was saved Of the household effects.
Ia less than thirty minutes the
walls of the building had fallen
in.
The end of the Van Dusen eleva-
tor, or rather the coal sheds joining
the elevator on the east, was Just
north of the fiieght room of the de-
pot. When the FIRE was at its hot
test the flames almost reached the
coal shed, aided as they were by a
wind from almost straight south.
Nothing could have prevented the
the coal shed from taking fire. At
the start the hose was too short to
do much toward keeping the fire in
check in the coal shed. Additions a
hose was secured from |. j. Miller's
fire apparatus, but by the time con-
nections were made the flames had
a good start on the elevator.
Jesse Warmers residence, 100 yards
away, was in great danger from the
burning elevator, but a string of
of hose was run out to it and the
roof thoroughly wet. Sparks and
burning shingles fell on the roof, and
all around in the yard. Constant
watching and plenty of water saved
the Warner home.
The railroad company was fortu
nate in that the wind was nthe
south. As it is their water tank and
both their coal sheds remain. The
water tank and th9 constant sup
ply of good water for the engines is
worth more than the depot.
The fire atarted first at the place
where the lamps are filed. From
this place was a drip pipe running
through the floor which accounts
for the rapid spread Of the fire be
meath the building and platform.
The origin of the fire was without
doubt, purely accidental.
A special train brought officials
and workman from Huron at about
Z O'Clock. A box car was placed OH
the coal house track AMI tele-
graph communication established.
On Monday a temporary track vas
laid and box,cars placed for the ac
comodation oil freight.
A new nepot will be commenced
40 oOou 40 VIC uldttCi Soeo
the hands of the officials. What the
material will be, or the exact loca
ton, is not known to the division Of
ficials.
The Van Dusen people will IN
doubtedly rebuild within a short
time. The loss to that concern con-
sisted mostly of the building and
machinery. Very little grain was on
hand. A few tons of soft coal were
consumed, and about so tons of
hard coal damaged aud mixed as to
sizes SO that it bad to be sold at dis
count.