Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1906-10-24
WEsTBERC .. BLOCK BURNS

/ WEEsTBERc We! ]; b! ! BLOCK / BURNS
Early Sunday N orning Blaze Results In
Heavy Loss to Owners and Rent.
ers of Building.
| The Westberg block was partly de-
stroyed by fire early Sunday morning.
resulting in an aggregate loss of
several thousand dollars to the own
ers, A. H. Westberg and G. B. Carl
son, and some of the business houses
occupying the block.
The following suffered losses: C. A.
Baklund, whose photograph. gallery
is on the second floor, practically
total loss; D. Elmquist, jeweler, first
floor, stock damaged mostly by smoke
and water and breakage in removing;
- EDWARD EmbertsOn, confectionery,
first floor, entire stock practically
destroyed by smoke and water; Per-
son Il Johnson, cigar factory, loss in
tobacco stored in rear of factory, to
the amount, of five hundred dollars,
fully covered by insurance; A. Scud-
der, grocery butchers outfit, fruit and
glass jars and fixtures stored over
Emberts ms confectionery store, loss
about S75,- fully covered by insurance;
e. G. Hawkins, steam laundry, loss
occasioned mostly by water and in.
convenience to business; Anderson
Bros, jewelers., front storm windows
stored in store room over confection-
cry store, practically a complete, loss.
The owners of the block lost all of
their storm doors and windows be-
longing to the building, which were
also stored at the same place.
AS near as we can learn at this writ
ing the different losses are, about as
follows: Messers Westberg and Carl
son, loss :on, building about $500.
Mr.. Westberg carried an insurance of
5000 on his half interest and Mr..
Carlson, $3.50. OF the occupants of
the block, Mr.. Baklund was the
heaviest loser. His insurance in
stock and fixtures in the gallery
amounted to $1,000, which will not
cover the loss. Most of the damage
was done by smoke and water. In the
work room, where it, thought the
fire originated, there were. over four
hundred finished photographs on
which the work had just been complet-
ed. Practically everything in this
room suffered from the flames: Mr..
Elmquist suffered a loss. which is
practically covered by an insurance
of $780, His stock was removed to-
the Olof Sandbo confectionery store,
where temporary quarters are estab-
lished in the apartment that has been
used as an ice cream parlor. Mr..
Embertson's loss was about $40o,
with an insurance of $500 on his stock.
He had just received a large consign-
ment of tobacco and cigars. Mr.
Hawkins, proprietor. of the Willmar
Steam Laundry, estimates his loss at
from $3.50 to 5000. This was mostly
from the water which soaked his
Laundry plant located on the. first
foor'o OF the building which is owned
|solely by Mr.. Westberg. He carried
an ipsur ance Of $500. Fortunately
nearly all the laundered articles had
been taken out by patrons on Satur@
day evening. The upper ioor is used
by Mr.. Westberg as a storage room
and this. was badly scorched. - The
owner suffered: a small loss *on.i the
goods stored there ~. ::@'@s*zi
+. The. fire was discovered at: about
1890 o clock, when it had reached the
Embertson store. This was all in
flames on the floor above and was
burning thru the ceiling at the time.
When the fire department. arrived,
with the aid of some OF the citizens
the fire was finally located. It had
apparently started in the southwest
corner of the photograph gallery work
room and worked it's way thru to the
adjoining building on the west The
laund dry building is brick-veneered,
but a wooden door in the wall allowed
the flames to continue their work of
destruction and the upper floor was
consequently badly scorched before
the fire could be. checked. It was a
wet and disagreeable night and the
stubborn !, blaze, gave the fremen
hard fight to stay its progress. A
line of hose run thru the gallery hall
way from the east side finally gave
them an opportunity to throw a good
stream thru the building.
: The origin of the fire is a mystery:
A.. Sandven, who is employed at the
Baklund: gallery had left. the place
shortly after nine. O'Clock and to his
knowledge there was nothing there
from which the fire could have start
ed. -. ,z=s@> ~ ~ : -s $ .''
The different adjusters for the in
surance, companies will have all the
losses adjusted this week, some of
them having already been in the city.