The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1906-03-02
Firemen Had Hard Time Fighting Fire
Because Of Trains Passing.
MONEY BOX LOST IN the FLAMES.
An Early Sundsy Morning Affair;
Scene Took Place Near
the Gas Works.
From Mondays Daily.
.iiiea !. - q. s win

From Mondays Daily. M
Fire Saturday night routed Joseph
Fiddlemeyer and his wife out of their
house, making their exit through Il sec
ond story window, the only stairway in
the house being cut off by the flames.
Mr.. Fiddlemeyer, who is employed by
the Standard Brewing company, lives at
2l2 West Rock street, in house owned
by Mrs. Catherine Cole, an aged widow,
and grandmother of Captain Funk of
the central fire station. 1t was at l2:l5
a. m. when the fire department was
called out by an alarm sent in from
box II.
How the fire started is not known,
but it is thought that it must have
started from the kitchen stove, as there
was no fire in any other stove in the
house. Mr.. and Mrs. Fiddlemeyer, who
are recently married couple, live alone
in the house, and their sleeping apart
ment is on the second floor. The first
that they knew of the fire was when
they were awakened by the smoke and
cracking of flames in the rear portion
of the house. As the stairway leading
from the kitchen was the only one and
was cut off by the flames, the couple
were obliged to climb from a window to
the roof of leanto below and so 20 the
ground They made their escape in. SAT-
ETY., although in scanty attire.
The fremen were greatly handicapped
by the fact that the hose had to be laid
across the railroad tracks. Three times
the water had to be shut off and the
hose uncoupled so as to allow trains to
pass, and during each of these delays
the flames sprang up again and gained
Roadway, when they had been almost
extinguished. Then, when the fire was
finally nearly out, an Omaha freight
train came around the curve at a rapid
speed and ran over the hose, cutting il
in two. The alley leading to the only
hydrant on the west side of the tracks
was blocked by plank, but a line OF
hose was finally attached to it and the
fire put out. 1t was nearly four O'Clock
in the morning before the firemen left
the place.
While the walls of the house are
standing, it was badly burned away OF
the interior and about the roof. The
damage to the house will be something
like $780, The building was not insur
ed. Mrs. Cole had carried insurance Oh
it in a company that recently failed
and did not renew it in another com
pany.
A good deal of the furniture and
household goods owned by the Fiddle
meyers was carried in safety from the
house by the neighbors, but still there
was a good deal lost They carried $500
insurance, which will more than cover
the loss.
The Fiddlemeyers kept box contain
ing $50 in money between the mattress
and the springs of their bed, and this
became burned or lost in come way, al
though the mattress did not burn. The
box contained $50 in bills and $40 in
silver.
When the Fiddlemeyers retired Sat
urday evening there was some fire in
the stove, but there was no thought OF
danger.
The fire illustrates the need for an
other hydrant on the west side of the
railroad tracks, where the large factory
buildings are located. The hose that
crossed the tracks Saturday night was
disconnected only for such trains as
had to pass, and the yard became con-
gested with others that were waiting
| to get by. The crossing was blocked
for some time after the hose was tax,
en- UP. In case of fire in the factory dis
trict the one hydrant could not supply
the necessary amount of water needed
for each additional hose attached would
take from the pressure.