Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1907-08-29
HEAVY FIRE LOSS
High Wind Drove Disastrous Fire
Into Business Part Of
Town,

Ellendale,' N. D. ,Aug.27. Especially
-El]endale has her heroic fire fight
ers, but unfortunately she is without
her water power or any systematized
fire fighting apparatus, as result Of
which this town on Sunday afternoon
lost property to the value of $40, 900,
with probably no more than Ss, 1000
insurance.
The fire started about l 80 p.m in
a manger of Lovell's livery barn,
close to the depot, and spread with
great rapidity, owing to the heavy
south wind to the upper portion Of
the frame structure. and within live
minutes the blaze had jumped to
Roses barn and from there whipped
over A. Griffin's house and.barn. 1t
then backed..toward Main street land
Mr.. Griffin store, valued at 81 200
soon was in flames.
The wind knew no abatement, and
was soon blowing sparks toward the
residential district. Men, women
and children we're seen running IN
and out Of their homes, bent on saw
ing what little was possible. After
the fire had started up Main street
apparently bent on burning the whole
town, a providential ..change in the
course Of the wind from south to
southeast, in the nick of time, sent
the flames blowing toward the Mil
waukee depot, away from town. At
this juncture, $3.50 p. n1., the volun-
teer bucket brigade consisting of al
most every patriotic citizen of Ellen
dale who could be pressed into SER
vice did its best and hardest work,
at Bergendahl's store, just beyond
Randall's store which had fallen in
with loss of fully $4,000 though
Mr.. Randall believes that he was able
to save at least half of his stock,
which he valued aJ SIS, GOO. With wet
blankets, buckets of water, hose,
piping and anything imaginable,
which would hold water. the men
fought like real 1iremen of the met
ropOlitan cities, with the result that
the fire was checked at this point on
it's travel up Main street. But the
danger point was far from passed,
for sparks we're flying high toward
the northwest, and. set. fire to several
small structures and one or two
dwelling houses, as well as two
barns.
The fire destroyed in all, fourteen
buildings, in two blocks Of the beau
tiul county seat of Dickey county.
Some Of the losers and their estimat-
ed losses follow
6. Rose, barn 5000: G. Randall,
general store, $1,000 on stock: 6.
Randall, general store, $4,000 on
building; A. Griffin, store, just fin
ishcd, 1000; a. Griffin, barn and
dwelling house, $1,000; Hecnlcsmilles.
pool room and dwelling house, So, 900;
Lovells' livery barn, $4,000: Lovcll's
three holses, $3.50: Ed Robinson, far
mer, one team. $500; Weist, wagon
shop, $1,000; f. Merling, house,
5000: Nathan's hardware store 81 800;
other buildings, $4,000.
One of the most cathetic features
of the con6agation was that in con-
nection with the losses sustained by
A. Griffin, one....of The most promi-
nent.citizens of the town, man
closely treading upon his allotted
four score years and ten. Mr.. Griffin
is retired farmer, who has spent
the past 25 years in bull ding Up a
small fortune, only to lose it all in
the fire of Sunday afternoon. 1t
was early this year that Mr.. Griffin
sold his farm on the east side of the
bluffs, close to Glendale, and decid-
ed to spend his last days quietly with
his wife and family in the town of
Glendale, where early this summer
he invested all his fortune. practical
ly, In the construction OF home,
out-buildings, including a magnif-
cent barn, and a store which he was
just finishing, expecting.soon to be
able to rent 1t. But..fate was against
him and had decreed differently. 1t
brought tears.to many a bard -handed
man of toll of the community to see
this old man standing calmly by and
watching his all 20 toward the clouds
In smoke, all because, probably, some
boy with lighted. cigarette, or some
hobo with lighted pipe, dropped
some burning ashes in the hay Of a
manger. The poor old man stood IL
as best he could. Hardly could he
speak but tears rolled from his eyes,
something unusual for a :.man who
had roughed it practically ali his
life. He has decided not TO rebuild
bis store, but It Is probably that the
others who lost BY the IRE, will re-