The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1907-11-22
Flames Visit Wholesale Gro
Gerry Sunday Forenoon.
Mice and Matches Supposed to
Have Started the Blaze.
Department Is Called to End
Several Small Affairs.
From MONDAYS Daily.

ETotIl MouudV ) DallV.
The Patterson Mercantile company's
big wholesale grocery plant had a very
narrow escape from complete destruc-
ton by fire yesterday forenoon. Had
the fire that was raging in the pack
ing room on the second floor not been
discovered when it was, or had the
fire department been less efficient than
it is, the damage done would have
been far greater than was the case.
1t was at about 9,30 o'clock that
travelling man, sitting in the front
window of the Clifton House, discover
ed the smoke coming from windows
on the second floor of the Patterson
building An alarm was at once turn
ed in from box 26, and the department
was almost Immediately on the scene.
1t was necessary to break the glass
from the doors and windows in order
to gain entrance to the building. The
fire was then sweeping the packing
room, which is located at the front of
the second floor,
Two streams of water were turned
on, and the firemen in short time had
the fire eXtinguished. Not great
amount of water was used, but the
heavy smoke filled the floor, and some
of it got up into the third floor. Inc fire
was confined to the packing room, ex-
cept that it had begun to work up in
to the third floor through holes burned
through the floor.
How the fire started is a mystery
but it is thought that it started in
a large drygoods box filled with ex-
celsior, which stood we'll up toward
the ceiling near the front end of the
large packing room. 1t may have started
from spontaneous combustion, or from
mice and matches. The excelsior furn-
ished excellent food for the flames, and
they quickly spread to the joists and
flooring above and swept the entire
ceiling and everything that was piled
ligh.
The frremen did remarkably good
work to confine the fire and get it out
so quickly in the wilderness of box
es and packages that filled the room.
The fact that they did not use more
water than was actually needed caused
a great saving in property for little
water ran through the floor and no
goods on the first floor We're damaged.
1t is impossible to estimate the
damage at this time, but the loss to
the stock through fire, water and
particularly smoke will amount into
the thousands. Inc value of the goods
in the packing room was $4,000. The
goods consisted or broken packages
that were being made up for shipment
and included little of all the stock
carried, This fact makes it possible
for the business of the company to
continue uninterruptedly, for the great
er part of all kinds of its stock is
unchanged. Business was proceeding as
usual today, and the firms travelling
men are out Aside from the incon-
venience of adjusting the loss and
making repairs, one would hardly know
that there had been fire.
The company feels grateful to the
fire department for entering the build
ing with so little damage and getting
the fire out quickly with the use of
little water. If the fire department had
not been so prompt, the company
realizes that the fire would have been
a disasterous one e. L. Patterson
the only member of the company in
the city states that the fire furnished
a good test of the ability of the de-
partment, and that Mankato should
be proud of the department.
1t is impossible to give on estimate
of the loss at this time, and it will
be several days before the goods can
all be examined to see what the extent
of the smoke damage was. The loss will
not be heavy, comparatively speaking
and it is fully covered by insurance.
The fire department was called out
an hour before the Patterson fife was
discovered by an alarm sent in from
box IL, because of slight blaze in
Mr.. Behnhart's house on North Second
street. 1t is reported that man had