The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1907-02-28
FIRE DESTROYS ]. N. Will
SONS CLOTHING STORE
Popular Minot Merchant is Heavy Loser.
Origin of Fire not Known - Firemen
Respond Promptly but Unable to
Get at Fire in Time--WisOn
Family Had A Mar
row Escape.

row i
About 1 O'Clock Wednesday
morning fire broke out in John
M. Wilson's clothing store, on
North Main Street, completely
quitting the structure. A 927,-
600 stock of goods, including
gents furnishings, shoesetc., was
entirely burned, it being imposs-
ible to save as much as q collar.
The loss is a very severe one to
Mr.. Wilson and while he was
quite we'll insured, the insurance
will not nearly cover the value Of
the immense stock which he car
ried. Mr.. Wilson, wife and two
children, who lived in rooms over
the store, barely escaped with
their lives and were unable to
save a single one of their belong
ings. Mr.. Wilson himself bare
ly managed to slip on a pair OF
shoes and a few clothes and as
sist his family into the alley at
the rear of the store. Mrs. Will
sou and children were provided
with heavy wraps at once and
were taken to the Hotel Dacotah.
-Four fire alarms were turned
in. The firemen made q good
run and soon had the those at
tached. 1t appeared at first as
if there would be no trouble in
quenching the blaze which had
not grown to very large proper
tions. An effort was made to
take the hose into the store thru
the front.
julius Weinribe, a former en-
ploye of the store, happened to
be at the Reporter office with q
crowd of friends when he heard
that fire had started in the store,
the first door south of Wilson's
store. He went out on the street
and looked in the store but says
he did not see any blaze. He
went around to the rear OF the
store and wenU up stairs where
the Wilson's lived and saw Mrs.
Wilson in the hall way. Mrs.
Wilson was not provided with
warm wraps, 80 Mr.. Weinribe
took off his overcoat and threw
this around Mrs. Wilson. They
managed to get a few comforters
and with these the children were
wrapped.
The whole family was sleeping
soundly when the fire started.
Ernest Enderlin who roomed
over the store was perhaps the
first to notice the fire. He states
that the smoke awoke him and
he hurried out with his trunk.
1t was about this time that Mr..
Wilson and family were notified.
The smoke was coming up into
their rooms badly and it is more
luck thar anything else that they
were not suffocated.
Mr.. Weinribe, who is familiar
with the store, secured the keys
from Mr.. Wilson and opened the
front door. He thought that
perhaps if the store was doomed,
he would be able with the help Of
others to remove some Of the
goods from the store, but on
opening the door he attempted
to enter, but before he had gone
four feet, the smoke drove him
back.
MIR. Wilson had one Of the best
stocks of furnishings in the city.
He had an unusually large stock
which would invoice at in the
neighborhood of $4,000. Only
this week his spring goods began
to arrive and perhaps $4,000
worth were unpacked a day or
two before the fire. Other goods
have been shipped and are ex-
pected to arrive daily, but it is
believed that the companies that
sold them, will gladly receive
them back owing to the circum-
stances.
The building was one of the
best in the city and the walls
stood the ordeal very well. The
building was erected six or seven
years ago at q cost OF nine or
ten thousand dollars and could
not be replaced now at consider
able more. The total loss by fire
may reach $40, 900 but there is
q partial insurance. Sixteen
thousand on the stock and $S, 600
on the building.
Mr.. Wilson had just completed
some improvements at his store,
and was preparing for a larger
spring business than ever before.
There is no more popular bust
/ IL a