The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1909-01-10
ALMOST HALF OF BUSINESS DIS.
TRIcT REDUCED TO PILE
OF sMoLDERINo RUINS.
ENTIRE BLOCK IS BURNED.
Flames Originating in Restaurant
From Unknown Cause Spread Rapid
" and Lack of Apparatus to Fight
the ConfIasraton Necessitaties Use
OF Dynamite to Check Destruction.
Special to The Daily Missoulian.

| opeclaI 10 Inc DAILY MisSoulian
| Thompson Falls, Jan. 9-As the re.
| suit of fire which started In a res.
| taurant adjoining II. Florin's Silve,
Dollar saloon, from causes that are
| unknown at this time. one of Thomn.
sons business blocks is a pile OF
smoldering ruins. The fire started
| abuot a. m. and gained rapid head.
way, wiping out nine business estab-
lishments in short space of two
hours. The fire was checked by the
use of dynamite applied to the build
ing belonging to Mrs. Scott Barnes
and occupied by the First State bank
Attorney Ainsworth and lodging
house. To save the block to the west.
ward extraordinary measures were
necessary.
The following business houses were
destroyed: Silver Dollar saloon, prop
erty of II. F1orin; a restaurant ad-
joining the saloon, totally destroyed; !;
ID. V. Herriott's general merchandise
store, totally destroyed only a very
small portion OF the stock being saved !;
the Blue Front saloon. owned by Scott
Barnes, totally destroyed. Most of
adjoining property, owned by D. V.
Herriott, was next consumed. 1t was
occupied by e. c.. Day as a barber
shop. Mr.. Day saved his fixtures. The
corner structure, a storey build
Ing, was afire when razed by dyna-
mite. The ground floor was occupied
by the First State bank and the law
offices Of A. S. Ainsworth; the upper
floor was used as lodging apartments
The building was the property Of Mrs
Scott Barnes and was totally de-
stroyed
Fixtures Saved.
The bank fixtures, books and valu-
ables not locked up in the safe, which
is enclosed in a brick vault built
around It, were saved The vault is
still intact but 1t is impossible at this
time to find out how much the safe
has suffered from the terrific heat.
Attorney Ainsworth's law library
and office furniture were saved Here
the fire was controlled and though the
occupants of the next block moved
their effects into the street, the fire
did not get beyond the street inter-
vening. The Exchange saloon build
ing was scorched, but not seriously.
The big window facing the Florin sa-
loon in the Thompson Falls Mercantile
company's store was reduced to frag-
ments from the heat otherwise the
store escaped damage.
The buildings destroyed were all
frame structures, built in the early
days of Thompson, and although the
buildings proper were not of great
value, the stock they housed repre-
sented a large amount of money. d.
v. Herriott suffered heavily and he
carried no insurance on the building
or stock. The male population of the
town responded nobly and worked like
Trojans to save what they could. Ev-
cry building in the block beyond was
stripped Of everything movable and
goods were piled in the street, only to
be carried back again when danger
from the fire had subsided.
Seriously Injured.
K. H. Dowell met with the only ac.
cident and 1t Is feared that his hurts
are of serious nature. He was one
Of the first to lend his help and was
hurt by being struck with a piece of
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