The Falls City tribune. (Falls City, Neb.) 1904-191?, 1910-04-29
salem SWEPT BY Flames
DISASTROUS CONFLAcR cRATlON
VISITS SISTER CITY.
ThaTty-five Building Wiped Out BY
the Fire Business Section
Suffcrs-To Rebuild.

Inc calamity which hit Salem SO
terribly last Saturday has passed.
The plucky little village is fast re-
covering from the shock of her mis-
fortone and is beginning 10 adjust
herself to the altered conditions. The
salemites are not minded to wrap
themselves in sackcloth ami go la
Ioenting amonk the ashes Of their
ruins. Instead, with heroic fortitude
and good sense they are laying plans
and devising means for replacing their
losses with better and vmore stable
buildings.
one of the first acts of the city
eonucil since the fire was to declare
for only brick structures, properly
fire.p proofed for the main street. Al
ready at least four large business
rooms are planned and their erection
provided for They are M. l.. Dowell,
general merchandise; the Salem
Sank, Shildheck Bros, hardware and
furniture, and Malone & Pearson, res
taarant.
9he work of clearing the ruins will
b. begun at once and the construc-
tioa work pushed with all possible
energy to the early completion.
other buildings will be contracted
for as fast as the necessary plans
ard preparations can be made. The
Insurance people are on hand adjust
ing claims and settling up
Tie telephone exchanges have
joined forces and connect2l their
lines to the one station; all wires are
connected UP and communication with
ali points established.
phe loss has been variously esti-
mated at from $4,000 to $3.50, 900.
100000 will probably cover the aotu-
al loss as the burned property was on
ly partially insured. The loss will be
severely felt, especially by those hay-
ine small holdings, representing all
their living.
n all thirty-fiye buildings are
sal, to have burned, representing
some of the best business rooms in
town. as well as some old and time
worn structures. The fire originat-
ed m a small wood dwelling during
the noon hour and while the occu-
pants were at dinner Through a
defective or oVerheated flue the roof
caught fire, and when first noticed
Was all ablaze. The wind was blow
ins hurricane gale and made all
attempts to stay the fire abortiye.
Salem has good reasons to be
grateful that the fire area is not
larger Any change in the wind and
other buildings adjoining would have
been fired and the extent of the
probable damage in that case cannot
be approximated. Many buildings
were fired from sparks falling upon
them and from the great neat but
by heroic efforts on the part of the
fighters. the fire area was restricted
TO It's present proportions.
A dozen or more families are home
less However none are Withhold shell
ter as there is sufficient room in Sa-
lem for their accommodation
me only thing that saved Il @ post
office block from destruction was
the fact that the roofs were of sheet
iron The fire ragged ON three sides
but left the block almost unharmed.
Fireproof roof should be The only
ONES tolerated in town. They cost
little more than shingles and pro
vide large degree of security
against the fire find
sstlam. has no means for fighting
fire This is a serious problem for
every small town TO face Without
any apparatus they are absolutely at
the mercy of wind and flame Some
provision ought to be made TO meet
a visitation OF this kind