The Calumet news., 1910-09-19
COAL DOCK AT
RIPLEY BURNS
FIRE DESTROYS COAL PILES AND
Bull DING OF THE PORTAGE
LAKE FOUNDRY AND MA
cHiNERY COMPANY.

A fire which started at about half
past / o'clock Sunday morning i'm the
coal sheds and dock of the Portage
Lake Foundry and Machinery COM
pany at Ripley. did damage estimated
at about fifteen thousand dollars the
large warehouse and coal shed being
entirely destroyed together with their
contents , including about a thousand
tons OF coal.
The fire was first noticed at about
twenty minutes OF by Ed Sanquist,
the night watchman of the plant, who
sounded an alarm by blowing the
foundry whistle. The signal was taken
up by the Houghton fire whistle which
sounded general alarm. and then by
the Hancock fire alarm whistle. Arous-
ed by the din, hundreds of residents
of both towns started from their slum-
bers and sought points from which TO
view the blaze. which quickly attained
large proportions and presented
scene of grandeur, lighting with its
glare the buildings on both the Han
cock and Houghton sides of Portage
Lake as the flames darted slyward
and scattered showers OF sparks and
cinders.
A force of volunteer flremen from
Ripley quickly gathered at the scene
of the nre, and with the foundry hose
attached To one of the hydrants i'm the
machine shop yard, devoted their at
tcntion to preventing the fire from
spreading to adjacent buildings and
lumber piles. The large pattern shop.
a huge frame structure located TO the
south west of the burning warehouse,
was in imminent danger, and bucket
brigade was formed of boys and men,
who with pals. kept the roof wet ana
quenched the sparks that fell upon It,
Several lumber piles caught fire and
the top layers of boards were consum-
ed but stream OF water assiduously
applied prevented their utter destruc-
tion.
There was some delay in the arriv-
al of the Hancock fire department
with it's steamer, owing to the fact
that the engine was stored at the
pumping station in West Hancock.
there being insufficient accommoda-
tions in the engine house. A team
was sent after it and the department
with a large supply of hose hastened
with all possible speed to the scene
of the fire. The steamer was located
on the boat dock just east of the burn
ing storehouse, and after a slight fur
ther delay in getting up steam, sew
eral lines of hose were put into COM
mission and the work of suppressing
the fire was vigorously prosecuted.
The Houghton fire department arrived
shortly after the Hancock firemen,
their steamer being brought across the
lake on n scow towed by the tug Val
erie, the latter remaining at the
scene and pumping n stream OF water
upon the burning structures from the
lake front.
The fire had made such headway
before the fire lighting apparatus could
be brought to the scene that when they
got there, the DlS WdiehouSS w."
burned to the ground and the great
piles of coal were blazing fiercely'
sending up dense volumes of choking
black smoke. A few moments WORK
sufIiced to wet the coal and put out the
blaze and i'm the course of half an hour
or so the blaze was under control and
further danger of its spreading avert
ed.
The burned warehouse contained
large quantity of finished machinery
supplies of various kinds, n large mum
ber of patterns and other materials
tho destruction of which entaiieo
heavy loss. constituting in fact the
greater mart of the loss resulting from
the fire.
The cause of the fire Is unknown
There had been no casting done in th'
foundrv for two or three days so there
was no possibility of the warehouses
being ignited from sparks from thi'
source. the only casting done Saturua!
being at the Hodge plant, controlie'
DIV the SAME firm. Parties crossing th'
countv bridge at about n quarter nj
ter II state that at that hour ther'
wore M signs of a fire in the vicinit!