The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1912-02-15
COLD SNAP FIRES
Blazes in Sub-Zero Temperature
Cause Discomfort
flgEMfN,S GOOD WORK
Sduk Centre Department Puts Per.
s6Hal Comfort Aside as Usual
and Does Its Duty

Two hfeS last week in SuD-Zer0 tenn
pesature caused much personal dis
c3eafort to the members of the Sank
Centre fire department and caused
losses aggregating something like
81. 900 with insurance practically COW
ering the losses. The first one occur
red on Wednesday evening. the alarm
being sent in at 7:l0. The scene of
action was the residence of n. F. Mel
son near the Northwestern Radiator
factory. The fire was caused by defec-
Tive ttues and was hard one to fight
fer several reasons. First and fore
most stood the fact that but one
stream could be turned upon the fire,
as the hydrant was 800 feet away.
This precluded the possibility of lay
ing more then one hose. Then, again,
the fire was stubborn and spread
throughout the structure rapidly, APP
pearing first here, then there, and in
order to get at it, axes had to be used
frequently and partitions chopped
away.
The temperature was far below the
zero point and a cutting north wind
from Sank Lake swept the plateau
upon which the house stood. For
searly four hours the department
fought stubborn fight and finally
Yon, but at the expense of their COM
,art. There were. numerous chilled
{sHdss anu feet, frozen ears and frost
~ cheeks. out the boys paid little at
tantion tothings ike that: they were
there to fight fire and they fought it
bravely and wei. It was near mid
night when the department reeled its
hose and returned to the city hall:
but they returned with the conscious
ness of duty well performed.
Mr.. Nelson lost all his household
furniture and personal effects. The
house was completely Quilted, nothing
out a shell remaining standing. The
loss on the house was $500 with
81, 200 insurance. T he household
goods, total loss, were insured for
s.. 900.
The department did not have long
Ito rest before it had to hustle out
and fight another fire. This time it
was in the building on NJ i n
street owned by Mrs. E. L. Hedin and
occupied by Mrs. J. F. Coyle as mil
linery store. This fire broke out at
$40 p. m. Thursday.
Mrs. Coyle was starting fire and
had the stove partly filed with light
rubbish Opening the stove door to
put in more fuel, the fire burst out
in front and caught in Mrs. Coyle's
apron and some light material she had
i'm her. hands. She threw this from
her and devoted her attention to
auenching the fire in her clothing,
succeeding in a short time. Mean
time other articles in the room caught
and an alarm was turned in.
The department was on hand with
the apparatus in short order. There
was not very much fire, but the build
ing was damaged by smoke and water,
while a large part of the millinery
stock was ruined. The fire, being in
the first story, and owing to the dense
smoke, was hard to fight. However,
it was subdued in an hour or less and
the hose reeled up and taken to the
city hall.
The loss on the building was about
ls125 covered with $500 insurance.
Mrs. Coyle valued her stock at about
$500. Her loss was less than that.
She carried insurance amounting to
$3.50. At the time of this fire the
mercury registered something like
ten below zero, and the apparatus