The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1912-02-16
FARM HOME IS Rl|IhtD;;
FLAMES cp,,r HAVOC


liv\ ~ belgrade township four
mileM from Mankato, was in the
city trading yesterday afternoon, HIS
wife discovered smoke in the farm
house after returning from the sta.
BILE where she had fed the chick
ems, and although a desperate effort
was made to save the house, the
flames consumed the entire building.
Today Mr.. and Mrs. Nick Steinbach
and family are houseless.
Mrs. Steinbach returned from, the
barn yesterday about one o'clock
when she discovered smoke upstairs.
She ran down Immediately and gath
ering up her two children escaped
from the fire. She then instructed
her little five-year-old son to give
the alarm by running to the school
house a half a mile distant. The lit
tie boy rushed off and cried out to
the children at school. John Kelt-
gen heard the cries of the little
boy, and rode horseback to the farm
home of Mrs. G.. Torngren. A tefe>
phone call was then made to the
home of Ed Farrar, who started
for the Steinbach home.
Flames Gained Headway.
When Mr. Farrar arrived the
flames had gained considerable head
way, but he managed to carry out
everything downstairs. but the fur
niture and bed clothing upstairs
were destroyed. The potatoes and
vegetables were also burned.
1t was impossible to save the
house, and before long there re-
NAMED but a mass of smoldering
ruins. A telephone call was sent to
Mankato in an attempt to find Mr..
Steinbach, but he did not hear of
the fire until he returned home.
Neighbors took care of the family
last night and some efforts will be
made today to care for the family
until other quarters can be secured.
This loss falls particularly hard on
Mr.. Steinbach as he had just finish
ed an addition to the house. There
was no insurance on the addition
and very little on the house.
..-....,.. Fire This Morning..
The fire department. was called
out on hurry call early this
morning, when a cusPidors In the
Flo. Pugh & Brockmeyer store
caught fire. The flames burned
through the floor and did consider
able damage to the oaken counter
and open groceries. The ffremep
hurriedly threw out the cuspidor
that was the cause of it, and then
the counter. The flames We're put
out with the chemical apparatus
The. delivery boy while passing
to the barn, saw flames through
the window and turned in the alarm
from box No. Al at 6.4S this morn
ing. A telephone call prosecuted the
box still alarm, however. Gf.
place Filled with Smoke.
When the firemen arrived. they
found the place filled with smoke,
and the oak counters just begin
ming to become ignited. After throw
ing these out, the chemicals were
applied. and the flames were soon
extinguished. 1t is believed that a
burning cigar stump was thrown m
to the cnspidor which is made OF
fibre, and filled with sawdust, Whicn
was the cause of the fire.
The loss is estimated at between
$500 and $500, as considerable OF
the groceries were damaged oy
smoke. 1t is fully covered by insur-
ance.
But Little Was Saved.
One hundred bushels of potatoes
in the cellar were baked, and most
all the preserves that were prepar-
ed by Mrs. Steinbach last fall are
DESTROYED. But little clothing was
saved. A heating stove, range ana
a cream separator were gotten out
of the house.
There was $4OO insurance on the
building. The loss will foot up TO
$4,000.
The insurance was carried In the
st. Peter Farmers Institute COM
pany.