The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1913-12-26

Fire last night destroyed nearly
all OF the buildings and property of
the North Star Concrete company.
owned by d. w. Radichel, in West
Mankato, entailing a loss of about
$4,000 with about $4,000 insurance.
Shortly before three o'clock this
morning a telephone call came to
the Central station to the effect that
there was a fire in West Mankato. but
the person sending in the call hung
up the receiver without informing
the fremen of any of the particu.
lars. In a few minutes the phone
rang again and this time the party
sounding the alarm said that the
fire was in the neighborhood Of Sib-
ley park. Only part Of the appar-
atuS responded TO this alarm and
when the firemen arrived on the
ground and learned the serious ma
mre of the fire the balance of the
equipment was summoned.
Hose was laid and the office build
ing was saved, but the fire had
gained such Roadway in the plant
that it was impossible to do any
thing 10 stay its destruction. The
buildings as well as the storage
sheds were burned to the ground.
The fire had made such rapid
Roadway that it was impossible to
locate the spot where the blaze had
started, but it is thought that it
originated near the motors in the
machinery room and may have come
from bad wire connections.
Machinery Badly Damaged.
Besides the damage to the build
ines. a concrete mixer, two mould
ing machines and two motors were
burned and 5000 worth of empty con-
crete sacks, that were ready to re-
turn TO the manufacturers were so
badly burned on the ends that they
will not be accepted by the cement
men. A carload of cement that had
Just been unloaded stood in the mid
die OF the blaze and the sacks were
burned badly and the value of the
cement is thought to be impaired.
It is said that a rear door Of the
plant was found open when the fire
was discovered and this points to
the fact that the fire may have been
started by human means, but moth
ing more was discovered to lend en-.
enlargement to this opinion.
d. w. Radichel, when interviewed
regarding the fire said that he was
at a loss to know how the fire
started. He said that the work of
reconstructing the plant would be-
gin at once and this time it would
be made as nearly fireproof as pos
sible This is one of the leading
industries of this city and employs
in the neighborhood of twenty-five
men.
Yesterday afternoon Mr.. Radichel
was awarded the contract for dig
ging and thing county ditch number
"a and the loss in the factory comes
at very bad time.
o. w. Walker who carried the in
surance on the plant, made an ad-
justment this morning.
From THURSDAYS Daily.
Charles B. Scoville died at seven
o'clock last night at his home, 324
South Second street, of heart trouble
following several sinking spells with
in the last few weeks. Mr.. Scoville
was born February ., 1856 at Beav-
er Dam, Wis. AS a young man he
was employed by the Western Union
Telegraph company in construction
work, and came to Mankato during
the eighties when the Cannon Valley
line was built lore. Years ago
he was a pilot Gil the Mississippi
river
About twenty years ago he suf-
fered a stroke of paralysis in DEN
yer, which partially disabled him,
and he came to Mankato shortly after
that time. He, was employed by
George Atchison in the hack line
office, and later by Eugene Coy.
After that he was employed as desk
sergeant of the police force until
last spring.
Mr.. Scoville is survived by two
sisters, Mrs. w. II. Pay of this city
and Mrs. C. A. Richardson of Vino
ma, and one brother, w. H. Cram
of Milwaukee, Wis. Mrs. Pay and
her husband were with him at the
time of his death.
The funeral will be held at two
o'clock tomorrow afternoon from
Landowners undertaking rooms I'M
or the auspices of the Order Of
Eagles Of which he was member
Thought 1t was Earth Quake.
From thursdays Daily.
Resident of the north end of
town were startled yesterday after
noon by what they Thought for a
second was baby earthquake. Sew
eral persons. say they. felt shaking
which they believed to, be like an
earth quake. No explanation has
been made as to the cause of the
sensation.
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