The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1913-10-03
0. ]. BARNES CO.
IS BADLY Quilted.
Loss on Contents, Except
Stored Furniture, and the
Building, Protected.
TWO UPPER FLOORS
SWEPT BY FLAMES
Eeritablc Flood Saves Part Of Lowe,
Portion OF Structure-Walls With.
stand Heat and They are Sound
Produce Man Continues Business

ted the Interior of the q. j.
narhes company produce and Inn.
p!ement house at Third street and
University avenue, a loss of be.
tween S2O.OOO and $780, was in.
dfcted. Mr.. barnes believes the
hre was started by some trans
Rressor on the premises.
estimated at between 90. 900 and
$4,000. fully covered by insurance
aggregating 411,70O.
George b. Clifford of Nfinneapo.
liz. owner Of the building. sus.
tanned loss estimated at between
$4,000 and 5000. also fully Gov.
cred by insurance.
Owners of furniture stored in
the third floor OF the building sus.
famed losses estimated at from
SS.OOO to $4,000, on which the
insurance falls far short. The I'm.
surance may not be over five per
cent OF the total loss.
Ihe question Of salvage makes
estimates Of the loss on contents
very uncertain.
Upper Floors Fire swept.
The second and third floors wore
completely gutted; the north half of
the first floor to dividing wali ex-
tending across the structure about
thirty or forty feet back from the
front elevation, was dropped into the
basement, as was the center portion
Of this floor In the basement the loss
Is confined to the extreme rear except
from water.
Reconstruction Plans Uncertain.
Plans Of George B, Clifford in the
cleaning up Of the wreckaae. and re-
~ Sns,fE ~ b
certain, and nothing definite will be
Known till he inspects the structure.
All Of the walls remain standing, and
the loss is comparatively light. the
total value Of the building being be-
tween $4,000 and $4,000. The build
ing was erected in 1896 for the Grand
Forks Woolen mills.
Heavy Salvage on Contents.
There will be heavy salvage on the
o. j. Barnes stock Of potatoes, grain,
machinery. etc. In fact, very little f
the machinery was damaged. while
buggies which were stored in the front
part Of the first floor were only slight
ly damaged by water and smoke.
No Interruption in Business.
Mr.. Barnes continued business with
out interruption. removing his Offices
to the building formerly occupied by
Rasmussen & Bemis. and at once es-
himself there.
Fire on -Four Floors.
There was fire on four floors of the
building when the alarm was sounded,
the flames then being confined to the
rear Of the bilding, and evidently hav-
ing started on the first floor, shooting
upwards through an elevator shaft
and stairway.
Even the roof had taken fire ana
blazing embers were flying from It
when the alarm was turned in from
the Northern Pacific depot, the fire
having been discovered by c. D. Kelley
on his way to the depot.
Hard to Reach Third Floor.
Three lines of hose were playing on
the flames before second alarm was
and within a short time ten
lines of hose had been laid and were
water into the structure, but
gine into play before much water
could be thrown into the third floor.
With this amount Of water flooding
the structure, the fire was brought un-
der control after about two hours
work. Two million gallons Of water
was used.
Furniture Creates Veritable Furnace.
The flames. going up the elevator
shaft, entered the third floor which
was filled with furniture. There. be-
yond the reach Of the water. the fire
ragged for an hour, licking up every
thing. 1t was by flooding the floor Of
the third story that the flames were
prevented from passing back to the
second floor, they having been quench-
ed at the rear of the building.
vEyho,, ha roof foil hnmouap ~ NaR.
ried the third floor with it, giving the
fremen new trouble.
Good Work by Department.
In preventing the fire from entering
the extreme front Of the structure. as
and third floors for the heaviest dam
age. the Grand Forks fire department
did exceptionally good work. 1t ap-
peared that the entire structure was
doomed when the department arrived.
as the fire. sweeping up through the
elevator shaft and stairway. had big
start. The blaze started on the wind
ward side of the building, and with
cracking early. terrific draft
vas created.
Two million gallons Of water was
nearly noon before the last line Of hose
vas taken off.
Fire in Basement of First Floor.
Chief John Fitzgerald said today
hat the fire started either in the base
nent or the first floor. There was a
luantity of hay in the basement. and
t is probable that it was here that
he fire got its start.
There was no fire in the building.
while the electrical wiring. subjected
o regular inspection. was in good
shape. MIR. Barnes theory that some
me entered the building and started
he fire. is generally accepted ~ the
correct solution.