Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1915-12-16
TWENTY-FOUR BUILDINGS
BURNED At NECEDAH
Loss Estimated Between $500 900 s5OOOOO Rap
ids Firemen Save Town From Total Destruction

Twenty-four buildings destroyed and
thirty-six business concerns put out of
business with a total loss estimated at
between 100000 and $5OO,O0O is the
result of the confagration that swept
the business part of Necedah yester-
day.
The Grand Rapids department which
was not mentioned in the Milwaukee
papers, was what saved the town from
total destruction. Right here let it be
said, that when such an important
matter as the work done by the Grand
Rapids department was omitted from
the reports sent to the cities, how
much confidence can any one place in
the remainder of the stories?
The citizens of Necedah were loud
in their praise of the work done by the
men from here. It was positively stat
ed that had the Grand Rapids men and
apparatus arrived forty minutesearlier
an entire block could have been saved
AS it was, the fire was under control
shortly after the Rapids men got into
the fight 1t is not with any intention
Of taking away the glory of the work
done by the other men fighting the
fire that these things are said about
Grand Rapids. In fact the local fire
men are loud in their praise of what
the others did But, the fact remains
that the fire was gaining headway and
spreading rapidly until the Rapids fire
men got to work and held it where it
was.
The Necedah department was prac-
tically helpless. A line of hose was
laid from the pumping station at the
river along main street to where the
fire started Over 500 feet of hose was
in this line-all that the village had.
The engine at the pumping station
failed to work and so hot was the fire
that the hose burned in the middle of
the street. Mauston sent two chemi-
Gals which did not get into action, it
being said that they were frozen up.
New Lisbon with a gasoline engine
did noble work although they had but
one line of hose which threw only a
three quarter inch stream.
The arriving of the engine and men
from Grand Rapids marked the change
in the battle. The engine was soon
placed and the men started in to wet
down the fire.
All agree that the Grand Rapids men
and apparatus saved the town from be-
ing entirely wiped out.
Only two families were made home
less and they were families that lived
over stores that were burned. Not
residence in the town was burned.
Looters began to get in their work
as soon as the fire had gained a good
start. Hoboes seemed to spring up by
magic and every train that passed
through the town brought a delega-
ton. Some were caught and they dem
led that they were trying to get any
thing but whiskey.
The fire came at an unusually bad
time as all the stores were stocked up
with holiday goods and this material
ly added to the loss.
Delay by the c. M. & st. P. railway
in giving the relief train the right of
way clear through and sidetracking
every thing for it cost Necedah many
thousands of dollars. The train was
delayed 20 minutes at Nekoosa wait
ing for afreight and was also delayed
at Babcock 25 minutes for another
freight. These forty-five minutes were
valuable and, as stated before in this
story, would have been the means of
saving a business block
The Grand Rapids men returned this
morning on the train that usually gets
here at 5:19-the train was about an
hour and half late this morning. The
engine was not brought back, but will
arrive in the city later in the day.