The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1916-12-22
FIRE DESTROYS THE
ENTIRE WILLIS BLOCK
NUMEROUS TENANTS SUFFERED
CONSIDERABLE LOSS
Structure Was One of the Largest in
Clio and Was Built by Randolph
Willis in 1888
Reprinted from last week. J

Clio suffered another destructive fire
Monday, when the Willis Block, one o.
the large business structures in the vii
lage, and land mark for many years
was wholly destroyed. Just how the
fire originated will probably never be
known, but it was discovered in rooms
in the southwest corner in the seconc
story, occupied by John Marnien anc
family. Geo. Benjamin. agent of the
Michigan Railway COMPANY discovered
smoke issuing from the upper portion OF
the building at about nine o'clock in the
morning and at once informed c. E.
Taylor, cashier of the hank. who has
acted as an agent for the building. The
members of the Marnien family mad
left their rooms for the day and locked
them, but Mr.. Taylor broke in the
door to one of the bed rooms, whence
smoke was issuing, and found the bed
on fire while embers were even then
dropping from the ceiling.
The alarm was at ONCE given but the
fire spread through the upper portion
of the building with such rapidity that
the tenants in that portion were soon
forced out by the dense smoke and
were able to save but small portion
of their belongings. The village fire
department responded to the alarm
promptly and soon had line of hose
laid to the building, but the hose was
rendered useless for twenty minutes or
more when it was found that the valves
to the pump of the fire engine had
frozen and these had to be thawed with
hot water secured from neighboring
residences before water could be pump
ed from the pond and forced into the
main. The fire progressed rapidly any
way and. this unfortunate occurrence
gave 1t further start so that the
building seemed doomed from the first.
1t should be understood that water had
not been allowed to freeze in the en-
CINE but the frost in the valves had
stuck them fast.
When Fire Chief Cummins realized
that his own apparatus was likely to be
out of commission, he at once telephoned
the Flint department and the latter re-
sponded so promptly that within 35
minutes of the time they received the
call they were in Clio and were throw
ing water on the fire. About ten min
utes before the arrival of the Flint
company the valves to the local engine
thawed out and two streams of water
were playing on the fire. After the
arrival of the Flint fire fighters the To-
cal engine was used to pump water into
the mains whileathe big engine was at
tached to hydrant and supplied two
leads of hose to the fire. The Flint en-
CINE was too large for the Clio engine,
however, and was hampered in its
operation because pressure in the main
could not be maintained. but the Flint
boys did splendid. courageous work,
considered, and are entitled
to the thanks of the citizens of Clio.
The local fire boys, likewise, did fine
work and are equally entitled to thanks.
The freezing of the engine was unfor-
tunate but the boys did everything in
their power to stay the progress of the
flames.
The fire ate its way rapidly and pro-
gressively through the building. The
Michigan Ry Company's office and
freight warehouse were first consumed,
next came Days restaurant and then
barber shop and The Mes
senger Office. Citizens turned to the
work of salvage with the greatest
oyalty and vim and kept down the
losses in the lower part of the building
A part of the equipment
N the interurban ticket office was
saved and the same was true of Days
Charles Sturdevant saved
nearly all of the fixtures in his barber
shop and his loss is slight A great
part of the equipment of The Messenger
office consisted of very heavy machines
and it was here, it seems to US, our
friends and fellow citizens, did their
most heroic work as salvers. In the
when the editor saw the'rap-
d progress the fire was making his
leart sank because it did not seem pos
'ible that any of the presses or the pa
,er cutter could be saved nor, indeed.
much of the other equipment and big
oss seemed sure. The doors were not
vide enough to let the best job press
through, and it weighed ton, but at
hat moment help arrived, from every
tide seemingly, business men, clergy
men, mechanics, clerks, even the ladies
among them, and the way the stuff
to go out door was some
hing wonderful; out of the doors, out
If the windows, regardless of the chok-
ng smoke, the type, paper, cabinets.
Ind fixtures poured in a steady stream
until everything movable had been