The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1916-12-15
FIRE DESTROYS THE
ENTIRE WILLIS BLOCK
All of the Numerous Tenants Suffered
Considerable Losss
Structure Was One of the Largest in Clio and Was Built
by Randolph Willis in 1888


men, mechanics, clerks, even the ladies'
among them, and the way the stuff
commenced to go out door was some-
thing wonderful; out of the doors, out
Of the windows, regardless of the chok-
Ing smoke, the tyre, paper, cabinets,
apd fixtures poured in a steady stream
until everything movable had been
carried cut. The men even tore hole
in the brick wall big enough to get the
| Jeh press through and saved 1t, the
other job press and the heavy paper
cutter were also saved and the base of
the gasoline engine was broken from
its fastenipgs and it was carried out,
thus clearing the office of all heavy ma
terial except the large cylinder. weigh
ing four or five tons, and the men had
half mind to tackle that. The work
of salvage in The Messenger Office was
simply magnificent and We can scarcely
find words adequate to express our ap-
probation of it.
The fire burned itself out in about an
hour and half in which time the big
building was reduced to a mass of
smoking and blackened brick. The
wind was blowing from the northeast,
which was favorable to the business
section of the village. and while fire
was carried to the roof of the hay sheds
and elevator of F. Nj. Houghton & Co.,
OH several different occasions. it was
readily extinguished.
o. Forbush and Glenn Williams, who
occupy the two stores just east of the
Willis block, moved the most of their
e9feetsals and sustained considerable
damage through the necessarily hurried
manney in which the work was done.
Of the tenants in the second story
of the building the Marnien family lost
everything hut the clothes they wore
and, lad no insurance. The Maltbys
had th@ir household goods all packed
preparatory TO moving to Flint and all
they saved was a small amount of
clothing and bedding. They had al
lowed 81 insurance policy to expire
few dlys previous to the FIRE. 1t is said
that JOIN %sllory also lost several hun
!red dollars worth of household goods
With 10 lsurance.
The loss to The MESSENGER plant is
estimated by the owner at Sl50000,
'o"elsd by insurance. The large cyl
ado press, installed at cost of $1,000,
probably tie best country newspaper
press in tna county, is a total loss and
there vas considerable damage to ma
.hineTy. tyne, furniture and fixtures
and paper stock. This loss and that OH
the bail ling had not been adjusted at
the hou! Of our going TO press.
The Willis block had a rather unfor-
tunate history. We are told that its
erection was commenced by a Mrs.
Bardle. who became financially en-
barasse3 before the project was COM
plete3, and thereupon enlisted the aid
OF Randolph Willis, then a prosperous
farmer Of Thetford. The building was
complete. but for many years it failed
to be laying investment, and Mr..
Willis, going from stage to stage of
financial disaster, lost even his nominal
claim to the property and finally died in
the county house. The last was not
the only FIRE in which the building had
been scorched. There had been two or
three others in which considerable loses
were sustained by the owner and ten
nants.
1T is said that at one period of his
ownership Mr.. Willis borrowed some
money from certain insurance COM
pany, which in order to render itself
secure, made it part of the contract
that Willis was to buy his insurance of
them at charge of seven per cent and
for several years thereafter he paid
500 per year for $4,000 of insurance
which he carried on the building. This
is said to have been one of the principal
causes of his failure.
The owner of the building at the time
of its destruction was c. b. Dibble, of
Flint, who carried $3.50 in insurance
and estimates his loss at $1,000. Mr..
Dibble is confident of the future of
Clio, however, and is already laying
plans looking to the erection of some
modern business buildings on the site.
While the fire entailed considerable
losses, it might very easily have been
much worse. If the fire bad occurred
in the night time and in severely cold
weather, it is doubtful if anything