The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1916-12-22


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 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.. M. Houghton & Co.,
on 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
effects out and sustained considerable
damage through the necessarily hurried
manner in which the work was done.
VI thC SCiiidheo thS oCSOiid otoi
of the building the Marnien family lost
everything but the clothes they wore
and, had no insurance. The Maltbys
had their household goods all packed
preparatory to moving to Flint and all
they saved was a small amount of
clothing end bedding. They had al
lowed an insurance policy to expire a
few days previous to the fire. 1t is said
that John Mallory also lost several hun
dred dollars worth of household goods |
with no insurance.
The loss to The Messenger plant is
estimated by the owner at $500. 90,
covered by insurance. The large CYL
inder press, installed at cost of 5000,
probably the best country newspaper
press in the county, is total loss and
there was considerable damage to ma
chinery, type, furniture and fixtures
and paper stock. This loss and that on
the building had not been adjusted at
the hour of our going to press.
The Willis block had rather unfor-
tunate history. We are told that its
erection was commenced by Mrs.
Bardle, who became financially en-
barassed before the project was COM
pleted, and thereupon enlisted the aid
of Randolph Willis, then prosperous
farmer of Thetford. The building was
completed but for many years it failed
to be paying 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 a 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 a 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 it's destruction was C. B. Dibble, of
Flint, who carried $1,000 in insurance
and estimates his loss at SIS, MIR.
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 had occurred
in the night time and in severely cold
weather, it is doubtful if anything
could have been saved. And then, too,
if there had CHANGED to be a strong
wind from the west or southwest the
whole business section and consider
able portion of the residential section
would have been in grave danger.
1t is interesting to note that on Mon
day, January q, 1884, destructive
fire swept the same spot occupied by
the Willis Block. At that time the
only fire apparatus in town was hand
fire engine and the buildings were all of
frame construction. The result was
the entire south side of Vienna St. from
the Willis Block site to the old Curry
residence, now occupied by l.. B. Fuller
was destroyed, the loss totalling $685.
900. 90. Among the losers were A d.
store and residence, j. b.
Garland & Co., N. w. Mann. d. N. Y
Parks and son and Girdon Jones, all the
latter being business places, while
several families who occupied apart {
ments over these stores lost everything.
Farmers living at distances up to six