The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1917-02-23
Twin Brooks Blaze
Bad Fire Loss Comes lpOn
Our Neighboring Village

III etiS oSAuplCu Ny "A. IN.
Brown as a general merchandise
store, on the east side of Main
street in Twin Brooks. The store
was one in a row of six frame
buildings. three or four Of them
under the same roof, in very worst
arrangement for the spread Of
fire. Two families were living
within the block, that Of Post
master Ellington in rooms to the
rear Of the post office, and the
family Of Barney Lambrecht were
living in rooms on the second floor
If the Chavet building 1t was
the Lambrecht family that first dis
covered the fire, Mrs. Lambrecht de
claring to her husband that she
smelled smoke from burning tar
paper, and hastily arising they saw
Brown building was where the fire
was located. Mr. Lambrecht hurried
ID awaken the Billington family
and give the alarm. So rapidly
the fire spread however. that the
rooms became filled With smoke that
the children did not have time to
fully dress themselves, and haG to
flee without even saving the
clothing they had been wearing the
previous day. The Ellington
family were almost as equally un-
fortunate. Mr.. Ellington, ex-
pecting that the fire could be
checked before it reache! his build
ing, he assisted in this work, and
Mrs. Ellington attending to the
saving of the post office effects,
managed to get out all the valuable
part Of these, but when they
came to get their household effects
the building was SO filled with
smoke they were unable to save
practically anything, and their
household goods, clothing. ETC.,
was an entire loss, including a
piano and organ.
A sturdy attempt was made to
check the flames, and the water
pressure proved of good service.
but the buildings were so con-
structed that it was impossible to
get at the fire until it was too late.
Fortunately there was hardly any
wind blowing at the time, though
it was extremely cold, something
like 20 degrees below. Had there
been a strong wind from either
direction the fire could not have
been confined to where it was, and
only the most strenuous endeavOrs
checked it at the barber shop on
the north and the lumber yard on
the south
A telephone message was sent to
Milbank to send assistance and
Harry Pawson, with his chemical
and a number Of others Of the fire
men including Phil Saunders,
Harry Ackerman, Arthur Anderson
France Croal and others went out
on a car which the railroad sent to
the scene. The chemical could not
be gotten into the baggage car
and consequently the machine was
not taken. but the boys went out
and did excellent work. as the
Twin Brooks men were becoming
worn out in their fight against the
fire, and the reinforcements from
Milbank did much to check the
progress Of the flames.
The heat was 50 intense that
many Of the windows on the opposite
side Of the street were cracked.
although efforts had beeh made to
protect them by hanging wet
blankets before them.
The buildings destroyed were
occupied on the ground floors as
follows: Post Office. the George
Wright store. the A. r. Brown
store and three other buildings
owned by Chas. Chavit and J. C.
Nagel and used as storehouse for
machinery and other things. The
stock of general merchandise
carried by George Wright had
just day or two ago been sold to
A. r. Brown and Chas. Soeffker.
but only a small part Of the goods
had been removed by Soeffker who
has his store on the opposite side Of
the street.
The insurance upon the Wright
goods was transferred to Mr.. Brown.
The estimated losses and the in
surance is as follows;
Chas. Soeffker, merchandise, loss
about 81. 200. No insurance.
A. r. Brown. merchandise, loss
about 81. 800; insurance $4,000.
Chas. Chavet. building. loss
81 1000. Insurance $4,000.
Gust Ferber, building, loss $500
Insurance 81. 200.
George Wright. building. loss
81. 900. Ins. $1,000.
E. N. Ellington. furniture and
building and stock. $500. Insur-