Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1917-12-26
DISASTROUS
FIRE FRIDAY
STARTED IN BONNER HOTEL
AND SPREAD TO ALEXAN-
DER BUILDING
GUST ANDERSON BURNED
Charred Body Found In Ruins FRI
day Morning.

the apartment of Mrs. Mary Carl
son, proprietress of the Bonner
hotel, about 2:30 o'clock Friday
morning, destroyed completely the
Bonner hotel building and contents
and the w. A. Alexander building,
adjoining, containing the furniture
stock of the Stookey Furniture Com
pany. The furnishingsof the Chinese
restaurant, in the Bonner hotel, were
also destroyed and between $500 and
5000 damage was done to the plate
glass and fixtures of the First State
Bank building, the Casey hotel build
ing, the international Dining Room
and the Kinnear building occupied by
the Western Union and Interstate
Utilities Company.
Soon after daybreak, the body of
Gust Anderson, brother of Mrs. Mary
Carlson, was found in the ruins of the
Bonner hotel. When the fire was
first discovered it was believed that
Anderson was trapped in his room in
the third story Of the building and
Marshall Bangs made an attem0t to
get to the room with ladders but
the fire had gained such a Roadway
and the heat had become so intense
that it was impossible to remain
near the building let alone enter it.
The body of Anderson was hardly
recognizable; the arms and legs were
zone and the face and trunk were
badly charred. 1t was possible to
Identify the head because Andersen
had had several teeth pulled the
night before Mrs. Carlson does no.
believe that her brother burned TO
death. She says that he was very
sick about nine o'clock Thursday
night and when she saw him at II
o'clock he told her that he thought
he was going to die. She is certain
that he was dead before the fire
started for she says he was very
quick to detect smoke and if he had
seen the fire he would have either
escaped with the fire rope which
hung at the window of his room
or he would have jumped out of the
window, as he was of an excitablc
and impulsive disposition.
The remains of Anderson were
inferred yesterday afternoon, sim
pie burial service being conducted
at the grave by Rev. E. R. Hen
derson.
Mrs. Carlson told the Herald repre-
sentative yesterday that she has
known for six months that some
one of her family would die before
January 1st. She tells that this
was made known to her by sure
sign which has never failed and
that a similar sign advised her of
the impending death of her husband
several years ago. She did not have
any forewarning Of the fire, however.
The fire in the Bonner hotel was
IL IL loo H.
Mrs. Carlson, the cinnamon in the
Bonner restaurant and people in the
Kinnear building and Casey hotel
the building about fifteen minutes
before the fire was discovered but
did not see any signs of it. Mrs.
Carlson rushed TO the fire hall but
could not get in to ring the bell.
Tom Martin and two or three other
men who saw the fire, went to the
fire station and found Mrs. Carlson
in a hysterical condition. They gave
the alarm and did everything posi-
BILE to get water on the fire and
stay it's progress. The fire spread
with incredible speed and in a few
minutes the whole building was a
mass of flames which lit the town
from one end to the other. But
few guests were in the hotel and
several of these escaped by using
fire ropes and some jumped from the
second story floor. Two women who
had been living in the hotel jumped
from the second floor and were
considerably bruised and shaken up
One of these women was caught as
she fell by a man who had also beer
sleeping in the building and she was
probably saved from severe injuries
Fire Chief Meeker was on the
ground soon after the alarm was
given and under his direction si1
streams Of water were directed or
the blaze. The heat was SO intense
that it was impossible to get very
close to the building until after sign:
nearly had been torn down and beer
placed as a shield There was M
wind to speak of but because of the
flying sparks and the heat the fir'
spread to the building occupied b!
the braves Harness Shop and to CHI
Casey hotel building several times
The building occupied by the Stoke!
Furniture Company, adjoining thu
Bonner hotel, was soon a mass o
flames and while some of Chic
Meeker's volunteer firemen KEEP
watch of the braves building, Case.
hotel, Richardson & Monks building
Kinncar building and First Stat
Bank building, all efforts were con
centrated upon keeping the fire from
spreading from the Stookey store t
the vacant building formerly occu
pied by the Daily Critic. Hard wor
of the firemen and a splendid fore
, of water accomplished this althoug
at first it seemed inevitable that tn
whole row of frame buildings o
Kootenai street to the S. e. Henr
home, would be burned. Fire Chic
Meeker states that if he had ha
a chemical engine he could have eve
saved the Stookey building.
The origin of the fire is unknown
Mrs. Carlson thinks it started in tn
kitchen of the Bonner restaurant an
the Chinese restaurant men think
started in Mrs. Carlson's room.
The Bonner hetel building was cor