The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1917-11-02
A DESTRUCTIVE. BLAZE
THE OLD OKANOGAN LIVERY BARN
ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF RAIL.
ROAD TOTALLY DESTROYED
ADJACENT PR0PERTYMENACED
a
Absence Of Wind is Only. Thing That
Saved the Entire South Part Of
Town from Going up In Smoke

. AT Few minutes past noon Thursday,
IRE broke out in the large Okanogan liy-
cry stable. on the south side of the rail-
ana apad track track; owned by Mrs. Anna Johnston.
ana even by the time the alarm sounded
great volumes of fire and smoke were
breaking out of the roof The fire depart
ment was on the ground in very few
minutes Three leads of hose were laid.
ana the chemical got into action. The
large frame building. some S0xl2O two
stories. with some three tons of hay in
departmemt has ever had to contend
against. The building itself was doomed
and the attention Of the iiremen was
turned to saving adjacent property For
the hrst time for week hardly any wine
was In circulation. and that little was
from the south east. carrying the flames
away from the buildings on First street
AS evidence of the good work of the de-
partment the home of Mrs Johnston, Il
Few feet west Of the barn, was saved
though considerably scorehSd and large
wood sheds and a large quantity of fire
wood only a dozen feet fYhrn the burning
building on the east We're only slightly
scorched The rear of NJ Hicks store
Cleve and Mr. Grubb kept q garden hose
turned on the building, and a line of fire
hose did the rest. The large windows in
the rear Of the brick, building occupied
by the Bank of Oroville. We're broken by
the heat.
Willing hands removed every article Of
furniture out of Mrs. Johnson's residence,
and line of garden hose with the chem
ical engine stream saved the premises,
although 1t was on fire tine and again,
and the high fences and TIE large
outhouses to the south Of the building
were consumed.
Owing to the building being SO extreme
ly dry and the inflam maize contents, the
fire burned fiercely and rapidly. and with
in an hour the structure was burned to
the ground So rapidly did the flames
spread that none of the harness in the
building could be saved ( Fortunately
there was no stock in the stable at the
time.
The stable was erected d number of
year sago by the late Chass r Johnston
and probably cost hir, so'ne $4,000 or
$1,000. There We're some three tons OF
hay in the second story, and Il number
of saddles. harness and other property in
the barn at the time of the FIRE. The loss
is close on to $40 900. with only $1.5OO in
surance. Eas
The promptnexs with whicf the depart
ment responded to the alarm, and the
willingness with which the people ,Iy worked
mendation. Everybody was willing to do
their part. and that the loss was not
greater is owing to exertions OF the
crowd. It is fortunate indeed that the
weather conditions were favorable. for
had there been the least wind from the
north or wSt, as has prevailed Tor num-
ber Of days the SOUTH south pa part of ot
1t was the largest fire the local cepGrt-
mnt has ever been called upon to fight:
and the manner in which it was handled
is a credit to the members.
The cause of the fire is uncertain. Mrs.
Johnston states that the only person in
the barn during the morning besides her
self, was a boy who had left a horse In
one Of the stalls. It is possible that the
boy was smoking a cigarette and threw
the stub on the floor, as the fire started
about an hour after ne had left the barn.
Of course this is merely conjecture, Mrs.
Johnston had Just finished her dinner
when the alarm was sounded In fact
when the first alarm was turned In the
smoke and fire was rolling out or the ROOF
anna erntiy about the center of the build
inp