The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1917-04-27
PROPERTY OF :. ]. METTlER
oaaaa5 WAS DESTROYED
Fire Early This Morning and Its Origin
! Unknown; Department Did Good
Work Saving Three Dwelling Houses
ION Corner Of Broad and Vine Streets;
Little Boy Saved Rescued Chickens
From the Deyouring Flames
rom Fridays Daily.

rom Fridays Daily. -a
Aroused by a glare that lit up the
ky in the north end of town and by
the prolonged whistling of railroad
engines, the firemen at the central
station without any regular alarm
: made ready shortly before two o'clock
this morning to start out and search
for the fire. A telephone call came,
however, informing them that barns
owned by Frank j. Mettler on the
northeast corner of Broad and Vine
streets, were afire. rs .
George Wiedemann happened to be
coming home from Lake Jefferson in
an automobile at the time of the fire.
He hurried to the Mettler residence
at 500 North Broad street, at the
corner of Vine, knocked loud and
long, and at length succeeded in
arousing the. family. But before Mr..
Mettler and other members of the
family managed to get out of doors,
the firemen were already on the
rounds. @Esl'HN
Well Pleased With Firemen.
Mr.. Mettler today expressed him
self as well pleased with the excel
lent work of the firemen in stopping
ne blaze and saving at least one OF
he three dwellings that Mr.. Met
Ier owns on that corner. AS it was
the paint on the rear side of the
dwelling occupied by the household
of Albert Waters on Vine street was
blistered by the extreme heat.
AZ One of the two barns that were
sSafire was completely burned to the
= ground. The other, standing just tc
1the south of it is still partly stand
'ing but is utterly ruined. One of these
barns was insured for $500 and the
other for about 500. Mr. Mettlel
estimates the value of one at $1,000
and the other at $500. A wood shed
some storm house sides, some storm
! windows, and some lumber, all be-
longing to Mr.. Mettler, were like
wise destroyed. The fire probably
cost Mr.. Mettler all of $1,000, over
and above his insurance.
The fire also did some damage tC
the property of Frank Suess, livine
~ siiN NetoI. 1ICiO Udl III,
shed and a fence were somewhat
charred on one side.
Cause of Fire Unknown.
90 What caused the fire can only b,
conjectured. On the day before yester
day, there was bonfire nearby, bu
Mr.. Mettler does not think this coult
have caused his fire, which broke GU
early this morning. He is inclined t
believe that some tramp got into on
of the barns and set it afire, possibl,
by smoking in the straw in the second
story loft, as tramps sometimes dc
The door opening into the compartment
where there is place for a buggy O
auto was not locked. tramp Nigh
have gotten in here and climbed to tn
second story, of the barn, withou
arousing the two pointer hunting dogs
which are kept in another compartment
of the barn. The hunting dogs, which
are owned by Mr.. Mettler, ana ar
highly priced by him, got out in som
way, and do not seem to have bee1
hurt though the female may have bee
a little scorched on the back
~ Henry Jesse. one of the firemen, re
II ceived a hard blow on the head nea
i working at the fire. The flesh wa
=. turned quite blue around the eve,
Mr.. Mettler's little boy had some ne
chickens in a coop near the burnin
buildings and he succeeded in savin