The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1917-03-22

An efficient fire department saved tina
cold organ factory and the remain
der of the Wulff building at the corner
of Church and Wisconsin streets just
after eight CLOCK Monday night when
flames, which broke out in the feed
barn of the Jensen-Olsen Company.
Quilted the entire rear end Of the big
building, entailing loss of from eight
to ten thousand dollars entirely covered
by insurance. A team of mules
which had been locked in the barns,
were suffocated by the smoke.
Miss Virginia Wulff, who owned ths
building, declares that the fire was of
an incendiary origin and Chicago de-
tectives came to the city this morning
to take up an investigation. The
members of the fire department. declare
that they have not been able to find
out just what caused the fire, but they
declared that it was possible that some
one had dropped cigarette or a cigar
in the feed barns and that this had
brought the confagration.
The blaze was discovered just after
eight o'clock and although the FIRE de-
partment made hurried run to the old
building the flames were soaring high
into the air and it looked as if the old
building, which had weathered several
big fires in the past, was doomed. The
smoke from the burning hay in the feed
barns settled down like a blanket over
the entire business district of the city
and frightened people telephoned to
Racine to send aid to save the bust
ness district of the city from complete
destruction. Such efficient work was
done by the department in the four
hour fight against the fire that the
flames did not even spread to the Wis
,consin street frontage of the big build
ing and the fire was confined almost
entirely to the feed barns. These
barns were filled almost to capacity
with forty tons of hay and great
stock of miscellaneous feed and grain
and it furnished fuel for one of the
most spectacular fires ever seen in the
city. Early in the fight against the
flames the new booster pump for the
fire department, which was being paint
ed at the Pirsch factory, was brought
into use. It threw great stream with
a pressure of two hundred and fifty
pounds behind it and when it got to
working there was never time that
it was doubted but that the depart
ment would be able to keep the flames
in the one. building When the flames
leaped high in the air and lighted up
the entire down town district not once
during the fire did any Of the surround
ing buildings catch fire.
The fire came just at the right hour
of the evening to draw crowd and
fully three thousand people thronged
the streets surrounding the burning
building and watched the fremen in
their fight against the blaze. In the
absence Of Chief Isermann, who is i'll
at his home, the actions of the fremen
were directed by Captain Charles
Schend and Captain Hansen with
Alderman Donahue, chairman of the
fire department committee, as the first
aid to the ranking officers.
Heroic efforts were made to save the
lives of two mules in stall in the
southwest corner of the building.
Mark Hansen and G. Bisno, who dis
covered the fire, rushed to the burning
building. They found the door locked
and when they had broken it open they
found their way to the stall blocked
by wall of flames. The dense smoke
made it impossible for the men to enter
the building. Hansen went into the
building, but he was driven back al
most overcome by smoke and fire be
fore he had taken a half a dozen steps
toward the door of the stall In which
the animals were fighting for life.
This morning it was declared that
the loss on the building and contents
could not be exactly stated. Jensen
and Olsen placed their loss at five
thousand dollars and it was declared
that it was partially covered by in
surance Miss Wulff stated that her loss
would be several thousand dollars and
that II WIS also covered nv insurance.