Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1918-05-23
Heavy Fire Loss
Yesterday Morn
Big Auto Garage and Hardware
Furniture Store Make Costly
Third Street Blaze

perienced in years and nothing but
the smouldering ruins are left of
Krein & Rows auto garage, George
Bostik's tailor shop, M. O. Strom &
Co.'S, furniture and hardware store
and Clement Tourarfd's restaurant.
The scene Of the fire leaving in ashes
the east side of Third Street extend.
ing from the office of the Cavalier
County Lumber Company to the brick
fire wall of Boyd's Department
! store. These being the only buildings
left standing in the entire block. The
loss is estimated at from $40, 000O
to $50, 900 and is only covered by in.
surance to minimum amount, owing
to the high rate demanded on risks
covering property of that kind.
1t was about three o'clock, or a
little earlier, when the alarm was
given, and at the time the fire was
discovered, the interior of the auto
garage of Krein & Row was mass
of flames. With the wind blowing
almost a gale from the northwest the
fire in less than ten minutes had de-
cided the fate of the adjoining prop
erty, George Bostik's tailor shopssand
before the water pressure of the en-
CINE at the fire hall was able to get
action on the conf1agration the flames
had made a steady advance into the
rear of the double store of Strom &
| Co.'S, furniture and hardware. Then
for nearly an hour the fighters
against big odds did valiont work in
the salvage of property and prevent.
ing the fire adding to the heavy loss
already incurred. 1t was the first bad
II fire Langdon has suffered since the
II Columbia Hotel was burned to the
II ground in November OF, last year and
means loss of property greater than
= Langdon has experienced in nearly
twenty years.
At the garage of Krein & Row,
IA where the fire got its start there il
VI stated as being in the salesroom ane
the repair shop at the time not less
. than twenty automobiles, shipmen
N of new Oakland cars having been re
l. ceived by the firm during the week
J. Nothing was saved and only in tn
as case of two cars, those owned by Co
1e Auditor Eide and DR.. Towey, wa
1t there any insurance to cover the los
c. sustained. The loss to prop erty t
1e Messrs Krein & Row, and to D. H
oe Mcmillan, the owner Of the bull ding
y it is Fl cured will aggregate upward
e of 500, 900 and practically is total.
! George Bostik, Langdon's tai]o
80 since the town first started thirt
J, years ago, was next in the path o
II the fire. Mr.. Bostik himself, has fo
scme weeks been conined t, his be
. as the result of bad fracture whic
:. he sustained in foil while at wor
- in the shop. The home of the fami
~ ly is at the rear and they were rudel
u, awakened from slumber by the explo
sion of gasoline tanks in the burnin,
~ garage next door, consequently thei
salvage from the fire was little or no
- thing, but there was limited amour
of insurance on the building and tn
!, household goods. For the presen
. :. they are located in rooms over tn
Schul ke block.
The loss sustained in the double
store of M. O. Strom & Co.. the fur
niture and hardware dealers at the OLE
Plummer & McNiven stand, will al
n, most equal that of the Krein & Row
IN stock, and insurance to a certain ex
H. tent covering the heavy stock which
u. the firm always carries at this seasol
re of the year. Mr.. Strom had the mis-
ID several days past with rheumatism
ss and was II efore not witness of tn
OF ccnfagration that visited the bushes
1e stand of the firm during the earl
OF hours of yesterday morning.
'l' The fire was finally stopped whe
Y. it came to the Boyd block with it
Oh protecting brick fire wall. All tn
VI plate glass fronts across the stree
ne were all cracked by the heat and a
IL one time fire got under way upstair
q in the Spellman drug store. cause'
ns ns by the telephone being burned out b
s' live wire of the electric light line i
Oil the fire district across the street. bu
prompt work saved the adding of NOR
property to the list The fire had com
eel pletely destroyed the old "Armory'
he building of &C. Chisholm before tn
IT, fighters had it actually under control
:. the occupant, C. Tourand, the restar
80 rant man, saving nearly all his avail
'ty able fixtures, Some of the heat wor
cone by the fire department was tt