The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1919-03-07
STUBBORN FIRE ON
SOUTH HIGH STREET
CONQUERED BY MEN
w. N. BucHNAu RESIDENCE saw.
ED FROM TOTAL, DESTRUCTION
BY EFFICIENT WORK.
DEPARTMENT RESPONDS TWICE
First Can Failed to Discover Fire
Supposed to Have Been stsrted by
Short circuitL-Mpch Of the Furni-
ture Saved. ass4
Wednesdays Daily Herald.

.
Efficient work on the part of the
fire company last night saved the
residence of Mrs. w. M. Buchnau, 1907
South High Street from total de-
struction and a considerable amount
of furniture was removed unchanged
from the three downstairs rooms after
the flames had been extinguished in
the garnet and rear portion of the
building. The building was estimat-
cd at a value of $4,000 and the loss
on it was probably so per cent. There
was $4,000 insurance on the building
and $1,000 on the furniture, which
scarcely covered the loss. The fire
was discovered about 10 o'clock, one
hour after the fire department had re-
spoiided to an earlier call to the
same building and departed with the
belief that it was only short circuit
that had scorched insulation of the
electric wires. ~ ~.
The fire was one of the most Stub
born that has been fought by the fire
company in many months. A strong
metal roof helped to confine> the
flames to the building, but a stiff wind
from the southeast famed the fire
into a seething furnace under the roof
and made it more difficult and hazard
GUS to control For time it seemed
that the building was doomed and the
fire fighters directed much of their eff
forts to saving the buildings very
close on each side.
w. 0. Cherry, acting chief of the de-
partment, stated last night that the
first call came about o'clock and
after an examination of the building
it was concluded that short circuit
had scorched insulation of the electric
wires but did not cause blaze When
the company responded to the second
call at 1905 the rear part of the build
ing was found in a mass of flames
which made it impossible to enter
from that direction Two good
streams of water were played on the
fire, one hose from hydrant near
the center of the Mock being stretched
to the rear of the building and one
from the hydrant at the corner of
High and Eighth streets to the front.
Several times the fire seemed to be
under control, only to be famed to a
new fury by the stiff wind. 1t was
more than an hour before the flames
in the rear of the building were fore
ed down and an opening was burned
in the roof near the front which per-
mitted stream of water into the at
tic OF that part of the building and
brought the fire to an end.
Geo. L. Buchnau stated last night
that he and his mother and other
members of the family returned from
the picture show about o'clock and
when they turned on the lights fuse
was blown out. When he attached a
new fuse and turned on the current
there was an odor of burning rubber
and the fire alarm was turned iif, The
fire company failed to discoter a biaze
anywhere and departed. About an
hoir later he discovered the fire in
the rear of the building. 1t is .believ-
ed to have been caused by theLsame
short circuit of an hour earlier il'@
Both the firemen and the family
We're surprised to find so much of the
furniture in the downstairs front
rooms unchanged either by fire or wa
ter when they were removed from the
fire. A few pieces of the furniture
were removed before the flames had
made much Roadway. c. M. A. cadets
in town on leave helped to fight the
fire and to save some of the furni-
ture.