The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1920-04-09
the furniture and turn over the lease
the very day Of the fire.
Sharks

the furniture and turn over the lease
the very day OF the fire.
Sparks.
This was the first fire i'm Oroville
since the burning of J. F. Samson =
barn, year ago in June.
Owing to the chemical engine being
out OF commission that part of the ap-
paratus was uselss piece of machin-
cry. One of the tanks could be used
In an emergency and the engine was
run up to the fire late in the proceed
ings in order to be at hand should the
fire spread.
There is something facinating to the
average human being in fire and al
most the entire population was on the
streets watching the firemen subdue
the flames.
AS usual at fire in a small place A
few individuals lost their heads and
did odd stunts, but in this instance it
was SO plainly evident that the fire
could be controlled as soon as water
was turned on, people speedily got
down to normal and there was a total
absence of excitement
Chief Fred Hart handled his men
with much judgment and placed them
where the streams would do the most
good
Lucky for the town the wind was in
the north instead of In the south. Had
it blown from the latter direction quite
a chunk of the business section would
probably have disappeared in smoke,
and we would have had a more i'm
pOrtant item to record.
Again our water system demonstrt-
ed that the town Is we'll protected
against any ordinary fire. There was
no evidence of shortage of water
and an immense quantity of water was
thrown into the burning building.
With the elimination of the New
Oroville hotel the old frame Peerless
building is the only menace to the
business part of town on the north
side of the railroad track
The automatic fire alarm in the ho-
tel was good one at it kept ringing as
long as the fire lasted, or until the
flames put an end to its usefulness.
Jack Hare was among the sufferers
BY the New Oroyille hotel fire. He oc-
cupied the north room on the Main
street front of the hotel building Is g
barber shop, and when the fire was
eating its way through the building
Mr.. Hare was getting out while the
getting was good. In the excitement
that accompanies fire people do not
handle furniture gently. and as the
willing crowd yanked the furniture
and fixtures out of the ground floor
rooms Mr.. Hare's property expert
enced some rough handling. Two val
liable mirrors were broken and othe,
articles lost or smashed Mr.. Hare
carried an insurance of $500 on fur
niture and fixtures placed with the
insurance companies represented by
the Bank of Oroville. Mr.. Hare has
taken up quarters in the basement of
the Hotel de Grubb.
Already the charred remnants of the
hotel is becoming an eyesore and the
sooner 1t is removed the better it will
be for the general appearance of the
business part of town.
During the fire smoke in the upper
rooms was very dense, caused by the
burning of bedding. and several of the
firemen who entered the upper story
with leads of hose were almost over
come from smoke, though no one suf-
fered seriously from the experience.
Considering the high cost of raim-
ent lot of the boys took long chances
running their clothes while fighting
the fire.