Morris tribune., 1920-01-16
MULLEN BLOCK BURNS
CAVITY SHOP DESTROYED
Total Loss Not Yet Estimated. Rooms
on Second Floor Damaged
by Smoke

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believable short time, occurred in the
Mullen Block last Friday evening at
about five o'clock. By six o'clock the
firemen had the fire under control,
and during that hour, the back of
the block, containing the Canty
Millinery Shop had been destroyed
almost completely, Mr.. Mullen's hab-
erdashery store damaged to such an
extent that the interior will have to
be replastered and refinished, and the
rooms and offices on the second story
rendered considerably the worse for
smoke. The stairs too are charred,
broken, and otherwise multiliated.
No one knows exactly how the
fire started. Mr.. Mullen says, tsEI
went down into the basement at
about five o'clock to burn up some
waste paper: as I was coming back
upstairs, something impelled me to
turn around again, and then saw a
flame creeping along the partition,
which divides the furnace cellar from
the coal bin. I thought for a mo-
ment that I could put it out with a
pail of water, but when went down
to where it was, realized that this
would be impossible. 1 went up
stairs again, and sent Mr.. Huth out
to give the alarm. Just as he reached
the fire-house, they were bringing in
the fre-truck which they had taken
out to see if everything was In good
condition. They were here in just
I11+ cd
like hours to me-"
The location of the fire made it
very difficult to get at, and the flames
spread rapidly. Due to the fact that
the Canty shop was closed UP, dur
ing the time that Mr.. and Mrs. Canty
we're in the city to buy goods, it was
necessary to break in the door to
get at the shop at all. Time was
lost in this way also, and altho every
means of saving the goods was tried,
practically everything was lost. The
floor was burned thru, and the furni-
ture and goods on the first floor fell
down into the basement. AS result
of this, AL Giesen, who was work.
ing in the basement, narrowly es-
capped injury, or even death, for the
radiator from above crashed into the
basement, and landed just where he
had been working.
The fire spread so quickly, and the
smoke was so thick that occupants of
the offices on the second floor who
remained in the building long enough
to put any of their belongings in
place of safety, we're forced to
come down by way of ladders. T.
J. Mangan, D. L. Kennedy, J. E.
Cole and DR.. Fitzgerald used this
mode of exit. Their Offices show ex-
amples of strange kinds of wood
work; where books and papers were
lying, the wood is still light in color;
unprotected parts of the furniture
are stained deep brown. Books and
papers are yellow and crisp. The
lights were extinguished and the
telephone wires burned out.
A loss of over 5000 was sustained
in the Canty Millinery Store. Branch
stores in Wahpeton and Browns
Valley had been closed up a short
time before, and the goods stored in
the shop here. The loss included
$500 worth of spring goods which
had just arrived. "And we were
fortunate at that" says Mr.. Canty,
"for the greatest bulk Of our spring
goods was just on the way; about
$4,000 worth is at the depot right
now" Mr. and Mrs. Canty and their
daughter Ruth, were in the Twin
Cities buying stock. They were
reached by telephone ,and arrived
here on Saturday morning. Their
rooms above the store were so
smoked up, and the floor so damaged,
that they are not able to occupy
them. The loss on their household
goods is covered by insurance, but
there was very little insurance on the
goods in the shop. They are going
to open up workrooms in the rooms
above Linne's Bakery for the present,
and will reopen their shop as soon
as they can obtain suitable loca-
tion. SO e@n
It has been impossible to repair
any Of the damages sustained as
result Of the fire, as the adjustor thru
whom claims for insurance must be
made, has not arrived. 'I am going
to put on a big sale of every bit Of
my Stock says Mr.. Mullen, "and
then get the building back into shape
again" af
Six years ago this winter, the first
Mullen Block" was completely de-
stroyed by fire which started In
restaurant in the rear and the follow
ing spring Mr.. Mullen erected the
present building.