The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1920-01-08
I'INOT HAD 100000
FIRE FRIDAY MORNING
Peter Ehr Block on First Street S. w.
Observation-Disclosures Furniture and
Hardware Store Complete Loss.

hardware 0tOre COhptete iOSS.
A fire doing damage estimated at
100000 gutted the Peter Ehr block,
on First street S. W., early Friday
almost completely destroy
ing the $4,000 stock of furniture and
hardware of the Hodgins store and
destroying the office fixtures and sta
tionery of the Rogers Lumber Co.'s
general office, located on the third
floor of the building.
The Minot Underwriters Co., locat-
ed on the second floor, lost it's Office
fixtures completely and large num-.
ber of roomers in the apartments ON
the two upper floors suffered an al
most complete loss of their effects.
Kielhack Bros, owners of the gar
age and machine shop in the basement
were heavy losers. Thirty-six auto
mobiles occupied the read of the base
ment, and it looked for a time that
they would be lost, but the worst dam
age they sustained was from the Wat
er which covered the basement to a
depth of several feet.
Smallwood's grocery, located Just
north of the Ehr building, sustained
quite heavy loss from water. There
were several feet of water in the
Smallwood basement, which damaged
much Of the stock and besides large
amount of damage was done to the
stock on the main floor. This loss
was all covered by insurance and the
store suspended business but one day.
The insurance adjusters are here
today and will wind up their work to-
night. Joe Hodgins carried $4,000
insurance. He will receive the full
amount and in addition it is estimated
that the salvage will amount to about
$4,000, making hts actual loss about
$3,5O0. The Hodgins Offices have been
moved to the Hodgins warehouse
building on East Central avenue Mr..
Hodgins is not certain when he will
reopen his store, but his large trans
fer business has gone along without
interruption.
The cause of the fire is unknown
1t may have started from electric
wiring in one of the Hodgins display
windows or from spontaneous combus-
ton from some Gil :ags in the rear
of the store No one will ever know
just how it started. As Chief justin
Vandenoever Of the fire department
and VIM. O'Leary were walking past
the store at four O'Clock in the morn
ing, after attending a New Years
party, they saw the flames, which
had already made such headway. They
fastened around the corner to the fire
department and got out the chemical
apparatus, but the flames had advanc-
ed so far that the chemical was not
used. The iremen We're on the scene
a few minutes after the blazeSwas dis
covered and by $50 o'clock, it appear
ed that the fire was about out, when
all at once the flames broke ont thru
the partitions in the upper stories
The blaze was hard to handle on ac-
count of the 'arge quantit. Of paint
shel!ac and like material in the build
ing. A barrel of wA2d alcohol il the
Hodgin store exploded and added to
the dif'icusy. Tha s1crning vas cold
and the -firemen worked Ike Tro:ans
in their frozen clotl 'r~
M. B. Fecker, who occupied room
on the second floor, made his exit dow,a
the fire escape. Conrad Fecker and
A. T. Fecker, a fireman, /sufered a
heavy loss in their rooms, the latter's
loss being $1,000, including a $500
Victor graphaphone. G. A. Christen,
sen, another roomer, lost $500 worth
OF cEects Allen Ole!i, who Wa in
chargeyof the apartments on the Sec.
ond floor, lost abclt $4,000 wort Of
effects in his suites cf rooms. He wa 3
not occupying the rooms at the time
of the fire.
The loss to the Rogers Lumber Co,
o ICES is abort Is 2}1 which is COW
e" d hv insnrar~e. Thpsa Offices have
been moved TO the Northern Moline
Plow Co. building on East Central
avenue.
The Minot Underwriters Co. have
secured new quarters in the new ia
cobson block.
The Peter Ehr block was insured
for $4,000 while the loss is estimated
at $4,000 or 100000 Mr.. Ehr thot
that he had more insurance than he
did. He expects to rebuild. The
brick work is still standing, tho the
north wall was/ bulged out about
foot and is apt to fall when the frost
goes olt, unless w2rlZmen wreck the
wall in the r7earh;'nn.
The city's n2w fl @ fighting equip
nent, including engine truck, which
was recently purchased at an expense
of $20,000, paid for itself several
times over in the one fire, for frenlen
say they could not have saved the
Jacobson block or the block occupied
by the Smallwood store, had it moi
been for this new equipment. The new
engine was attached to the hydrant
near the Leland hotel and kept up, "A
strong stream Of water for hours.
No Room in New York Hotels Writes
forming Man.