The Oakes times. [volume] (Oakes, N.D.) 1906-current, 1921-04-21
DISASTROUS FIRE AT GwINNER
Sends to Cakes for Help, But Our
Boys Arrive Too Late

We had fire in Oakes recently
which was sufficiently dangerous to
make a number of our more timid
residents jumpy, to put it mildly, 50
when the alarm was sounded early
Monday morning it is not to be won-
dered at that people in all parts Of
town jumped out Of bed, dressed hur-
riedly and made their way down town
to learn the details.
Fortunately for Oakes, the alarm
had been given because of message
from Gwinner stating that the little
town was in flames and there was
great danger that it would be wiped
out. Within half hour from the
time the fire whistle awoke the echoes,
twenty-seven of our firemen had load
ed both chemical engines and the hose
cart on Northern Pacific train and
were on their way to the scene of the
confagration. When they reached
Gwinner the fire had done its worst
destroying all the business places in
one block on the east side of Main
street, and the boys did not trouble
to unload the fire-fghting apparatus,
as they were too late to be of any as
sistance.
Flames were first discovered in the
McGrann restaurant building at 1
o'clock in the morning and hurried
call for help was sent through the
town and adjoining country. Within
a half-hour some fifty men were on
the scene and with buckets, the only
means of resisting fire in the town,
an heroic effort was made to save the
hotel adjoining, operated by E. E. Par
meter, brother-in-law of Mrs. Reece
Bartlett of this city. This proved
without avail and the hotel was soon
smoldering mass of fire. From the
hotel flames spread to the adjoining
Office of the Prairie Press, which was
housed in a building owned by Mrs.
E. w. Spencer of this city, house.
keeper at the Henry Dufelmeier home.
In the meantime men began carrying
out stock from the Safstrom & Elk
hardware store and some $4,000 worth
of hardware was saved from that
building. A tin and sheet metal shop
owned by Frank Edblom, brother Of
H. C. Edblom Of this city, burned with
the hardware store. He was more
fortunate, however, and saved all but
about $3.50 worth Of material and
tools. When the hardware store was
we'll burned and all believed the fire
demon had done its worst damage,
flames were discovered in the Thomp-
son Lumber yards and within half an
hour stock valued at some $4,000
was laid waste. By this time all of
the block had been destroyed and
there being no wind, the bucket brig
ade had no difficulty in saving the
residences about half a block to the
north.
A careful survey after the fire and
conversation with the people owning
property there finds the losses to run
about as follows:
j. S. McGrann, restaurant, furni-
ture and building valued at $4,000
with $2,100 insurance.
C. o. Anderson, loss of hotel build
! ing, $4,000 with $1,000 insurance.
E. E. Parmeter, contents of hotel
building, $4,000, no insurance. A piano
and some minor pieces of furniture
were saved.
Prairie Press building, valued at
$1,000 with $4,000 insurance.
L. Simons, owner Of Prairie Press,
loss about $4,000 with $4,000 insur-
ance.
Safstrom & Elk, building, hardware
and implements with valuation of
$25,000. Insurance $4,000.
The central office Of the Hample-
Crete Telephone Office was housed
over the printing plant and was a
complete loss, leaving the town at
present without phone service.
J. CONTINUED on last page)