The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1921-03-29
EARLY MORNING
FIRE DESTROYS
OLD STRUCTURES
Frame Buildings on Fifth Street
Scene of Fire
FIND KEROSENE BOTTLES
Deputy Fire Marshal Declares
Fire Is of Incendiary
Origin ,

lIIl SlIo0l OppOSIIS Iuo MChcuLlc
hotel was of incendiary origin, o. T.
Haakenson, deputy state fire marshal
said today. ....
The blaze practically destroyed>two
frame buildings and badly damaged a
third, and was not conquered until
after three hours effort o.,
About daylight Deputy Haakenson,
accompanied by fire chief jaeger and
county Judge Davies investigated the
origin Of the fire which was at the
head of a stairway between the cor
ner building occupied by the r. G.
Rosen clothing store and building
until recently occupied by the Herman
Lasken stationery store.
Find keroaene
They found four bottles which had
contained kerosene or other inf1am'
able liquid. Two were milk bottles
and two were glass jars. In two there
was found some kerosene. Another
bottle, empty, had contained gasoline,
it was believed.
There is no doubt but that the or.
igin Of the fire was at the landing OF
the top of the stairway leading to the
second floor, the deputy fire marshal
said. Studding and walls had been
burned which were not burned farther
in the building
The deputy fire marshal said that
the upstairs rooms were all vacant.
Recently parties lived in them, and
he said he had ascertained that none
Of them left any kerosene there.
The alarm was sounded about 2:5O
a. M, the fire being discovered by
Night Policeman Ed. Randolph. The
firemen poured water on the flames
until daylight. .. e.... ~.
The frame building at the corner OF
Broadway and Fifth streets, occupied
by the r. c. Rosen store, was left a
shell, with the roof caved in and the
contents practically destroyed.
Fixes Loss at $4,000
Mr.. Rosen said this morning that
he estimated his loss on clothing.
shoes, etc. at $4,000 or $4,000 tie
said that about $1,000 worth of goods
was saved. He carried $4,000 insur-
ance, he said, having cancelled $7000
of insurance short time ago.
The second building which was va
Gated by the stationery store also was
almost wholly destroyed except for
the front and side walls. 1t was en-
irely vacant.
The third building from the corner
occupied by John Bortells store was
less seriously damaged, but the store
was virtually flooded with water.
John Bortell said that it was diff
cult to estimate what loss he suffered
in his hardware store. He thought
it might be anywhere from $1,000 TO
$4,000.
The fourth building from the corner
a one story frame building, was saved
from the flames, although the slight
wind carried the blaze toward the
north. .
The first three buildings were own
ed by E. G. Patterson. Two lots had
been sold to Herman Lasken and the
buildings were to be moved soon.
Night policeman Ed Randolph, de-
scribing the start Of the fire, SAID
that he and William Markham were
standing across the street on the
Northern Pacific railroad corner when
they saw smoke issuing from the
building, followed by burst OF
flames.
The alarm was Immediately sound
ed and the fire whistle sounded its
long, strong blasts, so long, in fact
that most everybody in the city was
awakened and several hundred people
who could see black smoke and some
flames shooting above the structures
came down to watch the fire.
Lights flashed on in the Mckenzie
and Northwest hotels, as anxious ho-
tel guests watched the direction OF
the flames and smoke. There was no
excitement among them, however.
There was little wind, and that a
kindly one, for it carried the smoke
due north, over a line Of one-story
buildings, so that the hotel guests
were not annoyed by smoke. All dur
ing the fire faces peeped from behind
hotel curtains, looking down on the
seething furnace. ....
Hunted Origin OF Fire.
Randolph said that he was certain
as to where the fire started, because
he returned to in front of the build
ings and saw the fire issuing from
place on the north side of the roof
of the corner building just above a
stairway between the two structures.
The flames had gained -headway when
the firemen began turning lines or
hose on the buildings. Five lines OF
hose were stretched, four and five
streams playing on the building at
various times from all sides.
Firemen devoted attention to COR
fining the blaze to the three frame
buildings through which the fire had
spread. BY frequent changing of the
position of the streams Of water they
accomplished the task. The fire burn
ed for nearly an hour in the upper
stories of the buildings, faring up
through the roofs at various times and
spreading below as embers dropped
through the ceiling.
Hose Bursts.
A bursted hose put one line out It
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