Putnam patriot., 1923-02-23

Washineton's Birthday, 1923, viii
long be remembered in Putnam for
one Of the most costly and disastrous.
fires which the city has suffered in the
whole course of its history. Donahue's
block, in the very centre of the city,
being entirely destroyed in a blaze
which. lasting less than three hours,
starting In the boiler room from an
unknown cause, removed Il city land
mark and commercial centre. ruined
three important mercantile houses.
obliterated one Of the finest law IL
braries in the state, and destroyed the
equipment of several professional
men, involving a total loss that Is de-
elared 20 be within the neighborhood
of $l25,000.
The modern and up-to-date drug
store built up and maintained during
the past few years by the owner Of
the building, james +. Donahue. tho
valuable stock of mems and women'n
clothing and other wearing apparel IN
the store of Charles Seder, the COM
plete lines of all kinds of shoes and
footwear in the store occupied by Ar
exander Varbedian, several hundred
dollars worth Of clothing in the TALES
shop of Angelo de Berardinis. od5es
furniture and medical instruments b.
longing To DIR. Bernard r. Murphy, tn
complete dentist equipment of DIR. H
u. Wright. the entire contents and
valuable law library of the firm Al
Torrey 4 Geissler, the law books an
office equipment of Attorney Arthn9
S. Macdonald, former owner Of The
Putnam Patriot, all were destroyed h
the shoot and devastating blaze.
Not since the destruction Of the
well known Chickering House
in January, 1920, has Putnam wit
messed 80 brief and so destructive :
fire. Efforts to enter the building az
ter the first alarm had been sounded
proved fruitless; but one Of the rent
ers Of the spaces In the building SUE
ceeded in entering the premises. Th4
4, building and its contents, excepting
/ those safely locked in vaults and safe~
was a total and complete loss. Stand
| ing as II did near the head of Main So
and facing the very center OF the city
the blaze was spectacular from every
point Of view Too much commends.
/ ton cannot be given To the firemen&
who prevented the fire from spreading
/ 10 the line Of wooden structures exS
tending from the DoHahue block e
the Victory Theatre building. The
weather, for once, was helpful in pre-
venting a great and devastating loss
Breaks Out Near 7 A. M.
Albert Light, janitor. entered thf
building early in the morning and CAV
the fires their usual attention for tbs
opening Of business at 8 o'clock. -
about Gao o'clock he left the buildis
leaving everything in order, and goinf
10 the Municipal building. where h
also has charge of the fires. Shortl
after z o'clock, Harry +. Morse, AZ
employee of Mansheld's market, SAT
smoke pouring out Of the cellar win
dows Of the Donahue block ON tn
Bundy street side, where the engif
room Of the building is located. II
ran TO Bugbee's corner and there ran
in an alarm from Box IL.
Company No. | and the Hook an
Ladder Company responded at once
Although the company was on tn
scene within few minutes after tn
alarm was sounded it was found in
possible 20 enter the building. A.
was already filled with smoke and u
flames had penetrated TO the frat aa44
Minute by minute the fire progress
through the entire building. Al
scarcely half-hour had passed fro4
the time that the alarm was sound&