The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1924-01-31

on the Kilbourn road, southwest of
Kenosha, having been burned to the
| ground on Sunday morning.
PowerIess to Help Cattle.
! Linstroth, who recently purchased
the farm where the fire occurred Sun
! day evening, discovered the blaze him
self but was powerless to aid the cat
| tie penned in the barn. He and his
wife were eating supper about six
thirty Sunday evening when they look
ed out of the window to see the sky
ablaze. They ran from the house to
| find the barn, located quite a distance
from the house, in flames.
! Linstroth ran to the barn and open
| ing the doors made an effort to enter
and lead the horses and cattle out
of the blazing building. He was met
with a torrent of smoke through which
he could not fight his way. He made
attempts to enter through other doors
but each time was forced out of the
burning building.
Scores Rush to Scene.
BY this time the fire had been seen
by many farmers of the community
and they rushed to the scene to aid in
fighting the blaze. Other efforts were
made to rescue the trapped cattle but
| all of these were useless. The bel
lowing of the cattle as they struggled
in vain to free themselves added to
the horror of the fire.
The fire fighters were forced to CON
fine their efforts to saving the farm
house and they prevented the flames
from spreading to it or to any of the
other buildings on the farm.
The loss, which will mount into the
thousands, is a most severe one to
young Linstroth who had just pur-
chased the farm.
Origin is a Mystery.
The origin of the fire is a complete
mystery. 1t is thought possible that
it may have been caused by spontan-
eous combustion or that perhaps a
spark from a chimney may have set
the barn on fire. The flames had
spread so rapidly before the fire was
| discovered that it was impossible to
tell which part of the barn had been
! first to catch fire.
! The fire was most spectacular one,
lighting up the entire countryside for
miles and attracting hundreds of per-
sons to the scene of the fire. The
charred bodies and ashes of the hor-
SEES and cattle were found in the ruins
which were smoking this morning.
Another Fire on Sunday.
| While William Barter was away in
Kenosha visiting his wife who is i'll at
/ +ha ho hney;AoJ l, i
| on the Barter farm, six miles from
| Kenosha, on the Kilbourn road, was
burned to the ground Sunday morning
The house is just one-half a mile
north of the Kenosha county farm on
the Kilbourn road, and persons who
saw the smoke and flames upon the
morning sky thought that the county
farm buildings were ablaze, giving
rise to that rumor here
Alone in the house when the fire
started was Mr.. Barter's mother
Fortunately there is neighboring
Mouse in close proximity, and when
the blaze was noted, friends rushed in
to help. Mrs. Barter senior was hur-
ried over to the adjoining house and
the people next door ran in haste to
/ other houses to summon help
| Sheriff Pabst was notified and he
came out with Undersheriff Knipfer
About four men had collected then,
but there were not enough to fight the
flames which were licking up the south
side of the house.
! Chief Schwartz of the Kenosha fire
department answered a call in his red
roadster, but as there was not a water
supply available for fighting the fire
with the town apparatus, the city
engines were not called out.
Save Farm Buildings.
Chief Schwartz Joined in the fight
to save the other farm buildings as it
was soon evident that the house would
have to be left to itself to burn to
/ the ground. With the help of the men
who had come to fight the fire and the
sheriff and under-sher most of the
furniture and furnishings of the home
was rescued and stored in one of the
! big barns.
! The flames which had had a fine
foothold before the fire was discover
ed, were soon licking skyward. The
dense smoke was visible for miles
about. Before noon the building which
/ had been home, lay upon the ground
in heap of ashes and charred wood
! The damage done will amount when
reckoned to over $4,000 it is believed
It was not possible to discover just
how the fire had started, but chief
/ Schwartz said today that it probably
had its origin in an overheated chin
ney, as there was an extra warm fire
{ within 70 I,oa4 4ba 1f