Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1925-12-24
100000 Fire Loss Hit
Rhinelander Monday
IsAcksoNs STORE, BANK, TELE.
PHONE EXCHANGE AND
OFFICES TOTAL RUIN

Fire starting about 4 o'clock Mon.
day morning in the basement of the
Isackson dry goods store, completely
destroyed the entire Merchants State
Bank building with a loss uaofficially
estimated at close to 100000.
The flames gained rapid headway
AMI swept through the Isackson store
into the bank and up through the Sec
ond and third stories, completely de.
molishing the bank department, the
Rhinelander Telephone Company ex,
change, Isackson's and offices occu-
pied by E. d. Minahan, lawyer; w. C.
Orr Insurance Agency, Consumers
Hay Co., the Brown Land & Lumber
Co. and Forsyth's barber shop in the
basement, as we'll as flooding the
basement of the Kelley Candy Kit
chen next door.
AS result of the fire, Rhinelander
today is without local telephone SER
vice and probably will be for two
months. Long distance service, too,
is crippled, but restoration of this
service is expected to be completed
this week.
The most serious effect of the fire.
the second in the building within two
years, will be the handicap business.
men and others find themselves I'm
der in working without the, aid of the
telephone.
q A crew of Wisconsin Bell Telephone
Co. workers left here Saturday night
after having completed additions to
the long distance switchboard and the
installation of repeaters, task which
required about three months Hardly
had they been in use before they
were a mass of tangled wreckage, as
was all of the other equipment owned
by the Rhinelander Telephone Co..
and the Wisconsin Bell. The switch
boards and other equipment this after
noon are 20 feet below their original
positions, down on the second floor
of the building, where they dropped
after the flames ate through the floor
The bank fixtures were badly burn.
ed and those not destroyed by flames
were made loss by the effects of
water and ice. No currency was lost,
however, as the vaults were intact.
Valuable papers, books and other
material in the office, rooms on the
second floor were made practically
worthless by the effects of flames
and water, while the third floor, &C.
cupied entirely by the telephone COM
pany, this afternoon is jumbled
mass of debris.
The loss to the bank was estimated
at $120,000l including building and
fixtures, while Mr.. Isackson's loss
was 100000 in stock and fixtures.
Telephone officials this afternoon de.
clared their loss would aggregate S75,-
900, while the various offices also
suffered heavily, bringing the actual
loss well up to the 100000 figure. In
practically every instance the losses
were covered by insurance.
The fire broke out about 4 O'Clock
and, despite the work of city firemen,
the flames gained Roadway rapidly.
Low water pressure proved handi-
cap, it was said, in fighting the
flames which completely Quilted the
entire structure
A 14-inch brick wall separating the
bank and Kelley buildings prevented
spread of the flames, although there
was some danger in flying brands,
which were watched closely by the
scores OF ON lockers to keep other
buildings from catching fire.
The fire drew out large crowds of
people and, with the flames lighting
10 the early morning sky, made
Continued on back page)