White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1926-03-26
WHITE BLUFFS HAS
FIRST DISASTROUS FIRE

Only the arrival of the big fire hose
which made record trip from Han
ford and the strenuous work of buc-
ket brigade saved good part of the
town of White Bluffs Tuesday, when
the frame warehouse of the Valley
Mercantile store which when discov-
cred was beyond control.
Mr.. Bonn had returned to the store
from lunch about II 80 and took his
place behind the counter. He re-
marked to those in the store that he
detected an odor of smoke and some
one replied that somebody was prob
ably burning brush. A few minutes
before noon Mrs. c. I. Wright had
occasion to go to the ware room and
she discovered the fire which had
gained considerable Roadway. She
Immediately gave the alarm and a
crowd quickly gathered. 1t was soon
found that there was little hope Of
saving anything in the warehouse and
the crowd started carrying out the
stock of goods and fixtures in the
main part of the store, which is built
of concrete but which had two or
three wooden : doors into the ware
room.
The fire apparently started in the
warehouse, where there was stored
several large boxes of matches, about
twenty sacks of cracked corn and four
hundred sacks of flour. The flames
soon leaped through the opening into
the main store, the water being play
ed on these openings by the small gar
den hose having little or no effect in
holding it in check Shortly after the
fire was discovered, Mrs. D. S. Wiki
inSon, who was at the switch board
of the telephone exchange, had the
presence Of mind to call Hanford and
ask them if they would bring their
fire hose. They responded by load
ing the hose into Mr.. Sanfcrd's car
and he covered the eight miles in
little less than twelve minutes. The
hose was attached at once to the by
drant at the Commercial hotel corner.
The pressure on the main was good
and the fire in the main part of the
store was soon put out but not until
much damage had been done by wat
er, heat and smoke, to the stock of
shelf goods, In the meantime ladder
had been put up on the east side of
the White Bluffs Motor Company ga
rage and the bucket brigade got into
action and by carrying the water over
the garage roof kept the roofing paper
on the main part of the store building
from catching fire from the flames !
that leaped up from the burning ware
house and were whipped ever by the
wind that was blowing from the west, !
Had the roof caught fire, the garage
roof would also have taken fire, in
which case there was grave danger !
that the Coleman store across the !
street and the buildings east of it
would also have gone up in smoke,
Mr.. Bonn carried $4,000 insurance
on his stock Of goods, fixtures and
but he estimates that his
loss over the insurance will be around
$1,000. This will be determined when
The insurance adjusters get through .
and the salvage is sold. a
1t was fortunate that the fire oc- /
cured when it did, as, had it broken
out Monday night or Tuesday morn
ng when there was strong wind
blowing, most of the town would have
Undoubtedly gone. 81
The fire, which was the first SER
Gus one ever experienced here,
brought forcibly to the attention of
everybody the necessity. of some sort
If fire protection and it is not inn
probable that some fire hose, at least,
will be purchased in the not distant
uture.