THE REPUBLICAN

February 19, 1886

 

MILL BURNED

The Gruner Mill at Crystal River gone up in Smoke

 

            On Saturday evening last about six o’clock a bright light to the south of the city told too plainly that there was a big fire in progress.  Soon the news came that the Gruner mill, which was recently leased and operated by W. C. Baldwin of this city, was in ashes. At first it was supposed the old carding and woolen mill close by, owned by D. C. Barnum, was also burned, but it subsequently proved that only the flouring mill had burned.  How it caught fire is hard to tell.  The mill had not been running that day, owing to making some repairs, and there was but little fire in the office stove; some of the mill hands who were playing checkers near the stove, remarking just before supper, that they were about “froze out”.  It is thought by some that one of the men lighting his pipe just previous to going out might have had something to do with starting the fire but that may not be correct.  The mill was picking up nicely under Mr. Baldwin’s management and they have had plenty to do all winter.  Walter had quite a lot of stock in hand all of which went up in smoke, the only ray of sunshine is the insurance, which will help in partially covering losses.  The mill was worth somewhere in the neighborhood of seven or eight thousand dollars and was insured for $4,500 in N. L. White’s agency in the following companies:

            Niagara Fire, N. Y.                                           $1,500

            North British and Mercantile                              $1,500

            Lankashire                                                        $1,500

            The stock was worth some nine or ten hundred dollars and was insured in E. Coolidge’s agency, Insurance Co. of North America for $500.

 

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            The “Little Hope” or “Crystal River Mills” were built thirty-one years ago by D. C. Barnum, now living in this city and Jas. Lathrop who lives in the West somewhere.  Wm. Simcock sawed about all the long timbers used in its construction in a saw mill close by, which afterwards was altered to a carding mill.  Barnum & Lathrop ran the mill until 1857 when Wm. West came up from Ripon and bought Mr. Barnum’s interest.  Under Lathrop & West’s administration of eight or ten years the mill did a rushing business.  There were two mills in the city to compete Lord Bros.’ on the site of Baldwin & Bailey’s Star roller mills, and Mitchell & Redfields’s, the same building now occupied by J. W. Evans’ Woolen Mills, also the Parfreyville mill, but there was no railroad here in those days and the man that made flour had to “rustle” as the western phrase goes, and take loads of flour in sacks out to points where he could sell it.  Mr. West says he used to sell a good deal at Gill’s Landing the then “port of entry” for this region, which was shipped by boats down the raging Wolf to market points, some of it finding its way to Milwaukee and Chicago.  Lathrop & West run the mill some eight or ten years when Messrs. Gruner & Ortell sold his interest to Gruner and went to Wild Rose and built a mill.  Mr. Gruner has owned the mill ever since.  Two years ago Fred Guldager leased the mill and put in the roller system, but not complete.  The mill however did good work, but last summer Mr. Guldager gave up his lease and let Mr. Gruner have the mill back.  Mr. Gruner run it until several months ago, when he leased it to W. C. Baldwin who was suddenly stopped as above noted, by that good servant but bad master – fire.  It is stated Mr. Gruner thinks when spring comes he will rebuild.