THE WAUPACA REPUBLICAN

February 10, 1905

 

BIG FIRE AT THE BURG.

 

Two Grocery Stores and a Restaurant burns – Partly covered by Insurance.

 

            About three o’clock in the afternoon of Friday fire from an over-heated chimney caught in the attic of Lytle & Keating’s grocery store and before it was discovered the roof was all ablaze.

            A bucket brigade of citizens was formed and water from the creek was brought to the scene.  It was found useless to save that building, and soon J. Herbert’s grocery store adjoining on the west was burning and Simpsons brother’s restaurant on the east was on fire.

            But very little was saved of the Lytle & Keating stock and one thousand bushels of potatoes belonging to Jim Jensen of Waupaca stored in the cellar was a total loss. 

            The most of the goods on the first floor of Herbert’s store were saved.

            In the cellar was 3,000 bushels of potatoes belonging to Harry Herbert, probably not over a hundred bushels of them will be damaged as willing workers drew sleight load after sleigh load of snow which was shoveled on the floor of the building putting out the blaze and saving the tubers.

            After the fire they were removed to the warehouse where they would be secure from frost.

            The heat was so intense that it cracked the glass to Mr. Feregan’s hardware store across the street.  The front being covered with wet blankets prevented the store from catching fire.

            Simpson brothers restaurant was damaged almost beyond repair.  The next building on the East was Johnson’s blacksmith shop.  No particular damage ensued to it.

            Harry Herbert owned the building occupied by his brother.  Loss probably $1,600.