THE WAUPACA REPUBLICAN

January 8, 1897

 

ROYALTON IN ASHES

 

All the Business Houses Except the Post Office Wiped Out.

 

            The pretty village of Royalton suffered a loss by fire Wednesday night which wiped out all of the business part of the town only a small building use as a post office remaining. The fire is supposed to have caught in a liquor room of Frank Genske’s saloon from a defective chimney about half past ten or eleven o’clock.  A telephone dispatch to the Record stated that  some boys skating first discovered the fire breaking through the roof of the Modern Woodman Hall over the saloon.  The lower floor was Genske’s saloon, loss on stock and building $1500; slight insurance.  Loss to Modern Woodmen and G.A.R. Hall, furniture and paraphernalia total.  

           The next building to go was owned by W.R. Craig and occupied by E.J. Moore as a hardware store and Sid McCord as a drug store and Wolf River telephone office.  Mr. Moore’s loss was $1200 with $300 insurance.  McCord’s loss was $1000 with $500 insurance.  W.R. Craig’s loss on building was $2,000; no insurance.  George Hayward’s building used as a saloon was a total loss.  J.H. Leonard’s store went next.  The building and stock of general merchandise was wiped out.  Loss between $5,000 and $6,000; insurance $2,100.  the wind changing saved the Phillips residence, but the flames went north a piece burning 5,000 feet of cedar posts.  A building owned by C.J. Van Ornum, formerly used as a meat market, also a building owned by C.L. Wood’s and used by himself as a grocery went up in smoke.  Insurance not stated.  Several hundred bushels of potatoes stored in the basement of the Craig building were roasted.  Curt Town owned 500 and George Moore 200.  No insurance.  There is no doubt but Royalton will rebuild the most of the burned district at an early date as the Royaltonites are not made of the stuff to sit down and fold their hands.  It is a pretty town and there is room for a fair business in several lines.