WAUPACA REPUBLICAN

February 13, 1885

 

Roasted Potatoes

 

            About one o’clock Wednesday night fire caught in one of the Central freight cars standing by Mr. K.T. Chandler’s warehouse.  The car had just been loaded with 500 bushels of potatoes and was waiting for shipment.  The car was lined and contained a stove, and owing to the extreme cold weather an extra amount of stoking was necessary.  The young man who took care of the car only about a half or three quarters of an hour previous to the discovery of the fire had filled the stove in the car and returned to the Warehouse.  Seeing the flames break out he gave the alarm and the Curran House folks, the hook and ladder Co., and other help that soon arrived, rolled the car away and with water and snow kept the ware house from burning.  A flat car was soon made out of the box car and about 300 bushels of the potatoes were either baked or frozen.  Mr. Chandler says probably about 200 bushels of the potatoes will be saved.  The fire bells rang up the town but a great many who started to the fire, seeing the flames die down, supposed it nothing serious, and gladly returned to their warm beds.  The steamer was taken out but fortunately there was no occasion to use it.