Fires
From birchyHistory
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==[[30 Apr 1886]]== | ==[[30 Apr 1886]]== | ||
Main street, 8th towards 7th, south side | Main street, 8th towards 7th, south side | ||
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[[29 Apr 1886]] A fire started in the back of [[W. A. Burleigh, Jr.]]'s building about 9:30 pm. The usual gunshots, people come running and try to save contents. A strong south wind fanned the flames, driving the into the center of the building before much could be removed. There were two carloads of hay where the fire started and a thick smoke was created which made it difficult to work around until the main building began to burn and it cleared away. Soon flames were threatening buildings across the street, which the townsfolk labored to keep doused. About 200 were emptying the buildings next to Burleigh's. The water wagon arrived and supplied dozens of buckets. The Chinese laundry was dynamited as one of the other buildings began to catch fire. Soon it was all over. Losses included Burleigh's building ($9-10,000; Insured: bldg $1500, stock $4100, fixtures $1000, total $6600), [[Theodore Bruback]]'s restaurant (Insured: $1500) and [[Mr. Anderson]]'s houses ($800). No idea how it started, no source known. A boy walking by raised the first alarm. Judge Stahle lived in one of Anderson's houses and he lost $500 worth of furniture. | [[29 Apr 1886]] A fire started in the back of [[W. A. Burleigh, Jr.]]'s building about 9:30 pm. The usual gunshots, people come running and try to save contents. A strong south wind fanned the flames, driving the into the center of the building before much could be removed. There were two carloads of hay where the fire started and a thick smoke was created which made it difficult to work around until the main building began to burn and it cleared away. Soon flames were threatening buildings across the street, which the townsfolk labored to keep doused. About 200 were emptying the buildings next to Burleigh's. The water wagon arrived and supplied dozens of buckets. The Chinese laundry was dynamited as one of the other buildings began to catch fire. Soon it was all over. Losses included Burleigh's building ($9-10,000; Insured: bldg $1500, stock $4100, fixtures $1000, total $6600), [[Theodore Bruback]]'s restaurant (Insured: $1500) and [[Mr. Anderson]]'s houses ($800). No idea how it started, no source known. A boy walking by raised the first alarm. Judge Stahle lived in one of Anderson's houses and he lost $500 worth of furniture. | ||
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==[[7 Aug 1886]]== | ==[[7 Aug 1886]]== | ||
| − | Main street, 7th towards 6th, south side, down west side of 7th and down east side of 6th | + | Main street, 7th towards 6th, south side, down west side of 7th and down east side of 6th (Graham block) |
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| + | A little past 1 am, the alarm was raised. Stated in the rear of the building occupied by Cotter & Kennedy's saloon, which had closed before the fire started. (next day: Started in the old 3-story building owned by the Graham estate, unoccupied and unconnected with either of the two other buildings which backed up against it.) Within 2 hours the fire had done its work. Buildings across the street were threatened, but were saved by dousings of water. | ||
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| + | Gallagher's fire proof building on the corner (7th and Main) suffered only minor damage to the cornice and its porch burned. The inside walls never even got warm. Down the street, the Stock Growers bank had only minor damage to the cornice and some windows. The fire was stopped at B. Ullman's residence on 6th. | ||
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| + | Harmon's double-action pump saved the wooden buildings on the north side of Main, and although scorched and charred by the intense heat, they stand as monuments to the usefulness of this pump, which has in the past 2 years saved thousands of dollars worth of property. Many "lights" (window panes) were "shivered" in the intense heat. Other pumps were used to advantage were located in front of the Stockgrower's Bank, Brandenburg & Van Gasken's and Gallaghers. Gallagher used his pump to protect the livery barns across the street occupied by Brown and Remington Bros., which would would have spread the fire greatly had they ignited. They were instrumental in saving Ulluman's house. Ullman credits Bill Bullard especially in saving it. Louis King handled a nozzle well. William Van Gasken and Hugh Early have considerable experience in fighting fires and demonstrated their expertise as well. | ||
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| + | Someone unknown attempted to fire the building at 6th & Main, even after it was evident that the fire would be stopped at Ullman's house and not reach it. | ||
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| + | Many Fort Keogh soldiers responded to the blaze, one of whom who has done so for every major fire for several years, destroying a suit of clothes each time. | ||
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| + | Buildings lost: C. W. Seyde, real estate and insurance; unoccupied building owned by P. Gallagher; P. Dugan, saloon; Seips' barber shop; unoccupied building owned by L. Payette; Konrad Schmid, dwelling and harness shop; Mrs. Brown, ice cream saloon; Cotter & Kennedy, saloon; James Coleman, saloon; Owen Doud, saloon and lodging house; On 6th street: Annie Turner, restaurant; Eva Field, [[maison de joie]]; Su Wah, Chinese laundry; Emma Marshall, maison de joie. In the alley between 6th & 7th streets, two buildings, one occupied as a dwelling by Ed Creeley and the other used as a warehouse by by Heavener. Judge Brown no longer has a court room. | ||
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| + | It was generally accepted that it was only a matter of time before this block burned. Insurance agents had been refusing to renew policies on this block lately and a few of the covered buildings' policies were only days from expiring. Now that it has happened, the community looks forward to it being rebuilt with brick. Cotter & Kennedy quickly relocated to the building on 6th street next to the Stebbins block. | ||
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| + | {| | ||
| + | | ||Loss||Insurance | ||
| + | |- | ||
| + | |P. H. Gallagher||$4000||$2500 | ||
| + | |- | ||
| + | |Schmalsle & Ullman||$1500||$1000 | ||
| + | |- | ||
| + | |Maj. E. Butler||$1800||$1280 | ||
| + | |- | ||
| + | |W. F. Schmalsle||$4500||$3700 | ||
| + | |- | ||
| + | |James Coleman||$2000||$1600 | ||
| + | |- | ||
| + | |H. White||$500|| - | ||
| + | |- | ||
| + | |Cotter & Kennedy||$1500||$1800 | ||
| + | |- | ||
| + | |Mrs C. Brown||$300|| - | ||
| + | |- | ||
| + | |Konrad Schmid||$4000||$3500 | ||
| + | |- | ||
| + | |Seips Bros||$1000|| - | ||
| + | |- | ||
| + | |P. Dugan||$300||$300 | ||
| + | |- | ||
| + | |Heavener||$2000||$1000 | ||
| + | |- | ||
| + | |C. W. Seyde||$200||$200 | ||
| + | |- | ||
| + | |L. Payette||$400||$400 | ||
| + | |- | ||
| + | |Connie Huffman||$1000||$2500 | ||
| + | |- | ||
| + | |Chas. Brown||$900||$750 | ||
| + | |- | ||
| + | |Owen Doud||$400|| - | ||
| + | |- | ||
| + | |Graham estate||$4000||$3500 | ||
| + | |- | ||
| + | |George Silverberg||$1500||$1410 | ||
| + | |- | ||
| + | |E. Marshall|| - ||$1100 | ||
| + | |} | ||
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| + | '''Heat damage only''' | ||
| + | {| | ||
| + | | ||Type||Damage (all fully insured) | ||
| + | |- | ||
| + | |Stebbins Block||brick||$2000 | ||
| + | |- | ||
| + | |Harmon's store||frame||$250 | ||
| + | |- | ||
| + | |Gibbs & Lansing||frame||$250 | ||
| + | |- | ||
| + | |George Miles||brick||$500 | ||
| + | |- | ||
| + | |Maj. E. Butler||frame||$500 | ||
| + | |- | ||
| + | |Towner Savage||frame||$200 | ||
| + | |- | ||
| + | |Brandenburg & Van Gasken||brick & frame||$750 | ||
| + | |- | ||
| + | |Basinski Bros.||brick||$500 | ||
| + | |- | ||
| + | |Strevell & Garlock||frame||$125 | ||
| + | |- | ||
| + | |B. Ullman||frame||$200 | ||
| + | |} | ||
==[[14 Dec 1887]]== | ==[[14 Dec 1887]]== | ||
| − | + | [[Fires|Fire]] breaks out at 6 am in [[Charlie Can]]'s wash house opposite the office of the [[Yellowstone Journal]] on Main street. The Chinese residents were all asleep and the source was thought to be from a stove in the annex. The wind was strong from the west so the frame building six feet to the west, owned by Anderson, was unharmed. Sparks threatened the roofs of buildings across the street, but men used hoses attached to the steam pump to protect them from the roof of the YJ. The laundry was a complete loss, but its value was small, being quite old. Owned by [[Major Logan, erected in 1879, it was the public school in 1882 and has been rented to variety of businesses. The workers saved as much laundry as they could. | |
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| + | ===1892=== | ||
| + | [[29 Jan 1892]] (Chinese New Year) 5 am, three pistol shots announced a fire in the rear room of Hi Astle's saloon, but it was quickly extinguished. Said to have been started by someone stepping on a match. | ||
