Alpena County, Michigan - Chapter with an unread heading (no. 4 of those read), 1903 (part 2 of 2)

Fires And Fire Organizations. 12'

and had the confidence, esteem and sympathy of the people. By their persevering toil and fair dealing, they had built up an industry which the people of Alpena could not afford to see blotted out. The Alpenians never allowed a necessary institution to die, and that which they needed they always made strenuou.s etforts to obtain. Meetings were held by the people, and arrangements soon made for money and credit for the firm, so that they could commence at once to re-build on the site of the old factory; and in June, 1871, they came out with a new edition, revised and enlarged by the authors. It would seem that "His Fire Majesty'"' took ]>articular delight in destroying the public houses of Alpena, for every one erected prior to 1872, was given to the flames, except the re-build of the Alpena House, the first one being destroyed on the 1st of January, 18G8. This was a large loss to Julius Potvin, the proprietor, who, as soon as he had recovered a little from the ilaze occasioned by the fire, commenced to re-build a larger and better house, on the site of the burned one, and soon had it ready for the accommodation of the public.

In 1863, a court house was finished, by Deacon Hitchcock, according to a contract between him and the Board of Supervisors, and was known as the "Deacon's Court House." This was burned in 1870, under circumstances which gave rise to suspicions that it was the work of an incendiary ; but no proof of the fact could ever be elicited.

In the summer of 1870, the dwelling of Fulton Buudy was given to the flames, and a "right sinaif fire it was. And in February, 1871, another fire occurred, which consumed the foundry and machine shop of David Crippen, valued at $5,000. and insured for $2,000, together with a boarding house belonging to Lockwood & Minor, and valued at §1.800. nnd insured for $1,000.

and commodious public house, owned and occupied by Samuel Boggs, called the Huron House, and on the opposite side of the street was a large building, used as a store and storehouse, owned by J. C Bowen, and occupied by Folkerts & Batterfield. On the northeast of Dock and Fletcher streets was the store and residence of Bolton & McRae. On the opposite corner was the Union Star Hotel, and next to it, north, was the Evergreen Hall, so named by the ladies of Alpena, for the tasteful manner in which J. R. Beach, the owner of this and the Star Hotel, had decorated it with evergreens for some festive occasion. Moses Bingham owned and occupied a large dwelling, on the next lot north of Evergreen Hall. At this time, business on the east side of the river began to assume a lively appearance; the bridge was in fair condition, and the hotels ruu carriages to the boats, for passengers, so that visitors to Alpena could find good accommodations. "But a change came over the spirit of their dreams," the powers that "dominate behind the scenes" had engaged the fiend to destroy their property and bright anticipations, for on the 9th day of April, 1871, about noon, the alarm of fire was given, from the billiard saloon of Guild & Clewley, in the Beebe block, situated near the center between the Huron House and Bolton & McRae's store. It was soon discovered that all the buildings on that side of the street would be destroyed, as everything was very dry, and the village had no engine or any organized fire company, so everything was in confusion, as might be expected, under the circumstances. It was soon seen that the most that could be done, was to save what of the furniture and goods they could, and let the fire burn itself out. Accordingly, the people got two lighters from the opposite side of the river, on which they piled the contents of the buildings nearest the river, and carried them beyond the reach of the fire ; but many of the goods and furniture of the Star Hotel and other buildings in the vicinity, were carried into the streets and there burned before they could again be moved. AY ben the fire reached Bolton & McRae's store, the wind was blowing quite fresh, and soon carried the flames across the street, to the Star Hotel and other buildings in the vicinity, which soon became a heap of ruins. The principal buildings destroyed in this fire, were the Huron House, owned and occupied by Samuel Boggs, and valued at §10,000. He had an insurance on the property of $2,000 only, and this was for the benefit of Benj. C. Hardwick, who then held a mortgage on the same. The Star Hotel and Evergreen Hall, owned and occupied by J. R. Beach, and valued at $12,000. He also had a small insurance of $3,000 on his buildings, for the benefit of T. Luce & Co. Those parties were the greatest sufferers by this fire. The small insurance only paid the indebtedness on their property, and left them nothing with which to re-build. For their industry and enterprise, they had nothing left but the lots and blackened ruins, and the furniture saved from the fire; but they were both good mechanics, and of cheerful and hopeful dispositions, and not being easily discouraged, they soon gathered up what they had and commenced work, in hopes to retrieve their losses; but the destroyer was still on their tracks, as the sequel will show. The building occupied by Folkerts & Butterfield, and owned by J. C. Bowen, was valued at $4,500, and insured for $3,000. Tlie goods of Folkerts & Butterfield were covered by insurance. The building owned by Henry Beebe, valued at $3,500, had no insurance. The dwelling of Moses Bingham, valued at $2,500, with no insurance. Both of these losses were severe, but ilid not fall with such crushing weight upon Mr. Beebe, as he had means to re-build, as it did on Mr. Bingham, who liad so recently sustained a heavy loss in the burning of the Donne, Bineham & Co. sash and blind factory. The building and goods of Bolton & Mcllae were fully insured, which prevented a ruinous disaster to them and much loss to the place. Others sustained losses, which the writer is unable to particularize.

The city felt a severe loss in the destruction of Evergreen Hall, as it deprived the people of any hall suitable for holding public entertainments, and the city was again without hotel accommodations for the traveling public.

There is an old saying; "There is no great loss Avithout some small gain," and this may be applied in a very small way in this case. It taught the people of Alpena, and the newly made "City Fathers," the extreme necessity of organizing a fire company, and procuring a steam fire engine; and this business must have been among the first of their ofiicial acts, for in May, 1871, the first fire company was organized, by electing the following officers:

Names Of Members Fikes And Fire Organizations

On the ith day of July of the same year, a well uniformed and equipped fire company, with a steam fire engine, was, for the first time, paraded in Alpena, and his Honor, Mayor Seth L. Carpenter, addressed them in a very appropriate speech. The engine and company were named after an old chief of the Thunder Bay band of Indians - Sog-on-e-qua-do. His name is mentioned in the first chapter.

Soon after the destruction of the Star Hotel, J. R. Beach rented the American House of Gelos Potviu, and commenced again to keep a public house, as they were at this time much in demand. He opened some time in May, and in October of the same year, was again compelled to flee before the devouring flames. This time his loss was not large, as he saved most of his furniture; but he lost his business, and no man can be thrust out of business without sustaining considerable loss. Only a part of the house was consumed, as the fire company was promptly on the ground, and did good service. The success of this engine led the people to suppose that the.y were safe from the attacks of large fires. But the fire king was laughing to think what a "big smoke" he would give them the next season, and show them how utterly inadequate was such an engine to quench his wrath, when once fairly kindled.

In the spring of 1872, we find Mr. Beach proprietor of the Burrell House, but the same destroyer was still on his tracks, and followed him there, and he was again burned out in the big fire, this time losing all he had.

Soon after the h)ss of the Huron House, Mr. Boggs purcliased some property of Dr. AV. P. Maiden, on Second street, and commenced to erect a hotel called the Sherman House. He had scarcely finished and opened it, before it was swept away in the great fire - the fire being particularly severe on the hotels.

Sixty-Five Buildings Burned - Four Persons Burned to Death, Others Badly Burned. At fifteen minutes to five o'clock yesterday afternoon, July 12th, the barn in the rear of the Sherman House, a house recently opened, and owned and occupied by Samuel Boggs, was discovered to be on fire. The alarm was given, and the engine in position promptly, but there was some delay in getting up steam. The fire being among hay, spread with fearful rapidity, and in an incredibly short time the Sherman House and Goodrich's jewelry store were enveloped in flames. The engine commenced to play, but the wind blowing fresh from the northwest, carried the fire with astonishing rapidity across the street, into the row of business houses on the south side of the street. Crowell & Godfrey's building, the Buriell House, McDonald's building, Blackburn's building, the Huron House, Maltz's residence, and the barns and offices, etc., in that block, were soon all ablaze. Mayor Pack's residence and office were burned. Potter & Bros', hardware store, McDade & Gavagan's hotel, and Comstock's mill and boarding house were burned. Aber's building and furniture rooms, and the whole row of houses on the north side of River street to Luce's mill. The fire raged until about sis o'clock, before its limits were confined, when it had destroyed about three and a half blocks, containing about sixty-five buildings. Among the heaviest losers were Potter & Bros., Anspach & Co., C. Burrell & Co., A. Pack & Co., George L. Maltz & Co., P. McDade, F. S. Goodrich, Charles C. Whitney. These might not have been the greatest sufferers, as many lost all they had. The Alpena Weekly Argus office was entirel}' destroyed. But the saddest record we have to make, is the burning to death of three persons, and badly burning of three others, one of wliom has since died. Mrs. Westbrook, keeping a millinery store, on Second street, perished in the street, in front of her store, and could not be rescued until nothing but her bones remained. The bones of two others, supposed to be men, have been found. George Westbrook, son of the milliner, was so badly burned, in trying to rescue his mother, that he has since died. A sailor named Kelly, and George Westby. Barlow's engineer, are very badly burned. Doubts are entertained of Westby's recovery. One of the men burned is supposed to be John Lavin. The county papers were saved.

This last paragraph can be explained by saying that, soon after the court house was desti'oyed by fire, in 1870, the court and county offices, and the court and county records were removed to rooms in the Potter block, on Second street, and had again to pass through the uncertainties of a large fire; but they were all saved.

that their fire de[)artment was too [small to work successfully aoraiDst a large fire. In July, ISTo, at a special meeting of the Common Council, a resolution was passed, for the purpose of [)urchasiug one of Silsby's No. 4 size rotary steam fire engines, for the sum of So, 850, with hose cart and hose. The engine was soon after purchased, and a fire company organized, called Alpena No. 2. Kobert Oliver was appointed First Engineer.

Soon after this, a chani;e Avas made in the management of the fire department. And now they had the engines and a proper organization, there was a scarcity of water; and large tanks had to be made in various parts of the city, for a supply. These tanks proved to be only a partial success, as the water was mudd}", and many of them with a scanty supply. It is hoped that not far in the future, the city will be well supplied with water from the river or lake; and until this supply of water is had, but little progress can be made against fires, as the following will show:

In June, 1875, E. Harrington's house and barn were burned, valued at §4,500; insured for §3,000; Eobert Napper's blacksmith shop and wagon factory, valued at SG,000, and insured for §1,500; H. J. Eaton's residence, valued at §3,000. and insured for §2,000.

On February 25th, 187(), Henry Beebe's block was a second time destroyed by fire. Building and stock valued at §12.000, and insured for §4,000. Michael O'Brien lost his stock of boots, shoes, leather, etc, valued at §4,000, and insured for §1,000; and soon after this the residence of Dr. Jeyte was destroyed, valued at §4,000, and insured for §2,300. On the last day of November of the same year, the Myers block, so called, and the olclest building in the city, was burned. How it caught fire was a mystery. Some other fires occurred, the details of which the writer has not been able to obtain. This cliapter is the most gloomy and thankless of any in the history of Alpena, but it afPords some foo<l for careful thought and study.

In looking over the list of sufferers by the several fires, you will find that those who needed insurance the most, had the least, and some had no insurance at all. Our fellow citizens, Samuel Boggs, J. R. Beach, Thomas Robinson and others, are poor men this Centennial year, simply because they did not keep fully insured ; and Mrs. AVestbrook and son probably owe their shocking and untimely deaths to the same cause. Many not only lost their property by the fire, but being without insurance or means to re-build, they were swept out of a lucrative and monopolized business worth to them many times the value of the property they lost. It is impossible to reach the exact value of property destroyed by fires in Alpena, between 1857 and 187G, but we can approximate very nearly, and keeping within the bounds of certainty, we have the very nice sum of S342,900. In 1875, the assessed valuation of property in Alpena city, was $906,640, so that, by these firgures, one-third of the entire accumulations of the people for eighteen years, had been destroyed by fires. About $100,000 of this loss has been paid back by the insurance companies, leaving a dead loss upon the industry of the people, during that time, of twenty-five per cent.