Source: Manistique Pioneer Tribune: March 22, 1901, Page 1.
Court House in Ruins
It caught Fire from the Furnace During the Blizzard.
Tuesday, and was Entirely Destroyed. The Vaults
Withstood The Flames and the Contents are Safe.
LOSS $15,000, INSURED FOR $6,000.
Schoolcraft County’s court house is in ruins. The fire which caused the loss had its inception in the basement, and a super heated pipe in close proximity to the timbers of the first floor undoubtedly caused the trouble.
The fire gained so rapidly that the occupants of the building barely had time to save anything, and Treasurer Rogers was compelled to escape from the window.
The fire was first noticed by County Clerk Ashford, Miss Ashford and Attorney Peters, shortly after 11 o’clock.
Without warning the flames burst through the floors and registers. Messrs. Ashford and Peters were looking up certain matters and had many of the county records out of the vault. They hurriedly returned these and closed and locked the vault door. The fire gained so rapidly that is was impossible to save any of the fixtures.
Treasurer Rogers was not aware of the fact that the building was on fire until after an alarm had been turned in. He heard a noise in the hall, and when he opened the door he found the corridor filled with smoke and flames. He then lost no time in placing his books in the vault. His assistant, O. A. Bowen was piloted through the smoke by Andrew P. Ekstrom and escaped without injury. Mr. Rogers continued in his work of saving effects until the flames compelled him to leave the office via a window.
The fire department responded promptly and did very effective work until a broken valve of the engine caused a ten minutes halt. During the interim the fire broke out afresh in the roof and it was then apparent to all that the building was doomed, as the wind was blowing a gale during the whole day.
Great anxiety was felt by Clerk Ashford and Treasurer Rogers as to the stability of the vaults. The vaults were apparently favored as the chimney on the west side of the building fell outward as did the blazing walls.
Late in the afternoon Mr. Ashford was enabled to reach the vault and found that the lock responded to the working of the combination. The contents of the vault were found intact, not the least damage being noticeable. It is needless to say that Mr. Ashford was relieved, for aside from being the custodian of the public records of almost priceless value, he also had many papers and funds approximately $2,800 belonging to friends, in his possession.
The treasurer’s vault was opened Wednesday morning and everything found in first class condition.
The exact manner in which the fire started will perhaps never be known. Mr. Ashford says that during the morning he noticed the presence of smoke in the building, and made several trips to the basement to see if the furnace was working properly. He found the furnace completely filled with blazing wood, and the supposition is that the intense heat melted out the pipe leading from the furnace to the chimney, or caused the pipe to set fire to the timbers in close proximity to same.
The court house was constructed sixteen years ago. On April 6, 1886, the voters of Schoolcraft County decided by a large majority to spend $12,000 for the erection of a court house and jail. On April 30th of the same year the board of supervisors resolved to erect the court house, and the work of construction was began on June 25th by Contractor Edward Garrett of Chicago, who completed same during the year.
The building was a large two story building in good repair and was worth more than that the insurance of $5,000 carried. The fixtures were also insured of $1,000 which will not replace the property destroyed.
The law books belonging to W. L. Loranger were destroyed. They were stored in the probate judge’s office. Also, most of the extensive law library in the court room was burned.
Ed Ashford’s personal loss will equal $600. Justice A. L. Hill, who had an office in the building managed to save all of his records and books.
The firemen who worked heroically for more than four hours without respite, were treated to hot coffee and sandwiches in unlimited quantities by Mayor Crane and Treasurer Rogers.
Of the insurance $5,000 was carried through the agency of the Manistique bank. The remaining $1,000 was written by the First National Bank.
Temporary Quarters
The court house officials are getting things in readiness to attend to their official duties, and are now located as follows:
County Clerk Ashford has accepted the kindly offer of Benj. Gero and will occupy his office, opposite the Ossawinamakee. The building has a fire proof vault and is admirably adapted for office purposes.
The county treasurer and the probate judge will occupy a portion of the old Manistique Bank building. The offices are equipped with telephones and are easily accessible to the public.
Mr. Ashford has ordered the erection of a temporary structure over the vaults at the court house site. It will be an impossibility to take all the records out of them, owing to lack of vault room in town, therefore it has been decided to preserve the vaults and their contents from the elements.