NECEDAH VISITED BY ANOTHER BAD FIRE
From the Friendship Reporter (Friendship, Adams, Wisconsin)
Thursday October 20, 1921
Surnames: BABCOCK, BURKE, GODFREY, HORTON, KOWALEWSKI, MELICHAR, MINER, NILES, PAULSON, RATTUNDE, SCHUELER, SOMRUDE, WARE, WHEELIHAN
Another destructive fire visited Necedah Friday night, October 7, which totally destroyed the Opera House, Burke Building, occupied by the Kowalewski restaurant and the Babcock building occupied by the Melichar bakery.
The fire was first discovered about 10:30 in the rear of the Burke building which was occupied by the Kowalewski restaurant. In a few minutes the building was a seething furnace, the terrific heat breaking the glass front of the Rattunde garage, the village hall, the Republican building and the Godfrey building. The Melichar bakery on the north and the Opera House on the south quickly caught, and it is fortunate, indeed, that no further damage resulted, it being first thought that the telephone building and those adjoining were doomed. The wind however, was favorable and the fire was kept confined to the three frame buildings.
The fire bell failed to awaken many villagers who slept throughout the fire, and for that reason much personal property was lost that might have been saved had there been helping hands.
The losses below are estimated and are not to be taken as absolutely reliable:
Opera House, owned by Mary Miner and Eva Babcock, loss on building and contents,
$9,000 with $5,100 insurance.
Burke building, owned by M. E. Burke; loss 2,000, insurance $1,000.
Bakery building, owned by C. E. Babcock, loss $35,000, insurance $10,000.
Frank Melichar; furniture, fixtures and stock, loss $6,000, insurance,
$2,700.
G. A. Horton, fire damage $300, fully covered.
H. Y. Niles, damage to fixtures $450, fully covered.
John Kowalewski, loss $1,000 with $800 insurance.
Anna Paulson, restaurant, stock and furniture, loss about $3,000 with $1,500
insurance.
E. R. Godfrey & Sons, loss $200, fully covered.
Harriet Wheelihan, loss $280, covered.
Roy L. Ware, loss $200, fully covered.
Village of Necedah, loss $150, fully covered.
Theodore Somrude, telephone building, loss $150, fully covered.
H. Schueler, loss $500 with no insurance.
Grand Theatre, loss of motion picture machine, curtains, electric fan, etc.
$400 with no insurance.
---Necedah Republican