News: Unity (Fire – 1909)
Contact: Stan

Surnames: Weide, Fritz, Zell, Button, Mumbrue, Ewert, Kops, Kohlhepp, Forest, White

Source: Colby Phonograph (Colby, Clark County, Wis.) Thursday, 01/28/1909

Unity Has $30,000 Fire

Nearly an Entire Business Block Wiped up in Early Morning Fire

Unity was visited early Friday morning by one of the worst conflagrations in its history. Fire started in the hardware store of Button & Mumbrue and before it was finally gotten under control it had consumed nearly a block of business houses and caused a fire loss of about $30,000. While it is impossible at this time to correctly estimate the several losses the following schedule will be found nearly correct:

Aug. Weide, butcher shop, loss $3,000. No insurance.

Peter Fritz, buildings, $5,500. Insurance, $2,000.

Zell Brothers, general store, loss $8,200. Insurance, $6,000.

Button & Mumbrue, loss $4,000. Insurance $2,000.

William Ewert, saloon, loss $3,000. No insurance.

Register office, loss $1,100. Insurance $600.

H. Kops, hotel and saloon loss $3,000. No insurance.

H. J. Kohlhepp building, loss $2,000. Insurance $1,000.

The fire was discovered by H. R. Zell about 2 o’clock a.m. at that time the entire two story double front hardware store occupied by Button & Mumbrue was a mass of flames and the fire had already communicated to the double front building occupied on the first two floors by Zell Bros. general store and by P. Fritz & Co. with a flour and feed store, the second floor was occupied by the “Register” and by Wm. Zell as a dwelling. Both buildings were constructed of pine and burned like tinder. A hard fight was made to save the Ewert property but account of being so close to the other buildings and an unfavorable wind, the well fought battle was in vain. The Forest House located immediately north of the Ewert property was also soon aflame and the attention of the firemen was turned toward checking the progress of the fire south, a stand was made at the post office and after a fight that is a credit to the firemen and citizens the fire was checked.

While this is a bad blow to the village the right spirit prevails and as fast as the debris can be cleared away work on the new buildings will be started. It is to be hoped that brick structures will take the place of the burned ones. The high rate of insurance on the old pine buildings was so high that some of the owners carried no insurance and practically none of them anywhere as near as much as they should.

Through the kindness of big hearted John White and son of the Marshfield News who put themselves to much trouble to assist a brother in distress we are able to come out in a *** Note: The rest of the article was cut off and was not available at the time of transcription.