Big Blaze In Oscoda

Oscoda, Dec. 6. -The worst fire in the history of Oscoda, exoept one or two mili and lumber fires, occurred Tuesday niorninc:. At 4 o'clock King's Opera House building and the saloon building adjoining were discovered to be flamea, and in less than half an hour the opera house was burned to the ground. The wind was blowing almost a gale. All of the village north of the opera house would have gone, had it uot been for the blinding snowstorm. The flames leaped across Main street and caught in Alex Bonenfaut's large building, which was coinpletely gutted. At one time the front of C. V. Hicks' building on the opposite corner was on tire, but several streams were turned on at once and the building saved. The first floor of the opera house building was occupied by the Oscoda postoffice, H. C. King's drug store.A.V. Loomis' store and Kix Brothers' grocery store. Not a thing was saved in the entire block. The opera house building cost about $5,000, and was built 9 or 10 years ago. Rix Brothers had a stock of about $4,000. with $2,000 insurance; Loomis, 4,000 to 5.000 stock, with 52, 700 insurance: King, $2,000, partly insured; postofflce fixtures, 300 or $400. Bonenfaut's saloon, with the hall above, is a total loss, estimated at S2,000. Rennell & Ericson's saloon, next south of the opera house, was ntirely destroyed. The building belonged to C. C. McDonald, and there is no insurance on either the building or the stock. A little mail was burned in the postoffice. The buildings destroyed were in the center of the village, and the opera house building was the finest block in town.