Bellevue Scorched

Belleyce, Jan. 10.- Fire scourged Bellevue Tue9(lay night. Nearly the entire business section of the town is in ashes with losses sggregating over S100.000. Valuable stocks have beeu completely rnined by water. Three men were eeverely injured in fighting the finmes and but for timely and heroic assistance from the fireinen oL Battle Creek and Charlotte the entire towii would have been wiped out. The foliowing are the individual losses as near as can be ascertained: A. W. Barnes' wagon shop. building and contente, 1,000; E. C. Stevens, blacksmith. S700; Masonic lodge, 81,000: bawyer & Havens, hardware, S20.000; Evans & Hall, 3,000; E. J. Houston, 51,000; Van'a cigar atore, $2,000: Frank Phelps, Si. 500; E. J. Hollands, 1,200; Evans" Urera House, SN00U; Evans & Hare, f8,500; J. Taylor. 4,000: W. H. Eldred, 5500; John Markham, $500; Kimberley's general store, $"l,l(0. In fighting the flimes three men were injured severely mei a ntimber suiïered minor burns and cruises. Tha more seriously hurt are: WiLLIAM PICKE, a Charlotte fireman, feil from a ladder. FRED WILSOST, feil from Evans' building. RALPH WALKER, injured by a fall. The fire started a bout dusk in Robin6On's foundry building, where a larga quantity of hay had been stored. It spread with great rapidity and was quickly bevond control. Aid was summoned from Battle Creek and Charlotte, and to the valuable assistance rendered by .the fire departinents of those cities the salvation of what remains of the town is due. The Battle Creek fire department made the run of 13 miles in 12 minutes. Charlotte carne over a distance of 13 miles in 17 minutes. Thousands of dollars worfch of goods were removed into the middle of the street and before they could be carried away they were set on fire by the awful heat that came from the burning oil in Sawyerp & Havens' hardware store. Bellevue's only fire protection ia a hand engine, and this was little more than nseless. The flames spread along one si de ot' the main street, destroying in its course the Holland, Stevens, Barnes. Evans, Sawyer & Evans, Watkins and Van buildings. Then they spread across the street and burned the dry goods stock of Frank Phelps, Taylor's saloon, Kimberley's general store and Eldred's harness shop. At the Phelps store the firerhen began to raake progress againstthe flames and the fire was practiually under control though xnoru from lack of material than anything else. It was nearly II o'clock before the firenieu finally called the fire out and the Charlotte'and Battle Creek foroes went back home. Many of the burned buildings were uninsiired owing to the high ratea and the losses will in nearly all cases be ver y severely feit.