Superior Company Had Small Blaze

EXCELSIOR WRAPPING CAUGHT FIRE FROM LIGHTED TORCH

A House on South Division Street, 70 Years Old Burned Down Tuesday Night

Shortly before 11 o'clock Wednesday morning the fire department was called to the Superior Manufacturing Co.'s factory on S. Main street, owing to a blaze which originated in the testing room.

All the freight received at the factory is carried through the testing room to the store room beyond. A box of lamps packed in excelsior had been left in the testing room temporarily and probably for the first time as all the excelsior is kept in the store room. A couple of lamps had been placed on the box and while testing one of them an alcohol flame from the torch used to test with, dropped into the excelsior in the box, igniting it. Instead of throwing the box out of doors someone attempted to take off part of the siding. As a result, when the flame was exposed to the air, it spread and in a moment the box was burning. finally it was dragged to the door and thrown into the street.

When the fire department reached the factory the fire was thought to be out, but a spark had lingered in the rafters of the room and soon after the department had left it was called back, the fire being extinguished, however, before its return. There was no serious damage.

R. R. Seeley, one of the employees of the firm, was badly burned about the face in endeavoring to put out the fire.

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The vacant house at 507 S. Division street, owned by William Everest, was almost completely demolished by fire shortly after midnight Tuesday night. The house, which is over 70 years old, has been empty some time and the origin of the fire is not known.

When the fire department reached the scene of the fire at 12:28, the roof was burning off and the building otherwise badly burned. The fire was not discovered until several minutes after it started.

The house, being a very old frame structure, easily succumbed to the flames.

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The Manchester canning factory starts on corn in about a week. Of the 127 acres of tomatoes planted for this factory, 50 acres will yield a big crop and the balance did not do well.

David Stoll died at Fort Gibbon, Alaska, June 20, of blood poisoning, following an accidental explosion of a rifle he was cleaning. He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. George Stoll, of Dexter township, and was 25 years of age. He was a regular army soldier.