LYLE DESTROYED BY FIRE!

FLAMES ALMOST WIPE OUT THE BUSINESS PART OF THE VILLAGE.

The Total Losses Reach Over $110,000.
Austin to the Rescue.

About half past ten o'clock Saturday morning telegrams were received from the village of Lyle asking aid, as the town was burning up. Both hose companies loaded their hook and ladder truck on a flat car and started for Lyle, accompanied by a large number of our citizens. As the village was reached it was seen that the worst reports were indeed true. The fire started on the east side of Main street at the north end and was then rushing south with resistless fury. Half of the stores on Main street were already burned when our boys arrived. They set to work with alacrity and lent most efficient aid. The wind blew fiercely from the northeast and in spite of the most heroic efforts the flames continued. It was thought for a while that they could be stayed at the block in which Stanley's drug store was situated but the boys finally had to give this building up. Next to this was Mrs. Olson's dwelling. This was partially torn down and the fire on the east side of Main street stopped there. Not so on the west side. The fire at the north end had leaped across the street and after burning Sherman's lower lumber sheds and office had attacked Hunting & Co.'s elevator and warehouse. From this it caught the Milwaukee depot, from which only the ticket case was saved. The express matter and freight in it was entirely consumed. It did not stop here. Again crossing the street below Peterson's saloon it caught and consumed Hunting & Co.'s lower elevator and then attacked the Kansas City depot and hotel, which were entirely consumed. It also burned two small residences below this depot and found nothing further in that direction which would burn. The village had no fire protection and hence was at the mercy of the flames. All that could be done was to organize bucket brigades. Our hook and ladder apparatus were of great service here.

The fire is supposed to have originated in Fred Hambright's store building, occupied by J. E. Flood as a residence. The family were away and it is not known how the fire started. This is at the north end of the street and the whole row of stores on Main street was exposed on account of the wind blowing south. The fire swept across block after block in spite of the most determined efforts. It took in its sweep M. O. Wilson's store and large general stock, John Myhre's fine brick store and large stock of dry goods and groceries, the post office and Myhre & Frazer's drug store, E. L. Stanley & Son's large drug store and Evanson, Anderson & Co.'s heavy stock of hardware and farming implements. The residence portion of the village was not harmed, but three or four stores on a single street are about all that is left in a business line. Mrs. Wheeler's hotel and Mrs. Bowman's hotel at the south end are left. The mails in the post office were all saved. Most of the stocks in the stores were lost. They were not moved until in imminent danger and then could not be saved before the fire overtook them. What was rescued is in bad condition. Most of the household goods were saved from the dwellings burned. The lanes and lawns were filled with a most promiscuous collection of articles which each one dumped in the most convenient place. Everybody lent a willing hand and did as well as was possible under the circumstances. One of the Austin firemen wished for a hose on one of the Austin hydrants for just five minutes. What has been lost in this single fire would have put in a half dozen complete systems of water works.

The insurance rates in Lyle have been high and hence as will be seen in the list given below many who suffered were entirely without insurance. This will come very hard upon many of them as they hardly know whether they will rebuild. We are sincerely sorry for our neighbors. The injury of any of our enterprising villages means injury to us all. There were over thirty buildings burned, with a loss of about $112,000 and an insurance of about $35,000. The losses are as follows:

Loss. In'ce.

Mrs. Ann R. Nye, dwelling..... $ 1,500 .......
Jeff Conner, household goods. 400 .......
E. H. Ahrens, dwelling, furniture 1,200 ......
Fred Hambright, dwelling,... 800 $ 500
John E. Flood, furniture....... 200 ........
M. O. Wilson, store and stock. 7,500 5,000
Nisson estate, building 1,500 1,000
A. H. Anderson, building ... 500 ........
Evanson & Anderson hardware stock 1,500 ........
Louie Olson, meat market and
stock...................................... 1,700 ........
West & Ahren meat market stock 600 ........
P. Hildebrand, building.......... 800 500
Gunder Halverson, store...... 1,000 ........
Frazer & Myhre, drug store.. 1,200 1,000
John Myhre, building........... 700 500
Hart & Connor, stock........... 1,000 ........
John Myhre, store building... 3,500 2,000
John Myhre, general stock 15,000 6,000
A. H. Street, building........... 1,500 800
Lund & Lindelin, dry goods
and grocery stock.............. 6,000 3,000
Louisa Hildebrand, hotel..... 3,000 2,100
Johnson estate, building..... 1,500 1,000
Masonic Syndicate.............. 2,000 ........
E. L. Stanley & Son, drug
store................................... 4,000 2,000
Henry Peterson & Co., build
ing and stock...................... 3,500 2,000
Mrs. L. L. Olson, dwelling,
saloon stock........................ 4,000 .........
L. W. Sherman, lumber yard
and office............................ 2,000 ........
Hunting & Co., elevator, ware-
house and grain................... 5,500 4,000
J. K. Clark, office and coal
sheds................................. 500 .........
N. P. Russell, building and
saloon stock....................... 1,300 ..........
Milwaukee depot............... 1,000 .........
Evanson, Anderson & Co.,
building, hardware and agri
cultural stock...................... 21,000 3,000
Hunting & Co., elevator........ 2,000 1,500
P. K. Everson, two buildings 1,500 ........
J. K. Clark, coal shed, resi-
dence and furniture............ 300 .........
Kansas City depot and hotel.. 5,000 ..........
Mrs. E. M. Williams, furniture 1,000 .........
Interstate Grain Co., ware-
house, grain in stock............ 3,600 ..........
Two small residences........... 500 ..........

Total..... .......... .................. $111,900 $34,800

NOTES FROM THE FIRE.

Bottled beer flowed freely.

Some of the boys got a free ride home.

Coroner [illegible: Allen?] captured a penny rule from the fire as a relic.

Dr. Johnson says he has not worked so hard in five years as he did at the fire.

F. L. Crane was in the crowd. He claims to have carried a little water to help put the fire out.

L. Dettlebach worked so hard that we saw him with a pair of crutches on the train coming home.

Forty-five minutes after the Austin boys got the message for help they were at work on the fire. Quick work.

The Lyle merchants wish to express their most profound gratitude to the Austin firemen for their assistance at the fire.

About fifty of the Austin lads walked down twelve miles to see the fire, including Eddie Huser, aged seven and Max Pooler, aged eight. They wanted to see the fire.