Shortly before 10:30 on Thursday morning of this week the Barlow residence in the southwestern part of this city was discovered to be on fire. The alarm was sounded, and in a short time a large crowd, including the organized fire fighters, had gathered at the scene of the fire. E. H. Wallace, who lives a block away, was the first to discover the blaze, which, at the time, had burst through the roof near a flue not far from the center of the house. The fire spread so quickly that it was impossible to save the building.Most of the contents of the house was saved. M. F. Martin and family lived in the house and they sustained some loss. The building was owned by Mrs. Marion Ericsson, formerly Miss Marion Barlow, and her sister, Miss Amy Barlow, neither of them lives here now. There was also some of the Barlow furniture in the building. The loss sustained by the Barlows was partially covered by insurance. The house was known as "The Gables." When the original structure was built in 1886 by Samuel J. Miller, it was a three room cottage, but several other rooms had been added until it was a quite commodious building.
Not more than 50 feet north of the Barlow building stands the residence owned and occupied by Mrs. J. A. Jarnagin, and north of this building is Jay T. Botts' house. These buildings, especially Mrs. Jarnagin's, were in great danger for a while of being burned also, but prompt work saved them.
This fire affords another illustration of the value of a good water system and competent fire department in our city. Had the fire in the Barlow residence been discovered a while sooner, it probably could have been saved, but there is no question but what the nearby buildings would have been burned had the fire fighting facilities not been available.
Also see:
Fire Destroys Comanche County's Court House
Published in The Western Star, November 21, 1921.Mr. and Mrs. Hodgetts Write from England
The Western Star, August 7, 1925.
Thanks to Shirley Brier for finding, transcribing and contributing the above news article to this web site!
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