Fire Levels Farmhouse While Owner Seeks Bread
A minor errand for a loaf of bread leads to the total loss of a Richland home.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The small house on the Wm. Anshutz tract was completely destroyed by fire the latter part of the week while the family was away from home. Young Anshutz had started a fire in the cook stove and went over to a neighbor's house to get a loaf of bread. On chancing to look out the window he saw the flames leaping from his own home and before he could get back, the place was past saving. It is a very serious loss to Mr. Anshutz, and his neighbors are helping him out until such time as he can either rebuild or put up a tent to live in.
“On chancing to look out the window he saw the flames leaping from his own home and before he could get back, the place was past saving.”
Housing insecurity in the early 20th century was often met with immediate, informal community mutual aid rather than institutional support. Today, while fire codes have reduced such incidents, the precariousness of temporary housing remains a resonant issue for many residents in the Tri-Cities area.
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