Fire Destroys Oroville Laundry and Livery Stable
A late-night blaze claims a steam laundry and an unoccupied livery stable in Oroville’s 'old town' after a suspected electrical short.
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.
About 11 o'clock Monday night, the southern part of town was illuminated by a fierce red glow as a fire consumed the steam laundry owned by John Lewis and a large, unoccupied livery stable owned by A. Johnston. Because the buildings were located in the 'old town' and were highly inflammable, local efforts to fight the fire were impossible. Rain was falling heavily at the time, but the buildings were already lost. The barn was 52 by 10 feet, and Mr. Johnston estimated his loss at $500 with no insurance. John Lewis lost his entire laundry plant, including $200 in cash and his customers' clothes; he held $400 in insurance. The fire is believed to have ignited from wires attached to electric irons near the dry room. The Lewises were attending a band dance at the time. Mr. Lewis, despite the total loss of his business, has stated he plans to reopen as soon as possible.
“Their loss is total, and represents the accumulation of several years of hard work and frugality.”
Early 20th-century fire safety, particularly regarding electrical wiring in wood-frame commercial structures, was a constant hazard in growing Washington towns. The reliance on volunteer bells and whistles to fight fires highlights how vulnerable these early 'boom' districts were to a single mechanical or human error.
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