A Farmhouse West of Newport Burns to the Ground
A defective flue is blamed after A. E. Tiss's Grandview Acres home and nearly all its contents were lost. Insurance covered the contents but not the building.
The A. E. Tiss residence at Grandview Acres, a mile and a half west of town, was totally destroyed by fire Saturday afternoon, together with practically all its contents. Mr. Tiss, who was at home alone, engaged in preparing chickens for market, had a strong fire, and it is thought the house caught from a defective flue. When discovered it had made such headway that Mr. Tiss was able to save only a couple of trunks. Insurance to the amount of $700 was carried on the contents, which will partially cover the loss, but there was no insurance on the building. They expect to rebuild.
“When discovered it had made such headway that Mr. Tiss was able to save only a couple of trunks.”
In 1909, a defective flue could take a home in an afternoon, and insurance often covered belongings but not the structure. The Tiss family's decision to rebuild is a familiar response to fire loss in the West, where underinsurance and rebuilding after disaster remain live issues.
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