News: Romeo (Hamlet Burned - 8 Jul 1886)

Contact: Robert Lipprandt
Email: bob@wiclarkcountyhistory.org 

Surnames: Dille, Latham, Thrun, Van Hoosear, Winchester

----Source: The Tribune - Phonograph (Abbotsford, WI) 07/11/2012

Originally printed in the Spencer Tribune, Extra Edition, July 7th, 1886

Romeo Burned!

The Hamlet Completely Wiped Out of Existence

The most disastrous fire that has ever visited this section occurred Wednesday afternoon at Romeo, a small station about three miles from here.

Fire caught in the northwest corner of the lumber yard and soon spread through the yard, consuming some 5,000,000 feet of lumber and taking the planning mill, large sawmill, store, boarding hose, dwelling houses and sweeping everything clean in its course.

In less time than it takes to write about it, what was once a prosperous community is left a smoldering mass of ruins.

Wm. Van Hoosear is the heaviest loser, his loss on the mill property, lumber, buildings, etc. aggregating $100,000 with an insurance of about $50,000 placed in some 30 companies for which E. H. Winchester, of Dorchester is agent. Owing to the policies being in the safe, which was in the store building, it is impossible at this time to give the list of companies and losses.

Some dozen dwelling houses burned from which it is impossible to save much of the contents. Few of those buildings were insured and will prove to be a total loss to their occupants averaging in the neighborhood of $350 each. On account of the confusion prevailing, it is impossible to obtain the names of but few of the losers, among them being F. L. Dille, Ferdinand Thrun, and Phil Latham.

The fire occurred just as the people were sitting down to dinner and did not give them time to finish their meal.