From the Archives: Killam Fire Claims Buildings

(The Sedgewick Sentinel – April 4, 1929) – At ten minutes past four o’clock a.m. on Tuesday morning, April 2nd, the rattle of the fire bell at Killam was sounded by Charlie Moon, the cook of Pon Moon Get’s City Cafe at Killam. After the first alarm was sounded, it was only a matter of minutes until the chemical engines from the fire hall were on their way to the scene of the fire which had broken out with alarming suddenness in the front room of the City Cafe.

Several of the volunteers who had rushed to the fire hall in response to the alarm did not know where the fire was until they were directed by those in charge of the engines – but once out on the street, it was plain to be seen that the fire was in the wooden restaurant building. It is situated between and close to the Williams jewelry store and Pangborn’s barber shop, billiard hall and rooming house – four wooden structures which were impossible to save from total destruction.

It was seen at once by the fire brigade officials and by all others that the only sensible course to pursue was the salvaging of goods, fixtures, effects from the building on either side of the cafe, and the saving if possible of the Florence Hotel, which was protected to some extent by an iron clad sample room.

The fact that there was almost no wind blowing is the feature of the holocaust that saved many other buildings, and at one time it was only a question of seconds which determined the fate of the Florence Hotel, in fact a great many articles had been moved out of the hotel.

Pon Moon Get’s loss will total $10,500 with a fair amount of insurance on building and stock. The building is valued at $5,000 and the stock, furnishings, and equipment at $5,500.

M. J. Pangborn’s billiard hall, barber shop, rooming house and outbuildings were worth $8,500 and contents over $6,000, partially insuraned. Mr. Pangborn’s loss will be more than half the value of the total loss.

N. D. Williams, the jeweller, who occupied a building belonging to A. M. Close got away lucky, as nearly everything in the building was saved. His loss will be about $700. The building was valued at $2,500 and was partially insured.

The loss to buildings and contents in connection with the Florence Hotel is estimated at $2,000 with only a small amount of insurance.

F. E. Nichol lost about $1,200 worth of plate glass in his store front, practically all the plate glass in the building being broken from heat.

Pon Moon Get fortunately owned a private residence in which his family has been living for some time. Moon is planning to purchase a building in Killam or build a new cafe.

Mr. Pangborn will rebuild.

Mr. Williams is carrying on in temporary quarters until a suitable location can be secured.

Mr. Fife, the barber, through the energetic efforts of Mr. Jennings and Mr. Pangborn and by Mr. Knill’s courtesy, has secured the old Arthur Beaumont law office, and it was pulled onto a lot on the east side of main street and put in readiness for a barber shop in less than 10 hours after the fire started.

A big pile of ice, the only surviving relic of the Florence Hotel yards, had a new building erected over it the same day of the fire.

Thus the era of re-construction had commenced almost before the last wall of the burning buildings had fallen to the ground.

 

Months after the fire, F. E. Nichol announced his store’s “CLOSING OUT” sale.