Marshall County Republican

ALMOST A CONFLAGRATION.—On Saturday night last, at a late hour, a young man who sleeps in Doct. Borton’s office, above Hill’s Bakery, on the west side of Michigan street, smelt smoke so strongly that he became satisfied some portion of the building was on fire, and on examination discovered the floor in the bake-room, near the middle, in a blaze. He ran over to Mr. Hill’s residence to arouse him and get the key of the door to enable him to get at the fire, which he accomplished.—A few buckets of water sufficed to extinguish the flames. A hole two or three feet square was burnt in the floor. It originated from a box of ashes which had been taken up and put there Friday morning, with the intention of removing it in a short time, but had been forgotten. This circumstance should be a warning to others in regard to taking up ashes in wooden boxes and setting them in dangerous proximity to buildings. In the above instance, but for its accidental discovery, we might say, three or four buildings at least, and thousands of dollars worth of property, would have been destroyed before day-light next morning. It was, indeed, a narrow escape.