Fire This Morning in Georgetown
The Elroy Tribune, 29 Aug 1907
The members of the fire department were routed from their slumbers about two o'clock this morning to make a run to the further end of Georgetown. A house owned by Mrs. L. Pearsall, just north of George Hales' residence, was enveloped in flames which it required strenuous efforts in subdue. The house was occupied by Mrs. Utter and her son Jesse who were compelled to make a hasty exit from the burning building in rather scanty costume. Mrs. Utter, who slept in a lower room, was the first to realize the danger, and called to her son who was upstairs. Jesse reached safety clad in shirt and trousers, when his mother remarked that she had only her nightgown; he went back and secured a few clothes for her. There was no time to carry out household articles and what was burned will be a total loss as there was no insurance on convents. The house, which was a new one, remains standing, but it is a sorry sight. There was a small insurance on the building.
How the fire originated seems to afford plenty of room for speculation. It apparently started in the kitchen, but the occupants say there was no fire in the stove and lamp had been left burning. Defective electric light wiring has been suggested as the cause of the fire.
One of the lessons of the fire is to show the need of the permanent location of a hose cart in Georgetown, and by the same logic one in Brooklyn. It would also be a good thing to devise a system of fire whistle signals to indicate in what part of the city a fire alarm had come from. When the chief of the fire department ??????? to spend valuable minutes in running around to find out where the fire is, that in itself should be sufficient argument in favor of an improved alarm system.
The fire boys made the run to the fire in 20 minutes. It was a long hard pull, no team was available, but the boys kept their wind good.