November 1938 Newman Dairy Farm Fire

Largest and Oldest Local Dairy Barn Soon Becomes a Complete Mass of Ruins

It didn't take long last wedesnday for the oldest and largest dairy barn in the cvicinity to become a mass of ruins when fire destroyed the structure on the J. Dick Newman farm, 2 1/2 miles southwest of town.

The top picture (1st) shows how rapoidly the flames spread from the time the blaze was discovered until the fire department arrived. Lack of water prevented the use of the fire truck, so milk cans were used to carry water to cool off the implement barn in the rear. A man pumping ater can be seem in the foreground.

ZThe second pictture from the top shows the fire spreading to the lower floor as the whole structure became a mass of flalmes. The inset was taken when the barn collapsed, sending up a wall of smoke and flames. The bottom view (2rd) was taken 24 hours later and tells a story in itself. All that remains of the milk house, to be seen at the extreme right of the top picture, is in the foreground.

The barn was built about 65 years ago and was 36 X 64e feet with a 32 X 32 wing, which was bing gutted by fire when the top picture was taken. About 125 tons of hay and 225 tons of silage, the winter supply for 60 head of cattle, along with 40 tons of strw, and modern daity barn equipement, were destroyed in the fire.