Surnames: Weide, Fritz, Ewert, Kopp, Kohlhepp, Cook

----Source: Marshfield News (Marshfield, Wood Co., Wis.) Thursday, January 28, 1909; Page 1

UNITY SCORCHED

SEVEN BUSINESS CONCERNS BURN AT A LOSS OF $30,000

Unity was the scene of a most destructive fire on Friday morning of last week and before the flames were gotten under control seven business places on the east side of the railroad tracks were reduced to ashes, causing a loss of $30,000. Those to suffer are August Weide, butcher shop, loss $3,000, no insurance; Peter Fritz, building $5,500, insured for $2,000; Zell Brothers general store, $8,900, insured for $6,000; Button & Mumbrue, hardware store, $4,000, insured for $2,000; Wm. Ewert, saloon, $3,000, no insurance; Unity Register, printing office, $1,100, insured for $600; H. Kopp's saloon and hotel, $3,000, insured for $1,000; H. J. Kohlhepp building, $2,000, insured for $1,000.

The fire was discovered in the hardware store about two a.m. and it is supposed to have caught from a defective chimney. No sooner had the discovery been made than the flames burst forth in every direction. The adjoining buildings on either side soon caught fire and although a noble fight was made by the villagers with chemical engines and bucket brigades a block was burned over. While the loss is partially covered by insurance, it is a hard blow to Unity, especially at this season of the year.

Louis Cook, publisher of the Register, came to Marshfield the same day of the fire and with assistance of the News forced out a semblance of a paper as not a vestige of his plant was left. Mr. Cook was quite severely burned about the arms and legs.