Reflections: S&E Depot burns down and baby boy Pantle arrives

Reprint of these stories from the April 12, 1912 issue of The Grand Encampment Herald brought to you courtesy of Grandma’s Cabin, Encampment, Wyoming. Preserving History - Serving the Community.

Fire fiend burns

S.&.E. depot

The depot building and freight house of the Saratoga & Encampment railroad was completely destroyed by fire this Friday morning shortly after one o’clock. The flames had gained such headway when first discovered that nothing could be done to check them. The hose cart was taken out, but the building was out of reach so there was nothing to do but watch it burn.

In the building were the superintendent’s offices and all the books and records of the railroad company from the beginning of the road down to the present date were completely destroyed with the exception of a comparative few books that were in one of the safes, and their condition is unknown at present. All the bill files, tickets, and all kinds of stationery, typewriters, etc. went down in the ruin. A quantity of clothing and other personal effects belonging to Messrs. Austin and Fairman were lost. A small quantity of freight in the warehouse, including a lot of canned goods for the tie camp, was destroyed.

The trunks belonging to David Brennan and family were in the building and were burned. Fortunately for Mr. Brennan he had checked them yesterday so that the loss will fall mostly upon the railroad.

While the cause of the fire is unknown, there is much reason to believe that it was of incendiary origin. This morning there was found a few feet from the building site a ten pound bucket with a little coal oil left in the bottom. This mute evidence of criminality, together with the fact that the fire appeared to have started in a part of the building where there was absolutely nothing else to cause it, and where the wind would whip it the most, is generally accepted as conclusive evidence that it was the work of a fire fiend, but the motive that could have prompted it is inexplicable.

The building was covered by $1200 of insurance. The value of the records that were lost is much more than the building, and that is a loss that cannot be computed nor restored.

Minor Notes:

A fine boy made his debut at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Pantle on Tuesday, the 9th. All doing well.

W.B. Fry has returned from Colorado where he has been all winter with the German colonists who had planned to settle on the French Creek project.

Cody People Eat Alfalfa Bread

The first alfalfa bread ever seen in Cody was brought to this city Wednesday night and presented to the Enterprise. It was made in Billings from alfalfa meal ground in Dr. Sudduth’s mills. The bread has a greenish cast and smells like the dry alfalfa. The taste is not unpleasant and somewhat resembles that of rye bread. The loaf had ten percent of alfalfa and the rest wheat flour. At Billings it is said to be getting quite popular among the natives, who are also professing to like a little alfalfa in their bonbons, etc. Several people sampled the Enterprise’s loaf. Thus far no fatalities have been reported. – Cody Enterprise