Practically the entire business section of the village of Necedah Tuesday night was a mass of ruins as the reuslt of a conflagration that had its origin in Greenberg's store and that spread so rapidly that before it could be controlled more than a score of business houses had been reduced to ashes.

The fire started about 9 o'clock in the morning and telephone calls for help were sent in all directions the fire departments from Adams, Friendship, Mauston, New Lisbon, Tomah and Grand Rapids responding, special trains being pressed into service. The arrival of help undoubtedly saved the residence portion of town from destruction, but was too late to save but a few business buildings on each end of Main Street. The speed with which the fire traveled is evidenced by the fact that there was not a very strong wind, but yet the fire was practically burned out by three o'clock in the afternoon. the cause of this was that every one of the buildings with exception of Greenberg's store, was frame and very old at that, and burned like tinder.

Aided by the ever shifting wind the flames ate their way up the only business street, which is skirted on one side of the river and on the other by high bluffs, and for a few hours the battle to check them participated all the male inhabitants, was almost without result.

Authorities would not make a definite estimate of the damage Tuesday night, although they believed the total loss would be from $300,000 to $500,000.

The following were among the most seriously damaged in the blaze:

Post Office

Necedah Bank

George R. Bishop, meat market

T. M. Canfield, pelt dealer

Ira T. Crane, jewelry store

Joseph E. Daly drug store

E. Godfrey & Co., creamery

William Greenberg, general store

Jacob Gross, general store

Geo. A. Harriman, hardware store

Ludwig Hodik, wagon maker

Geo. A. Horton, grocery store

J. P. Killer, shoe store

Norman Lecy, leather dealer

Geo. H. Parham, physician

G. R. Sinclair, dentist

Frank Toman, tailor

J. Williams & Bros., hardware

Lute G. Williams, potato dealer

D. R. Wildermuth, photographer

E. H. Galvin, saloon

H. R. Bulger, restaurant

Walter Eaton, barber shop

Albert Stowasser, saloon