Judge Barcroft and Dr. Butin halt Madera health hazard

For The Madera Tribune

Dr. Mary Butin (far left) ordered a halt to work on a foundation for a Chinese restaurant on Yosemite Avenue due to the noxious fumes coming from a hole.

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What a horrible smell! It was so bad that passers-by along the south side of Yosemite Avenue had to hold their noses. The local paper reported “a stench filled the air that would equal the corpse-laden fields in front of Port Authur.” One gentleman who was dining at a restaurant on D Street had to leave the table. The problem was coming from Conrad Breslin’s empty lot next to the Barcroft Building.

Fire had destroyed the frame structure that had formerly stood on the lot, and when the opportunity arose for Breslin to rent the property, he jumped at the chance.