Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (Charles City, Iowa) 1861-1864, 1862-10-23
Terrible ConAagration !
Great Fire in Charles City!
Two Hotels, Six Stores, Two
Jewelry Shops, One Law
Office, and one Tai
lor Shop Burned
TOTAL Less, sJO,OOO!!

TOTAL Less, SJO,OOO!!
Nearly all the business portion O
our beautiful town is in ashes 1, A
about p o'clock 2. NJ, on Thursday
Oct. 23d, fire was discovered issuing
from the roof of the Kelly Hotel il
this village, and, the wind being very
high, the devouring element did not
cease its ravagcs until twelve valua.
bic buildings on the main business
street were in ruins. From our office
to McNabb's store, and from the Pub
lie Square to Gilbert's Stone Building
on both sides Of the street, not YES
tige of the buildings remains, except
the stone foundations. So rapidly did
the flames spread, that merely two
hours sufficed to cause all this dcstruc.
ton of property.
After the household goods from the
Kelly Hotel and the Magnolia House
were saved, as much as possible, and
1t was found that the latter building
must be burned, then the cry was
1.-THE Printing Office ! the Printing
Ofice! Save the Printing Office 1"
and it was saved.
To Mr.. Carver, Mr.. feeling, Charles
Kelly, and the many others who as
sisted them, are we indebted for kind.
iy and successful efforts in saving the
lntelligcncer Building-and that be-
ing saved, our dwelling house was
saved also. Much of our printing
materials, and goods in the store be-
meath, were taken out, and from our
dwelling house nearly everything was
removed, IN momcntary expectation
that the flames would sieze upon aud
consume the buildings. To the many
kind ladies and gentlemen who as
sisted US we tender our most CRATE
full thanks.
While we were thus engaged, the
fire spread across the street, and the
watch and jewelry shops Of Mr.. Smi,
lie and Mr.. Bennett, the law Office of
G.. G. & X. G. Reinigcr, the tailor
shop of d. Davidson, the old hardware
store, the grocery store of j. Stole,
the shoe and harness shop Of Fergu-
son a. Sampson, the stove and tin
shop of Charles Merkel, and the gen
eral variety store Of j. w. Lchmkuhl
n Co., were all at nearly one and the
same time cnveloped in flames.
The burning wood and cnde,s were
carried by the wind to remote parts
OF the town where they would ignite,
sometimes on the roofs of the build
ings, sometimes in haystacks, and
among dry leaves, grass &c, which
kept the inhabitants constantly at
work extinguishing tue fire.
All the people, men, women and
children, labored with all their might
in efforts to save goods and property
large proportion of the goods was
saved, though much was lost; and
many Of the articles saved are in
damaged state.
But small portion of any of the
property was insured The loss to
he Kelly family cannot be less than
10000. Mr. Lchmkuhl is probably
he next heaviest loscr--llis loss be-
ng some $4,000 Mr.. Merkel has
ost about $1,000, and Mr.. Stole
bout $500, Mr.. Reiniger's loss, in
officc, books, papers, &c, is probably
rom $1,000 to $4,000. Some of the
buildings were owned by non-resi-
Tents, and the owners names we do
not know The entire loss by the
fire is estimated at $50, 900.
All night the people were kept
constantly upon the watch, lest the
fire should break out i'm some new
place. At about midnight the wind
changed from the southwest to the
northeast-blowing almost a gale and
cxciting considerable alarm. The
weather suddenly grew cold, snow be-
gan to fall, and when daylight APP
pearcd the earth was clad in robe of
white Chcerlessness and dcsolation
rcigned around Blackened ruins
and wasted property had taken the
place Of handsome edfices and busy
trade