Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1864-12-23
DESTRUCTIVE FIRE.

The Court House took Ire at seven o'clock Sat.
urday evening and was burned 10 the ground
The alarm brought large number of our citi-
sens to the spot before the flames had made
much progress, but as the frs was in the upper
part Of the building, nothing could be done to
stay it without an engine.
Through the praisewOrthy eXertions Of u few
persons, nearly everything OF value in the build
Ing, including the public records and most of the
furniture, was saved. We noticed some men he
roically at work in the upper story while the
flames were burning fnriously over head
Others exposed themselves to like peril while
saving the contents OF the lower rooms Fortu.
nately no one was hurt.
The origin of the fire is supposed 10 have been
y defective tue. II commenced near the CHM
ney over the Recorders Office. We are told that
> many chimneys are put up without being pias.
tered inside. The one where the flre commenced
Is supposed to have been OF that character. The
County officers had Just changed their slaves
for the use of coal instead of wood.
This is u severe loss to the County. Nothing
remains OF the building but it's bare walls. Il
was built in lso, at cost OF :l5, Co., and though
quite Old VAS very substantial structure 1t
cannot be replaced for less than S2o,Uhy or $500
"a sum which the County can lily AFFORD tn
spare just now, while so many soldiers families
are depending upon the public treasury tor aid
and while other taxes are high. There wa no
insurance Oh the building. -.s..
lad there been p ire Oh zine III ti,2 eiry. the
building could have been saved with com para,
lively little trouble and loss VIII not our cisi-
Ee!!s now awake &c tilar duty i'll tiis ma ster -
They have lost enough in this On. inss..iast.,to
pay for |. dozen engines. :1;-----
T. 8 There Is son,a talk o: Demonstrating
he, t,,; uyjfl, y
stand. which are considered safe. II this can be
done, the loss will he much less than above esti-
mated.
A notice appears elsewhere for 4 special
meeting os the Board Of Supervisors next
Thursday. to take this matter into conside-a-
ton. q .----
DARING ATTEMPT TO COMMIT A WHOLESALE
BURGLARy7-A daring and partly success stul at
tempt to rob number of our business houses
was made on Wednesday night last, by gang
Of desperadoes who have been infesttng our
vicinity for some time.
The State Bank, J. J. Smiths stove store the
ofdce of L. & o. W. Eckel, Wiley & Pratt's gro
Gerry store and Simpsons marble works were all
broken into, and, we should judge, ali smulta-
neously.
At the State Bank they were foiled il their
efforts. They succeeded in making a hole two
feet square in the brick wall Of the vau t, but
could make no impression on the safe. which
was one Of Lilies patent chilled iron, with
gunpowder-proOf lock. The thieves must have
become alarmed here they left part Of their
tools behind them. .=-
At the store of. J. Smith they met with more
success. They drilled q hole through the door
Of the SAFE just above the lock- through which
they poured a quantity of powder. The explo-
sion must have been tremendous, as the safe
(Which is u tolerably large one, was blown from
Its place near the wall 10 tho middle of the
room. They got S216 in money here, which ap.
pears to have been all they We're after, as NJ
papers were disturbed. They effected their en-
trance hereby saving away the sash and taking
out the glass, but left ~ the back door, which
they broke open.
At Eckel's office the entrance was effected IL
same manner, and they forced open the SAT-
In the same way as at Smiths. The charge o
powder used here must have been large and i
il surprising that the explosion, which mus
have been very loud one, did not awake AM
one rs the door OF the safe was literally blown
10 pieces, scattering the cement which filled tn,
aperture between the iron plates in every direc
tion. Here they obtained but $50 or $40. most O
which Mr. Eckel will be able to Identity The,
Loft 4 towel here, which was probably used t,
darken the windows, but it had no marks abou
1t which would lead to tn. Identification of an,
one.--DoiIu, 1874.
i0-iieutenant W. H. Lucas. of the 35th lows
reached home on Saturday, on furlough. II
left Nashville before the late battle. We or
indebted to him for late papers.
---e - >---------
PERsoSAL.-MajorT Thomas Beaham, formerl,