Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1865-12-22
GREAT COMPLICATION IN MoCEE6oR.
A Large Section or the Business Part OF
the City Burned Eighteen BullGlngs
and $y9,Joa Worth OF Property
DESTROYED.

tation, resulting in great individual
losses. On Friday morning last, about
o o'clock, fire was discovered in the
rOstoiticc building by the Dykens broth
crs, of Prairie du CHEN, who had just
crossed the river for tho purpose OF CON
ducting passengers over the haii-iroIen
stream. The morning was cold (ther-
mometer ut zero and the wind blowing
quite brskly; and, although the by
kenses immediately gave the alarm, be-
fore the citizens could be aroused, the
flames had envcloped the rostoilice
building, which was of wood and ad-
Joining Sailsbury's saloon building and
NewCli's drug store on the west, and h.
L. Clark Il Co. IS building on the east;
these buildings being also of wood, they
burned rapidly, and with the entire alb
scncc of fire cXtiuguishing apparatus,
all saw at II glance that there was no
hope of saving them. just as the flames
at this point were at their height, the
wind shifted and blew the burning
fragments across the street, setting fire
to the wooden buildings on the east side
of Main street; and now the contiagra-
ton became general, and continued TN,
til il had burned all the buildings on
the west side from Newell's drug store
TO the stone Jail, including the McGrcg-
or House, and made Il clean sweep OF all
the buildings on the east side from the
brick block in which the Nctcs Office is
located, to Bass IL ElmcndorfS buildings,
situated ut the southeast corner Of the
public square. The brick block known
as Bass Il Evans was saved by pulling
down "A small wooden building near,
and Bass d EimendOrrs warehouses owe
their salvation, FIRST, to the heavy brick
wall which they took the prccaution to
build between them and the adjoining
wooden buildings, and second, and more
directly, perhaps, to the coolncss and
intrcpidity of q. IL. Flanders, of the
Flanders House, who, ut the moment
of greatest danger, when the flames
were communicating to the roof, climb
ed up0n il. and by persuasiOns both gem
tie and severe, induced the hali-stupiii-
ed spectators to pass him water with
which To keep back the flames until the
ADJOINING building fell. If head equal
ly cool cuuld have been placed ut the
McCrpgOr House, that building might
perhaps have been saved. The whole
number OF buildings destroyed was
ciyhfCca, and the amount OF property,
including the value of buildings, prOba-
bly, about &GD,000, upon n large portion
of which there Is ample Insurance. All
the burned buildings but one were wood
en-, and as they were ali situated within
the fire limits, when rebuilt will he con.
structcd Of lcss iniianmable material.
The following list IL a pretty accurate
one Of the individuals injured, with the
amounts of their losses and insurance:
Homer u. Newell, loss s5oD); fully Insured.
wash. salisbury, " i0J; partially insured. ".
\. Bcntun, tfostolltcah sl,2lj; insurance, 300.
Hopkins, $1,000; partially insured. McC:regor
House estate of Alex McCtrrgor., 3IOJl; par
TALLY insured. j.. ". townsend. 81, 500; part
ally insured. - Allen, a&5Oj; Insurance. 81 400.
". O'Rricn, u .sJD ftIly insured John Ituni<lr,
3l,313; ulsurrI. Charles Wallace lharbogn 80;
no iusuranCc. Andy Gaiiney, $4,000; mostly
Insured In j. H. Ffceinan, si,o5j Insured 500.
j. LicbhUrdt, 5000; insurance, u, ,:F(b. ID. BTOd.
sins, 3j7o; insured. l.; S1ter & 60. lbarbersh
SlJJ; no Insurance I'll. r.. Evans, $1,000 Insured.
Geo. Xcigicm0Cr. E6ND; insurance, $500. r. No
bic, $500: no insurance. James ~iorah, $50: no
Insurance.. Gru. l.. BASS, furniture, 4llg; in
'sured. BAssE iGlmendorf, $50: insured. J. NJ.
IiOisington, 500; no Insurance. MeGrcSor Cor
net Band Soo5; no Insurance 7: y: u, Cope inr-
aucc. j. O'Connor household goods, sl5o; no
Insurance. HoEkins 4 Field, apples, SOP; no
T.. y. Ryan, goo; no insurance.
The insurance policies on the above
property are divided as follows by the
companies named below:
Lorllard, $40; Iowa Mutual, sl21O; North
American, 500; Metrop2iitan of New York,
1900; Home OF Ecw Haven, 5000; United
States, OF FrcCp0rt, 1900; CITY Fire, Of Hart
ford, 2,JJ); Piscatalle, Of Maine, 1000; and
Morris, New York, 100
The mails, with the exception Of the
Gem, Iowa, mail were all saved, owing
to Postmaster Benton's admirable sys-
tenn of always having everything prop
eriy distributed and sacked as soon us
mail matter arrives. The sacks were
all hanging around the mailing table,
and n few minutes suiliced to place
them all out Of danger. Nearly al! the
distributed matter belonging 10 citizens
in private boxes and drawers, was lost.
Registered and advertised letters, and
matter in general delivery, was saved.
The origin of the fire is believed to
have been purely accidental. The up
per part OF the Postotlicc building was
occupied as residence by Mr.. Tim.
Hopkins, and the fire caught from the
chimney or liue used by tho family.
Among the incidents Of the fire, were
several fights, quite number OF acCi-
dental bruises, and one broken leg. The
owner of the last named piece of fgrni-
ture was discovered in the act of appro-
priating something which did not cx-
actly belong 10 him. An attempt at
arrest followed, when the fellow took 10
his heels, closely pursaed. When just
around Helwig's foundry, and under
full run, lie fell and broke his leg.
A young son of James Slorah ed
ward, had his face severely cut, four
teeth knocked out, and one arn dislo-
Gated, by some piece of furniture which
fell upon him from an upper story.
Quite Il number OF families were rem
dered homeless, for the time, and some
individual cases or peculiar hardships
-utf
izens, with their usual generosity, Will
seek them out and give reiiefif necessa-
ry.
The Brass Band lost oil their instru-
ments, aud the Mc(iregor Guards all
their arms.
From the Chicago Tribune.
The Freight Monopoly
IF the officers Of the railroad corpora
tions Of the Northwest were under the
immediate pay of s5t. Louis, they could
not work more efiectaally TO build up
that city than they are doing at the
present time. By charging eXorbitaat
rates OF freight on tho various lines
leading into Iowa and Minnesota, for
the past two or three months they have
driven the great bulk og the produce
of those states to seek market down
the Mississippi River. Renonstrancc
after remonstrance has been forwarded
to the Directors OF our railroads without
effect. Blinded by excessive dividens,
they have stubbornly refused 70 see
that the course they are pursuing Is not
only fatal to the best interests of 1hica-
20 and the Northwest, but suicidal TO
I themselves. Indeed IL would seem rs
| IL the railroad corporations ofthc North
west had moved bodily to Wall street
, where they are better known than ia