Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1874-06-05

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agent, Hart d Bruckart attorneys,
F. 8. Brainard dentist, John Burke
barber, VIM Few tailor, and the Pub
lie Library. The Masonic and Fire
mems halls were in the third story.
Most of these parties succeeding in
saving a portion of their goods and
effects, though some of the dealers,
through miscalculation of the intense
heat of the fire, had their goods burn
ed after they had been removed, as
they supposed, to a place of safety.
The brick building next the bridge
occupied by S. NJ. Osgood, Music and
Millinery store, J. S. Woodward at
ytorncy, and the Odd Fellows, went
the way of all the rest, with much of
it's contents.
1t was hoped that the solid and
high wall on the east end of the Will
cox block would be barrier to the
flames in that direction, and this
might have been the case, but for the
frame warehouses and old shanties
in the rear the buildings clear up to
the Montour House corner. The
flames selling upon these, advanced
eastward in the rear, twice as fast as
in front. While the Opera House
was burning in front the fire had pro-
crossed as far as the BULLETIN office
at the back of the block.
The next building to succmmb to
the deyouring element after the Will
cox block, was Planes hardware
store, and from this point the march
of the destroyer was steady, persis-
tent and rcsistlcss, Fishers grocery,
Close & Tyson's grocery, Moore &
Chamberlain's dry goods store, the
Bazaar, the Opera House, Mas dry
goods store, King & Kcnyon's hard
Ware store, the Conservative Office, A.
Myers dry goods store, Smale Bros,
drug store, Robert & Taylor's hard
ware store, Williams & Sons grocery,
the BULLETIN Office, Stevens meat
market, Turner's millinery store, the
Montour House, Curtis livery stable,
and Sherwood's livery stable success
sively fell into the unsatisficd NAV
Of the monster, and were soon masses
of smoking ruins. While all this
was transporting on Main Street the
buildings on the south front of the
square, including the German Pres
byterian Church, and the residences
of w. r. Kenyon, S. d. circuit, Fl.
II. Hunter, Il. F. Gillctt and Thos.
Sherwood were swept off like chaf
before the wind, leaving the entire
block bare of everything except here
and there broken fragments of wall,
standing like sentinels oyer heaps of
unsightly debris.
Walnut Street proved the eastern
lelnit of the fire, though it was only
through almost superhuman effort
that the residence of H. A. King on
the east side Of Walnut was saved.
Here also the new steamer put in an
opportunc appearance. Drawing wa
ter from the cistern at the corner of
Main and Walnut, it kept the roof of
Glass furniture store wet, thus saving
it, and with it the whole southeast
portion of the city.
At six o'clock A. NJ. the fire was
finally subdued, but in the four short
hours that elapsed since the sharp
stroke of the city bell aroused our
citizens from their peaceful slumbers,
quite nine-tenths of our most valu-
able business buildings with nearly an
equal proportion of the stocks of our
merchants We're but heaps Of smoultl-
ering rubbish. Thirty nine business
houses, two hotels, two ncwspapcrot.
fees, ono church, four dwellings, and
two livery stables were embraced in
the terrible disaster. jurisprudence
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