The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1877-01-25
Elre-ffOOI odIC.

IT happened in the building at the
corner of jefferson avenue and Girls
void street, almost opposite the Free
Press office. The building is now oc-
cupied as the city ticket office of the
Michigan Central Railroad, but it is
doubtful if the polite gentlemen who
there provide travellers with passports
for anywhere in creation know any
thing about it. The fact is, although
the event was the talk of the town, 1t
happened about thirty-tive years ago.
Our highly esteemed citizens, Judge
James V. Campbell, John Owen, G. q.
Trowbridge and others, who were
then, as now, among the most promi-
nent figures of the town, have often
wondered at it. The building was
used by the Bank of Michigan and con-
tanned huge safe, nearly as high as
the ceiling, with ponderous double
doors, and wealth of bank notes and
valuable papers in the interior. The
safe was constructed, in the most thor
ough manner, of iron and wood. The
inside walls were of thick iron; next
to this was filling of stout oak tim
Der, six inches thick, kyanized and
saturated with certain chemicals,
which were intended to render the
timber incombustible. The outside OF
the safe was composed of heavy iron
bars, closely crossed and fastened to
the inner walls with a profuslon OF
round-headed bolts, whose protuber-
ances over-reached the bars and formed
an impenetrable armor. The safe was
the marvel of it's day and generation,
and was represented to be the only fire
and burglar-proof treasure chest in the
West. 1t had stood for some years In
the rear portion Of the banking room,
in close proximity to an old-fashloned
heating stove of generous size. One
morning in February the cashier, who
is now connected with bank on the
opposite side of the street, and his
force of clerks were early on hand.
The hour for the opening had nearly
struck, when shout was raised that
the safe was burning. 1t was no false
alarm. Puffs of smoke issued from
every interstice between the rivetted
bolts, and. although water was freely
applied, the fire could not be extin-
guished. The room filled with smoke,
the outer bars of the safe became hot
and hotter-approaching redness-
and the cashier, in the greatest alarm
for his notes, discounts and deposits,
worked wildly at the doors, and after
much confusion and excitement,
opened them and took out the con-
tents, the fire all the while growing
hotter. To save the building, hole
was broken through the side of the
brick wall next the street, and the
safe. by the aid of levers, tackles and
a multitude of men, was hauled out
and tumbled into the roadway. There
| it lay burning and smoldering for a
week until the timber filling had been
consumed. 1t is supposed that by
reason of proximity to the stove the
timber saturating chemicals had be.
come decomposed and had totally
changed their nature, rendering what
was at first incombustible highly in
flammable, until at last, the condi'
tions being favorable. the whole in
terror burst out in flames. There was
no possible way of setting the timber
on fire from the outside, and hence thu
burning of a fire-proof safe by spon
taneous combustion. 1t was really
more than a nine days wonder,-
Detroit Free Pfese'