Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1877-06-20
FIRE in BURLINGTON,
Quarter Of a Million
Swept Away.
One of the Finest Blocks q
Heap Of Ashes.
The Firemen Aided by Provi-
dence Subdue the Flames.
From H1irE. Eue 1Afh.

From Hdck-Eye 10Th.
This morning the merchant of Bur-
lington who turned his key upon
last night, walks among
charred embers and ashes.
The flames broke out in the inside
toward the rear of the large dry
goods house of
WILLIAM BELL & COMPANY,
on Main street. They were first dis
covered by Captain Watson, employ
ed in the Chicago, Burlington Il
Quincy yards, who says that they
flashed ali over the building in sim
gle instant. He gave the alarm to q
switch engine. In two minutes after
vast volumes of smoke were pouring
from the roof. The inside of the
building was evidently all on fire
then. AS we write the flames have
rolled through the front of William
Bells, whence they burst out with
MAGNIFICENT FURY,
leaping up and covering the front of
the fine building with its winding
sheet of flame. His loss will be COM
plete. Not thread was taken from
the building, which was piled from
the cellar to the skylight with
sIXTY-TIvE THOUSAND DOLLARS
worth of goods. The building was
probably worth twenty thousand dol
lars more.
The firemen are on the ground
working as if their lives were at stake
but it seems vain effort.
THE ADJOINING PROPERTY
is among the most valuable in the city.
The entire block of four hundred feet
presents an unbroken three story
front and is occupied by some of the
heaviest houses in the city.
On the corner in the Thul block are
the T. P. & w. railroad Offices; B. &
N. w. railroad offices, Chinese laun-
dry, tobacco factories and sleeping
rooms. On the north of Bells is the
mammoth grocery house of E. Cham
berlain.
Here we pause to say that Bells
stock and the building, which belong.
ed to the Bodeman estate, is now
SMOKE AND ASHES.
THUS building is hopelessly envel-
oped in flame. The windows in Gen.
trail block, across the street, have
bursted in from the intense heat. We
write in momentary danger Of being
compelled to flee the flames. Cham
berlain's place is rapidly disappear
ing. The rattle and crash Of the
breaking glass, the loud reports of
the bursting and falling material and
walls mingle with the shouts Of the
crowd and the roar of the flames,
which leap in frenzicd joy at the hav-
oc they have made. The effort of
man is vain. The heat is intense and
no one can approach the burning
building to combat the demon which
seems to have seized in his destruct-
i've embrace the handsome and val
liable block which yesterday was the
pride of the city.
GUESTS MUSIC HOUSE
has not yet been reached by the
flames. The doors are open and
hundreds of willing hands stand
ready to save the goods which were
SO lately displayed in that building.
The upper two stories of this build
ing, which is the property of Col. Da-
vid, is empty and it is hoped that
there the flames may be staid.
LATER.
The buildings and contents of
Chamberlin's grocery house and
Guests music house are in ashes.
Contrary to expectation but little
was saved of Guests stock, some one
protesting to represent an insurance
company having forbidden the reno.
val of the goods.
Nothing was saved from Chamber
Inns. The fire is now fighting for s
hold on Biklen & Winners The mer
are working bravely, butare troubled
by bursting hose. A stream has beer
for some time playing from the root
of the Gorham, and it is still hoped
to stay the flames at Guests. 1t is the
last chance and if they pass that wal
the rest of the block must go.
THE RAIN
has fallen in almost unceasing torrents
during the entire continuance of the
fire, and has been powerful agent in
retarding the progress Of the flames
THE LOSSES
up to this writing, 80, a. m., are al
follows:
William Bell & Co., stock of dry
goods, $4,000; insured for $4,000
Bodemann estate on building $4,000
E. Chamberlin $4,000; James {
Guest, stock of music and musical in
struments, $4,000; insured for 5000
Colonel David, on building. $3O,OO(
The aggregate Of this is $2l5,5OO, OF
which there is probably $50, 600 insu
rance. Besides these losses, however
there are. others. Thul's block sus
tanned some damage, comparatively
trifiing. All the French plate win
dows in Rand's Central block were
broken by the heat, involving a los!
of several hundred dollars, and much
similar damage was done all along
that block. The building occupied
by Biklen, Winner & Co., was consid'
erably damaged in the upper stories
and the total loss will almost reacl
a quarter of million, enough tt
build water works for each of sstht
Burlington water companies" now il
existence.
The fire is under control, and with
the heavy floods of rain which arr
still descending, will soon be left in
smouldering blackness.