Huntsville gazette., 1886-10-23
WIPED OUT.
The Business Portion of Oakland,
Illinois, In Ashes.
Entire Blocks on the Public Square Licked
Up by the Fla,nes-The People Pow
erless to Stay Them for Lack
of Fire Fighting Apparatus.

OAKLAND, ILL.,, Oct. Is, II P. M.-The
greater part of the business portion Of
Oakland is in ruins, due to fire which
broke out at half-past seven O'Clock this
evening. Whole blocks are a mass of
burning debris. The fire is still raging
with no means other than buckets to
quell it. The fire originated in Chapman
& Sons building on the southeast side
of the square. At this hour, it is thought
the building was set on fire.. 1t was oc-
cupied as grocery store, but lately the
stock was so run down that it
was seldom used. The stairs blaZed
up first. From the grocery store
it spread to McConkey's book store on
the west side and Gilbert's shoe store on
the east. The wind blew from the east
and south, and cinders flew in every di-
recton. Soon Conaghan's corner build
ing caught, and the east side four
teen buildings were doomed. Sweep
ing on west, the flames soon envel~
oped Bowman & Gregory's furniture
store; thence on to the big brick
block of Ashmore & Barbour. By this
time the flames had full possession OF the
east side, and the scene, though grand as
the flames leaped high above each other,
caused the Stoutest heart to quail. The
stores-drugs, dry goods, meat markets,
hardware-in fact, nearly every branch
of business, were gutted of the contents.
While the desperate, uneven conflict
was being waged with the fire on the
east side, s'the opera-house is on fire"
was heard above the roaring of the
flames, and then it was realized that the
south side must 90 as the east had
gone. The fire swept on until every
thing on both sides the south block
was burned. At eleven O'Clock the
fire is still burning. Paris, Terre
Haute and Charleston have been tele-
graphed to send engines and help, and
unless they arrive soon the direst of con-
sequences is feared. The following busi
ness houses are burned, but the losses
and insurance can not be learned:
Both sides of Gilbert's boot and shoe
store.
McConkey's book store.
VIM. Campbell's harness store.
Bowman & Gregory's furniture estab-
lfshment, two stores.
Walter Ashmore, dry goods.
W. r. Barbour, hardware.
Ed Conaghan's dry goods and grocery.
Two empty storerooms.
Two more rooms filed with dry goods.
J. I Vests restaurant.
Clements meat market.
d. w. Crawford's drug store.
Jim Curtis barber shop.
Clark Bros. hardware.
The Ledger Office; type saved; two
presses burned.
Mrs. Rehling, millinery.
Borack's meat market.
j. E. Tbs, collins and photograph
gallery.
Winkley's blacksmith shop.
OAKLAND, H., Oct. 1S.-MIDNIGHT.-
The fire has about burned itself out.
Help telegraphed for has not yet ar
rived, and from present indications there
will be nothing for our friends to do
when they arrive but survey the ruins.
The total loss at this writing will
amount to over $4,000, 900, and covered
by about one third insurance on the
whole. The Etna and Phoenix will SUI
fer most.
The resident agent of the Phoenix says
that his company at rough guess will
lose twenty thousand dollars. Thieves
got in their work on some of the goods
placed in the park. Two have been ar
rested strong guard has been placed
there to protect all goods. AS Barbour's
building was burning three hundred
pounds of gunpowder exploded, caus
ing great excitement, but injuring no.
hnHy