The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1893-01-20
FIRE! FIRE!
A Familiar Cry ATOuses lola From Her
Rep0se on Sunday Night

On last Monday morning about a.
m. an alarm of fire was given which
soon summoned nearly all the able
bodied men in lola and some ablebOd-
led women to the south side of the
square where the building occupied by
A. o. Aliens bookstore was rapidly
falling prey to the flames. Those who
arrived first on the scene found thestair
wrapped IN flames, which were rapid
/ ly spreading to the books and shelly
ing below. The lack OF organization
and of the proper instruments to work
with forbade any attempt to extin-
guish the fire, and everyone began
working manfully TO remove the
goods from the doomed building. 1t
was soon found that the building &C.
cupied by Ireland x Esse with meat
market and grocery store, adjacent to
the burning building, on the left, was
also hOpelessly exposed, and the
efforts of the crowd were also dir
ected to saving the goods in this store.
Thanks to the untiring exertions of
the assembled citizens, the stock of
goods belonging to Ireland & Esse
were nearly all removed into the
street and good share of Mr. Aliens
goods was also saved. And that is
matter of qualification to every resi-
dent of lola. And thanks to the same
exertions, the fire was confined with
i'm the bounds of the walls of these
buildings, and the threatened des-
truction Of the whole Post Office block,
from Campbell's harness shop to Cou
tant's hardware store, was averted.
And this should be a cause of con-
graduation and much thanksgiving
on the part of everyone who is inter-
ested i'm the welfare of lola. Such
destruction would have been more
than a misfortune-it would have
been nearly a deathblow to Our city.
But as it is. the sympathy OF the
REGISTER and Of all its readers goes
out to the we'll known and thoroughly
respected men who suffered actual
loss. DIR. Higgins, who had a well CO.
tipped dental Office in the second floor
of the DIR. Scott building, was without
a cent of insurance, and as the stair
way burned first and no ladders were
at hand, everything he had was an
absolute and total loss, and he was
probably the heaviest loser of all.
Messrs. Ireland and ESse lost little of
their stock of groceries. and the loss
was pretty well covered by insurance.
DIR. J. w. Scott was the owner of the
building and carried $1,000 insurance
of which he will probably recover the
greater portion.
Albert Allen has worked long and
hard to build up his business in lola,
and everybody hates to see him meet
with adversely. But his stock was
by no means q total loss, he will re-
ceive some considerable insurance a nd
he still retains the hearty confidence
and good will of his customers. So
we hope to see him soon build up a
larger business than ever.
J. H. Vannuys and II. L. Hender-
son carried 5000 on the building in
which the fire originated, first door
west of the post Office, and will prob !
ably recover enough damages from
the Insurance Companies to save |
them from a total though not from a
heavy loss.
AS these buildings occupied one of
the most desirable locations in lola
for a business house, there can be lit |
tie doubt that these buildings will be
rebuilt within few years. For the |
present Mr.. E. G. Esse, who succeeds
the firm of Ireland & Esse in the /
butchering and grocery business, will
occupy the room ON the west side
which has BEEN devoted to II. l..