Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1894-09-24
Was IT ARSON?
The Raible & Stengel Brew
cry Building Quilted.
BAD FIRE IN TIE WESTEND
Costly Delay in Sending in
the Alarm.
The Structure in Flames at
Least 10 Minutes
8EFORE GIVING ALARM.
The Suspicious Surrounding
Circumstances.
A Loss of $4,000, Without
Cent of Insurance.
8EFORE GIVING ALARM.
The Suspicious Surrounding
Circumstances.
A Loss of $4,000, Without a
Cent of Insurance.

The old Raible & Stengel brewery
in the west end, used by the Rock
Island Brewing company since the
consolidation of the local brewing
interests as warehouse and ice
house. was Quilted bv fire last night.
There was an unaccountable delay in
sending in the alarm, the building
being in flames fully 10 minutes be-
fore the iiremen received notification
1t was about 9:45 when the alarm
sounded from box IS. at the corner
of Sixth street and Fourth avenue,
and companies ! and = and the hooks
responded promptly, the chief also
calling out company ), and the fire
being attacked from all the neighbor-
ing hydrants. The devourinG elc-
ment had gained such Roadway how
ever. that the best that could be
done was to save the walls and ma
chinery, the interior construction
being completely destroyed, with the
exception of the boilers. entailing a
total loss OF SIS, 900, on which unfor-
tunately there is not cent of insur-
ance.
| StroH; SuspiCi On of Arson.
The fire broke out in the ice house
in the southern portion OF the build
ing. the sawdust furnishing food for
the quick spread of the flames, which
extended over the entire structure in
n few moments, and in consequence
of the delay Of advising the depart
ment, heretofore mentioned, it was
almost useless to battle with them
other than for the purpose Of saving
the adjoining buildings. In connec-
ton with being used for an ice
house, it had been occupied as a
warehouse and for keeping horses in
in the past. The brewery was orig
inally built by man named Halter,
in 1868. who conducted the business
for some time, after which King
| Bros. bought and continued it until
1880. when Raible & Stengle pur-
| chased the concern aud run it previ-
Gus to the consolidation of the differ.
ent breweries in 1892. For some
time tramps have been in the habit
of sleeping there, despite the efforts
of the proprietors to keep them out.
using it as place to consume beer,
getting drunk and smoking. Three
men were seen to enter the building
about $50 last night carrying can
and while some entertain the belieI
that it was while having one Of theil
times the building accidentally
caught fire, others are confident il
the assertion that the can which the
men carried contained some explo
sive with which the inside of The
brewery was saturated and ignited
In further substantiation of the
claim of arson. people in the neigh
borhood saw three men emerge from
the building about O'Clock, ant
were not block away when the ire
was seen to burst from the brewery
Notes.
Henry Henshaw, one of the Contra
house iiremen, while on top of lad
derry attempting to knock off por
ton of one of the walls in last night
fire, fell to the ground with the lad
der on top of him, slightly injurin.
his leg. Nothing more than being
laid up for day or two will result.
Herman Miller and Ed z. Smith
the two men injured in the Dimoci
Il Gould explosion in Moline Saturda,
afternoon, are getting along as wei
as can be expected today.