Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1899-03-02
FIRE AT MUSK0GEE.
More Than Half the Business
Portion Burned.

a negro restaurant opposite the
court house, to the east. From
this corner everything east to the
railroad and south to the street
crossing the railroad at the depot
was burned, and also the Madden
Hardware cOmpany's big double
front store across the street to the
north, and the building due east
of it, across the main street.
There were FIVE buildings on the
row where the fire started, one of
them being occupied by the Mus
kogee Daily Times. Others were
occupied as a tailor shops restau-
rant or two and several law of
fees, including Marcum & Owen,
and Degrafienreid. The east side
of this block contained about seven
wooden buildings, most of them
two story. The corner one, near
est Madden's, was occupied by
Louis Cohn, the Rochester tonic
man. South of him was the double
grocery store Of T. A. Chandler, OF
this city, associated with his
uncle, Jim Chandler. There were
five wooden buildings south of
Chandler & Co., belonging to the
Turner estate and to Capt. Sewers.
The entire south end OF this block
was occupied by the new A. L.
English brick and stone block,
probably the handsomest in this
territory, a portion of which was
uncOmpleted. This was burned,
with its tenants, which included
the Baker jewelry store, the Mus.
kogee Drug Co., and the CONNER
cial bank. The jewellery establish
ment is said to have no equal be-
tween Dallas and Kansas City, and
the drug store was also very fine.
In the upper story of this building
was the office of Union Indian
agency and the office OF Inspector
J. George Wright. All the records
of Union agency are gone, the ac-
emulation of years, even though
of uncertain value. Milo Adams
also conducted a billiard hall on
the same floor, and it was on this
floor that the telephone exchange
was situated.
To the east is the great Turner
Hardware Co. establishment which
went down with its opera house
and Masonic halls, and in it and
to the north the Grand Leader
(Mills)dry goods, the Boston store,
dry goods, and Brown, general
merchandise, (formerly Brady, a
barber shOp-two-stOry building
c. c. Ayers, general merchandise,
two-story, bakery, billiard hall and
three or four restaurants, one of
them being across the street to
the north, in front of the Madden
hardware establishment. Between
this row and the railroad was situ-
ated the electric light plant, in a
brick building and to the south and
east of it, the Hotel Adams, in
which was the passenger depot.
The hotel burned very quickly but
the guests had plenty Of time to
escape, as the fire begun more than
block away. To the south
of the hotel, across the street, was
the freight depot, telegraph office,
etc, and this was the only place
south of this street which burned,
the Patterson and the First Ma
tional Bank buildings, with the
street, forming an effective fire
guard.
The court house was saved only
by taking axes and chopping out
the wooden window and door
frames, and it took a struggle to
save the drug store containing the
postofiice. Judge Thomas, his
wife and daughter, occupied rooms
in the Adams and failed to save
all their property. Iron shutters
or but very little fire apparatus
would have been required to have
saved the English building, the
fire burning its way in through the
windows and doors. No one at
first thought it would be destroyed.
Fourteen law offices were burned;
that of w. T. Hutchings was
cleared of its contents and then
did not burn. Estimate of losses
cannot yet be made, bat the town,
profiting by a dear experience. is
thought to be pretty well insured.
T. A. Chandler believes his insur-
ance is $1,000. His store was once
before burned out at Muskogee
and, by the way, his home in this
city was burned few years ago.