Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-07-24
$4,000 BLAZE.
Valuable Patterns of the Ottumwa
Iron Works Destroyed.
THE INSURANCE is BUT $4,000
Prevailing Direction of Wind and Good
Work of Fremen Save the Main
Building - Andrew johnson Badly
Burned.
From MONDAYS daily.

From Mondays daily.
AT $40 o'clock Saturday evening,
ire, caused by sparks from either the
cupola or passing engine, broke out
n the pattern room of the Ottumwa
ron Works and destroyed patterns,
the estimated value of which is be-
tween $4,000 and $4,000, and
fred three small houses, in one
Of which Andrew johnson was
badly burned about the face and
hands. He was in the house asleep
when his domicile took fire, and was
awakened by a stream of cold water
under heavy pressure shooting over
him, and rushing to the door, the sill
of which was ablaze, escaped into the
street.
The property of the Ottumwa Iron
Works is insured for $4,000, 81 900 on
the building and $4,000 on the patterns,
etc, While the loss to the dwellings,
which are owned by Jacob Chiffon, is
about $500, partly insured.
The wind was blowing from the
south when the fire was discovered.
The 'firemen in an Incredible short
length of time had line of hose, laid
and as quickly laid second line when
it was seen what they had to cope
with. The South Side department laid
a third line and the central wagon
made trip for more hose, and still an
other stream was brought into requisi-
ton. By this time the black smoke
was pouring from the structure and
attracted the attention of thousands of
people who came from far and near.
At the time of the arrival of the de-
partment the fire had grown SO fierce
that it was impossible to save the pat
tern room. Every effort was directed
toward combining the blaze to this por-
ton of the building and to saving the
main structure. In the meantime the
flames had leaped across Cass street
and fired small wooden tenement
house on the corner occupied by Paul
Waites. A stream was diverted from
the main blaze and turned upon the
tenement, and with a little attention
now and then from the firemen, was
saved, only a small portion of the rear
and side facing the fire was burned
The old scale house of Riser & Pier
son had caught by this time and was
beginning to burn nicely. The fire.
men tried the door but could not get
in, and chopped a hole in the rear wall.
A stream was turned upon the inside,
when, to the amazement of the fire
men and onlookers, a man rushed to
the door and leaped thru the flames
which encircled it. He had been sound
asleep and knew nothing of the fire
until hit with stream of water. He
was burned about the face and hands
and was taken to the hospital, where
his injuries, which are painful tho
not serious, were dressed.
Meanwhile, the other three streams
of water in the hands of the firemen
had been doing good work, and within
less than fifteen minutes the blaze was
under control. Fortunately, the wind
continued from the south and the main
building was not injured.
The largest loss to the company are
the patterns which they have used fol
the past seventeen years. These arti
| cles are not made In day, and dupli
Gates of castings which have hereto
fore taken but a short time to make
will now have to await the manufac
ture Ola new pattern
\ IiG lllS w d uSlSC ollCy lloIl Liz
fact that the patterns were of season
ed wood and had been treated to 6
coating of shellac. The building was
wooden, and when it is considered thai
a large amount of coke used to fire the
cupola was also in subdivision of the
/ pattern room, it is no wonder that the
whole thing was seething furnace il
! a short length of time. The firemer
worked like beavers, and to their en-
ergy and to favorable conditions the
safety of much adjoining property il
due.
1 Notes.
There must have been five Thousand
people witnessed the fire, drawn thith
4 er by the vast volume OF black smoke
which rolled skyward.
The household belongings of twt
colored families were scattered alons
Main street for block. One pickaninn.
was inconsolable and sobbed as i
his heart would break, while hi.
Younger brother looked at the greed,
thames in open-eyed amazement ant
did not seem to care whether thu
household goods of his father ant
4 mother ever found their place back IL
the house or not.
4 1t was Fireman Albert Layers of
day, and he had just purchased new
suit of tailor-made clothes. He wa
logged out fit to kill, wore a boiled
shirt and all the fixin's, but when thu
bell rang he hustled down to the fir
and was in the thick of it with the 9th
er boys. His tailor-made clothes d.
not look as well as they did, blu
Mr.. Lager feels that he has done hi
duty.
q Chief Richards directed the efforts o
his men in an intelligent manner ant
seemingly was everywhere when mos
needed.
Had the wind been from any othe
j direction it is likely that much othe
u property would have suffered.
Rock Island Excursions.
i Special excursions to Denver, Colo
II Colf T,1,