The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1901-08-01
COSTLY DAVENPORT FIRE
Twenty City Blocks Swept by an
Awful CONFEDERATION

/
an area of saw mill and residence
property in davenport last evening
equal to twenty ordinary city blocks.
| The flames started at $3.50 o'clock
in piles of kindling. wood belonging
to the Island Fuel company on the
| levee. A brisk breeze was blowing,
carrying the names directly across
the immense lumber yards of Weyer-
hauser-Eenllmann, which We're soon
seething mass of flames. The
spread of the fire was so rapid that
workmen barely had time to desert
the yard. The flames pushed their
way into the adjoining residence dis
trict, closely settled with middle class
| houses.
The average value was few thou
sand dollars each. The occupants es-
capped only with their lives and cloth
ing on their backs. Over fifty homes
thus burned, some tenements, result
! ing in 100 families being rendered
| homeless.
The fire was fought heroically by
| the fire departments of Davenport,
Rock Island and Moline, ILL.,, the lat
ter cities responding promptly to APP
| peal for aid.
Efforts to check the flames were
unavailing until they spread on the
| north of the spacious grounds OF st.
Katherine's hall, a boarding school
| for young ladies, which was saved
after the tower burned off. Gradual
| ly the battle was waged on the edges
of the flaming district. By 10 o'clock
the conflagration was under control.
The mill of the Weyerhauser-Denk-
mann and yards were totally de-
stroy. Loss, 100000.
The other losses will aggregate
100000 or more. The U. N. Roberts
Sash Door factory, the Red Jacket
! Pump company, the Standard Oil
company, the Riverside mill and the
Davenport Wooden mills had narrow
escapes, the flames being checked
| Just before reaching them.
/ 1t is believed there were no fataii-
ties.
Not a drop of rain having fallen
here in three weeks, the lumber yards
furnished food for the flames that
quickly put the contlagration beyond
| the control of the firemen.
| Had the breeze blown from the east
the entire business portion of the city
would have been swept away. For
| tunately southwest breeze carried
| the flames towards the bluffs, and as
soon as they were out of the thickly
settled district the efforts of the fire
men and hundreds of volunteers final
ly brought the fire under control.
The entire district from Federal
street to Bridge avenue and from the
river to Seventh street was swept
clean.
| The heat was intense, and two am-
balances were kept busy hauling away
persons who We're Frustrated by it,.
In few instances persons living in
| the burned district have not been To-
Gated by their relatives, but it is be-
lieved that they escaped.
| Probably 100 families We're rendered
homeless by the flames, and homes
and hotels were turned over To them
for the night. Hundreds of others
moved temporarily from their homes,
and vacant lots over II large portion
of the town were filled last night with
household furniture and the refugees
from the burned district.
1t is believed the fire was caused
by boys smoking on the lev.e.
A. w. Mitcham, driver for the Stand
ard Oil company's delivery wagon at
Charlton, was the victim of highway
robbery while returning from Lucas,
where he had been to make deliveries.
Mr.. Mitcham's duties require him to
be out late at nights, and on this oc-
casion he was very sleepy. Chas. Hol-
| dren, character about town, who
was in Lucas, asked to ride home
| with him. On the road NIitcham fell
asleep, and when he awolle his pocket
had been cut open and Holdren, to-
gether with about $50 of Mitcham's
money had disappeared.
| Ex-Governor Lacrabce has an
nounced a donation of $4,000 to Up.
per Iowa university at Fayette. The
money will be used in building build
| ings for the university. This dona-
ton following closely after the do
nation of $4,000 from Andrew Car
negie, secured at the instance of
Speaker ID. b. Henderson, an alumnus
of the university. places the univer-
sity in good condition. Upper Iowa
university is a sectarian school I'M
der the auspices of the Methodist
| Episcopal church 1t has been in eN-
istence for over half century. Its
president at the present time is Guy
III. Benton. The work in Upper Iowa
university has always been main.
tanned to the highest degree.
John Cownie, OF the state board of
control, under the auspices of the
board, sent circular letter to all the
superintendent of the state institu-
tions, urging them to diligently Guilt
vate the growing crops on the institu-
tons farms. ''That is what the corn
and the vegetables need" said Mr..
Cownie. ''Active cultivation of the
corn will save hundreds of thousands
of bushels in Iowa this year. If all
the farmers would heed the advice in
| the letter we have sent out / am con-
fident that they would materially re-
duce the loss they fear that they will
suffer. The fields of Iowa are full of
fox tail and weeds. Weeds grow
whether there is moisture or not. The
lack of cultivation will permit them to
choke out the grain by absorbing all
the moisture in the ground. Stir up
the soil and dig them up and the corn
and vegetables will get the moisture
out of the ground and out of the at.
mosphere both"
Fire started by the suns rays beat
ing down upon the combustible ma
/ terial in the show windows resulted
| in the destruction of i # Pba1an &,