Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1901-03-12
S25O,OO D
FIRE AT
low A CITY
Medical Bull ling IS = Q State
Univers isy Re 2s ID
to Ashes.Es
oLDsourl1HALL1 /. 8 slns
Che Origin of the Fire is Not
Known.
Che Origin of the Fire is Not
Known.
LOSS In MEDICAL MUSEUM is GREAT
Contained Collection That Can
Hardly Be Replaced-seeond Floor
in Flames When Fire Was First Dis.
covered4 State Has No Insurance.

Iowa City, March 11.-(Special cor
respondenpce) - Yesterday morning
fire broke out in the medical building
of the sta tie university, entailing a
probable Loss of s25o,OOO.. When dis,
covered at p. m. large volumes of
smoke were pouring from the second
story windows. The fire rapidly
spread, leiaping upward by the stair
ways, and by the time the fire depart
ment arrived little tongues of fame
were already appearing on the roof
and it was manifest that the structure
was doomed. The efforts of the fire
men were directed to saving the neigh
boring buildings, including the large,
new collegiate building situated direct
ly east and the old south hall, not
more than twenty feet to the north of
the burning structure.
Wind Famed Flames.
A strong wind was blowing from the
southeast, and this carried the burns
ing brands away from the new build
ing, but carried them directly upon the
old south hall, the next Oldest struc-
ture on the university campus.
Heat Intense.
The heat became SO intense that it
was impossible for men to remain be-
tween the burning structures to direct
the water on the south hall and the
easements and south half of the roof
of that building burst into flames.
Nothing could be done to check their
spread, and in short time this edi-
flee also was pouring great mass of
smoke and flames skyward. The di-
rection of the wind prevented the
spread of the fire to any of the other
buildings on the campus.
Burned Fiercely.
The dry interiors burned fiercely and
by 6 o'clock a. IN. nothing but few
blackened walls remained of the two
large structures. The tower and west
corners of the walls of the medical
building remained standing to the top
and part of the east wall of the south
I building is still intact.
Erected in 1882.
The burned medical building was
erected in 1882 at an original cost OF
$50,000.,It contained the laboratories
in pathology, histology and physiology
with an amount of apparatus valued
at thousands of dollars, of which moth
ing was saved. The medical museum
covering half of one floor and contain
ing the collection Of twenty-five years
is total loss
South Hall.
South hall was erected in 1860. Its
dmnsions were 60X100 feet and it was
three stories high. 1t was unsafe and
poorly arranged and the proposition
of tearing it down had been several
times considered by the regents The
apparatus of the engineering school and
the separate libraries in history ant
English literature in the building were
a total loss. The engineering library
as well as the goods of a student for
ensic social on the third floor were
saved by hard work of the students.
Origin Unknown.
The origin of the fire is unknown
When first discovered at a. m. the
second floor of the medical buiidins
was already burning fiercely. AS the
state carries no insurance on any O.
its property the whole is total loss
President Mac Lean is in the cas-
looking for a chancellor of the Law
school, to fill the vacancy there. He
is not expected in Iowa City unit to
morrow. 1t is not yet decided wha
arrangements will be made for carry
ing on the work in the medical and en-
gineering schools.