Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-03-04

and he was almost suffocated. iaooel
was finally placed within his reach anc
| he escaped Just in time to save his
| life
| There were forty guests in the hote
at the time of the fire and about twenty
employees.
Firemen's Good Fight.
| Considering the rapidity With which
| the fire spread and the intense heat
from all sides, the fire department die
excellent work in saving the adjoining
buildings. BY the time the first alarn
was turned In and the firemen reached
the scene the flames had broken thru
the roof and the rear of the hotel was
a seething furnace. The wind was
blowing from the northeast and carried
the flames In the direction of the Hop
kins block. adjoining on the west.
The alarm was turned in at 5:o7 a.
m. and in half an hour the brick walls
of the hotel commenced to cruinble. AT
$50 there was little left of the hotel
except mass of flaming ruins. the
northeast walls remaining erect, held in
position by the enclosed passage way
reaching across the alley to the build
ing occupied by Mr.. j. b. Simmons and
the hotel company Later portion of
this wall was torn down because it was
deemed unsafe.
The fire ate its way thru the walls of
the Hopkins building. another three
story structure on the west, and it was
with difficulty that this was saved. The
Hopkins building was considerably
damaged. the roof and third floor being
partially burned and the balance of the
building soaked with water. The Will
lard block, Immediately west of the
Hopkins block, was also water soaked.
The fire was first observed by Victor
Inc Kurtz. who arose early to attend to
the pastry cooking for breakfast. AT
that time the building near the elevator
was mass of flames. She aroused all
those whom she could and lost all her
personal effects
Eight streams of water were played
on the fire at one time, and 1t was not
until a. m. that the flames were under
control. The ruins are still burning and
a portion of the firemen have been on
duty all day.
The Losers.
The hotel property was owned by
and George Spencer, the latter of Ell
boron and the father of one of the land
lords Mr.. Brown owned an undivided
one-half interest and Messrs. Spencer
and Humlong the other half The east
ern twenty-s.x feet, in the portion for
merly occupied by the postoffice was
owned by Messrs. Ed and A. K. Smith.
and the first and second floors We're
leased to the hotel. This portion was
occupied by the best section of the
building. which had recently been re-
paired at cost of $1,000. This gave
the hotel a frontage on Main street Of
146 feet.
Occupying the lower floors We're M.
L. Parrett's billiard parlors, in the
Smith section of the structure; Farrand
q Chords stock of clothing,, which
had been moved to vacant store room
just few days ago; w. c. Rails sa-
loon; c. f. Schoenhut's barber shop: c.
Deuelrs book and news stand and Miss
Roxy SCOTS hair goods store. Nothing
Whatever was saved from any of these
business places. Under the billiard
parlor was the plumbing establishment
of S. c. Blake
In the Hopkins building on the west
were the tailoring parlors of Mr.. Fred
Hopkins and the millinery stock of Miss
Nj. Mlddlekauff, on the first floor; on
the second were the Offices of S. C. Bell
and the Hawkeye Printing Company.
conducted by Ed Austin and Charles
Almblad. and in the rear rooms on the
second and third floors were several
tenants. Mr. Hopkins stock was hur
riedly moved to the D. C. Wilbur store
and later to the room at lis West Main
street, where he has opened temporary
quarters Miss Middelkauff's millinery
was also saved and was removed to the
Hoyt building on West Main. The
printing plant of the Hawkeye company
and the furniture in the offices of MIR.
Bell were not removed and were badly
damaged by water and smoke
The falling walls and the heat broke
the windows in the building occupied
by j. B. Simmons across the alley on
the east, and smoke and water damaged
the stock of books, wall paper and art
goods owned Mr.. Simmons, entailing a
neaVy loss The grocery stock of Reyn-
dds O. Sheldon, in the Willard build
ing, was damaged some by water, as
was the furniture in the apartments
above
Losses and Insurance.
The losses and insurance on the
and stocks are as follows:
Loss. Insurance.
7. Brown, building ). $4,000 $4,000
Humlong & Spencer, 80.
building. :. ;. $50. $1,000 10000
Spencer e Jayne. hotel
furnishings :. :. -. 5000 5000
cd. and A. X. Smith,
building j. :. !. -. 10000 5000
J. b. Simmons. stock -. 5000 ample
'arrand & Clifford, stock 1000 1000
Fred Hopkins. building 1000 1000
W. c. Rails liquors and