Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-01-07
Considerable Loss by Fire in OF.
tumwa Saturday Night.
PARTLY COVERED BY INSURANCE
Property Belonged to Robert Porter,
Porter Bros. 6 Hackworth and Hen
ny Observation-Disclosures Were in
Danger-Cow Burned to Death.

1ET0m Mondays Dally.l
Two barns burned in this city Sat
urday night and Sunday morning, both
of them being entirely consumed or SO
nearly SO that they are total losses. An
error in turning in the alarm to the
central station caused the firemen to
go several blocks out of their way in
getting to the first, and the second
fire was not discovered until it had
COINED such Roadway that the efforts
of the department to save the building
and contents were unavailable. The
losses were partially covered by insur-
ance.
The porter Barn.
. The first alarm was turned in short
ly after II o'clock Saturday night.
Members of the family of Robert Por-
ter, whose home is on Fifth street,
near Pleasant, discovered blaze in a
small shed behind the house and turn
ed in an alarm to the central station:
In some manner the information was
misunderstood and the department
went several blocks out of its way in
getting to the fire.
. BY the time the water was turned on
the blaze had spread to a large barn
containing twenty-five tons of failed
oats straw, the property of the firm
of Porter Bros. & Hackworth. This
burned briskly and the barn was en-
veloped in flames when the firemen
arrived on the scene. They gave their
attention first to the nearby houses
and prevented the fire from reaching
them, thus preventing much damage
that would have resulted had the resi-
dences caught fire.
The shed and barn, with the great
er part of their contents, were destroy.
ed. The shed contained buggy and
several chickens. The latter, howey
er, nearly all escaped. The straw in
the barn was to be used in the manu-
facture of horse collars, and was val
ued at SIP per ton, being insured fol
$3.50. Mr. Porter's loss on the shed
and barn, together with the contents
of the former, will aggregate between
$500 and $500, on which there is in
snrance to the amount of $375
The members of the department
were at work on the blazing straw pile
until about / o'clock Sunday morning
and in appreciation Of the fact they
were given hot lunch at the Porter
home at that time. This was highly
appreciated by the fire fighters, com
ing as it did just when it touched the
spot"
Just what caused the fire is not
known, but since it started in the shet
1t is supposed that it was set either
by tramps or by would-be chicken
thief Tramps often sleep in the barr
and the shed during the night and this
Is the solution offered by Mr.. Porter.
Another Barn Burns.
About 1:30 Sunday morning anoth
or alarm was turned in to the centra
station and the fire department re
sponded, finding the blaze to be in an
other barn, the property of Henry Ed
mundson, whose home is on McPher
son avenue. Mr.. Edmundson lost
COW and several chickens and geese
which were in the building. A valu
able horse which was also in the barr
was taken out and suffered no injury
Mr.. Edmundson's loss. which will
reach about 5000, is fully covered b,
insurance.
Aside from the horse about the onl,
thing saved from this fire was a COOS,
which was given to the firemen by Mr.
Edmundson. The fowl was taken t,
the central station, where it becam,
boisterous yesterday, probably on &C
count of the fact that it's lease on lif
had been extended in spite of tn,
conflagration. This, however didn'
exactly suit Officer Myers ideas of tn,
action of chief mourner for the burn
ed geese, and he promptly locked tn,
offender in the steel cage at the sta
ton.