Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-05-05
Incendiary In Vienna Town.
ship Burns Third Barn For
John Knights
LIVESTOCK PERIsHEs IN FLAMES
Surrounding outbuiIdinss Destroyed
and Efforts of the Neishbors Barely
More Than Save the Resdence--Five
Horses, Seven Head of Cattle and 100
Chickens Are Burned.


lish the identity of firebug, there is
necessity for immediate action IN
Vienna township, and if such identity
were established it is doubtless today,
even tho the residents of the community
are law abiding, that Judge Lynch
would have a case to try. For the
third time in eight years John knights,
a well-known farmer Of the township,
living fourteen miles northeast OF the
city, stood and saw his property wlp-
ed out by flames, and fought, with the
assistance of friends, to protect the
roof that shelters his family.
AT O'clock this morning Mr.. knights
was awakened by the cracking of
flames. 1t took but a moment to grasp
the situation, as the large barn on the
paemises was all ablaze, and the flames
beyond control even tho the most
modern appliances might be at hand.
Neighbors were summoned by telephone
and could do nothing but fight fire to
keep it from spreading to the house.
When dawn gave better opportunity
to view the ruins the scene was des-
olate and sicISening one. The charred
remains of five horses, seven head OF
cattle, five cows and two calves, the
snDldering grain and hay, bent and
twisted iron of the ruined farm ma
chinery, went to make up picture to
John knights that was not pleasant
to gaze upon.
The barn was a most substantial
structure, not cheaply built, 36x9o, two
stories. Aside from the livestock 1t
contained 5000 bushels of grain, $500
of which was barley and 500 oats, forty
tons of hay, the bulk of the farm ma
chinery, buggies, wagons. harness, etc.
The hog house, double corn cribs imple-
ment sheds, cattle. chicken and wood
sheds, all adjoining, were destroyed,
and when the fire reached the wood
house it was within ten feet of the res
idence. The friends and neighbors
turned all their attention to saving the
house. 1t was necessary to get on the
roof and extinguish the live Goals that
We're constantly dropping. Water had
to be poured on one another by the fire
fighters, so intense was the heat. The
house today has much the appearance
of having been ablaze itself, and is
blistered even to the woodwork inside.
Not a whole pane of glass is left. The
house and its contents are, of course,
badly damaged. Another sight I'M
pleasant to look upon, was the spot
where the large chicken house stood,
with the 100 burned bodies of fowls
scattered here and there. Hens, ex-
pecting soon to become mothers of
peeping broods, We're found burned to
a crisp. and under them their settings
of roasted eggs.
Mr.. knights estimates his loss at &c.
900. The barn can not be replaced for
$1,000, and the grain is valued at $1,000.
The horses and cattle are valued at
$500, aggregating in all $4,000. The
remainder of the loss is divided between
the numerous other outbuildings and
their contents. Only about one-third of
the loss is protected by insurance, car
ried in the Marshall County Farmers
Efforts We're made today to save
portion of the grain, which was still
burning after daylight. Men We're at
work carrying it from the ruins and
spreading 1t.
MS - .ie 'isiiu eillie "ie'iii Ei6iA'
years that Mr.. Knights has suffered the
loss of his barn. That the origin was
he has no doubt, and his
neighbors are OF the same opinion. Not
only has he suffered. bu. on two differ
emit occasions. in the immediate neigh
bcrhood, with the last Few years, other
fires have occurred. From a loss stand
point this is. the most disastrous ever
occurring in the township.
One of the horses burned, as well as
one of the buggies and sets of harness,
belonged to hired man of Mr.. knights.
The horse was valued at $3.50, and the
buggy and harness at SIS. On these
there was no insurance.