Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1903-11-14
ALBA VISITED BY
DISASTROUS FIRE

was situated on the first floor of the |.
o. o. F. building, a three-story brick
structure on the second floor of which
are offices and on the third floor the
Odd Fellows hall. The other buildings
destroyed were two-story brick struc-
lures, the first floors being occupied
as stores and the second as offices and
store rooms
Owners of Buildings.
H. j. Love owned the two rooms oc-
cupied by himself with a dry goods
store and by the Johnson drug store. |
The building occupied by the grocery
store of Harris Bros. was owned by
George Willlin. and the bank building /
was the property of T. B. Perry, the |
chief stakeholder in the bank itself,
and the owner of the T. B. Perry block |
across the alley, which, though not de-
stroyed, was damaged to the extent of
$500.
A Second Alarm.
While every effort was being put
forth to save the buildings along the
square from destruction second alarm
struck terror to the hearts OF the will
ing workers who had rushed from their
homes to if possible save the business
portion of their thriving little town
/ from ruin. Even the strongest were!
dismayed and for moment the work
! of fighting the blaze on the square al
most stopped.
| 1t was only for a moment, however,
for with cries of encouragement part
! of the fire fighters were off for the
scene of the second coniagratlon,
+ leaving their co-workers to battle with
I the first blaze.
Work of Wind and Sparks.
| 1t was found that the heavy wind
| blowing with great velocity directly
| from the south. had lifted thousands
| of sparks from the burning buildings
and carried them a block or more
from the scene of the fire. Careful
guarding of the business houses and
the Monroe hotel, which stands right
in the track of the wind, kept these
places safe but the ever increasing
volume of sparks finally found an easy
place to start second disastrous fire
in the livery stable owned by A.
L. McCrary and located diagonally
across the street from the hotel. This
was an old frame building and was
easy prey for the eager tirebrands as
they were hurled against it by the
heavy wind and by the same agency
famed into flame. Soon the livery
barn was in ashes and the flames had
spread to every building in the block.
Lumber Yard Aflame.
The fire fighters found that they
had harder task in battling the sec
ond fire than they had with the first
as the latter was in brick buildings
while big lumber yard, the property
of the Hawkeye Lumber Co., helped
the livery stable and two other frame
structures to feed the flames.
Charlton Sends Aid.
, When the serious aspects of the fire
was realized appeals We're sent to the
city officials at Ottumwa and Charlton
for assistance in fighting the flames
, Ottumwa was unable to furnish aid, but
the fire department from Charlton witt
two engines arrived on the
!, scene on a special train at
o'clock. This was too late to save the
\ half block on the square and the blocl
which contained the big lumber yard
\ but the valiant work of the Charlton
O men, coupled with the untiring effort!
of the Abba fire fighters, regulars ant
q volunteers, brought the blaze unde
O control by o'clock
Fight Not Given Up.
n Even then the fight was not givel
q up and the water was not turned of
until about noon, when the last smoul
dering embers were in such position
a that no further damage could resul
and the danger was past.
n Then the people of Abba began tt
"a look about them and not until the
! did they fully realize the awful loss tn
e fire has caused the town. A full hal
!, block of the best buildings in tn
II business portion, bank and four larg
stores, together with residences an
business places in an almost equal
important part of the city, were. in tn
D. short space of four hours, reduced t
" ashes The business places destroy
a ed in the second fire were:
c. Hawkeye Lumber company's var
o. and offices.
e A. l.. McCrary's livery stable
,e r. |. Mitchell. buggy store.
" Harding G. Long Monument Co.
n. Residences Destroyed.
l. The residence of H. j. Cramer,
n rectly in the rear of Loves dry good
a. store, was burned to the ground, a
N was also the residence property {
h. George b. Cramer near the liver
70 barn. E.-W. Anspach had propert
~ stored in barn in the block occupie
70 by the lumber company and lost 81
IN 400.
10 STRIKE ON IN CHICAGO.