Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1904-12-29
SIOUX CITY IS
SWEPT BY FIRE
Eats Two Blocks Out of
Heart of the Business
Section.
TAKES FINEST BLOCKS IN CITY
Loss viii Run From 81. 100000 TO
5000. Buildings Which Were
Burned Were Centers of the Bust
ness Life of the City.

Sioux City, Dec. 24.-Two solid
blocks out of the heart Of the bust
ness section OF Sioux City were COM
pletely destroyed by fire last night.
| The loss will approximate between ST.
10000 and 100000, and marks the
greatest confiagration in the city's
half century Of existence.
Buildings which were erected during
the old boom days, worthy to have
graced cities of twice the size, such
as the Toy bank building and the
Massachusetts, block, and about which
the business life of the city centered,
were laid in ashes, and the whole vital
business life Of the city was struck
crushing blow.
The fire started at 500 p. NJ, In
the basement of the store of the Pei
letter Dry Goods company in the
Massachusetts block, at the corner of
Fourth and Jackson streets. With
this as a starting point practically the
whole two blocks between Third and
Fourth and Jackson and Pierce streets
were destroyed. Only one or two
buildings, among them that occupied
by the Sioux City Tribune. were left
standing amid the ruin wrought by
the flames.
From the Massachusetts block the
fire jumped east across Jackson street
to the Toy bank building, seven
story Office structure. built of solid
granite, which was also destroyed.
The T. S. Martin Dry Goods com
pany's store, to the north of the fire
swept blocks, took fire, but the flames
were finally eXtinguished although
considerable damage was suffered by
water.
Ike fire stopped at the corner Of
Fourth and Pierce streets, just before
it reached the Davidson Bros. dry
goods store, the largest Of the kind in
Sioux City. The fire was under con-
troi by II o'd ock.
The Omaha department was sent for
but arrived 700 late to be of service.
Grotesque ruins and blackened
fragments are all that remains OF
Sioux Cit!''s choicest busiress sec
ton. The Nath of destruction of the
flames defies description.
Fighting gr\I.y against the flames
which drove them back yard by yard,
the Sioux City iremen struggled des-
perately against the blaze which
threatened the safety of their city.
The street car system, which
passed through the heart of the
the debris can be removed from the
tract ) and the wires repaired
Following is a partial list of the
losses:
Pelleter Dry Goods company, $780,
600: insurance, 100000.
Orltin Bros, furnishings, loss $15,-
600; insurance, $500.
]. X. Prugh & Co, dueensware, loss,
100000; insurance. $4,000.
r. r. PurslOw, West hotel and other
buildings, $4,000; insurance, 100000.
]. w. Brown, Commercial block,
$4,000; insurance half.
Schulein estate, loss, 100000; insur-
ance. $4,000
Northwestern National bank, loss,
$4,000; covered.
Fagley & Co., clothing, loss, $4,000;
covered.
Paul Leader. hotel, loss, $4,000;
insurance, 10000.
George NJ. CONWAY, wholesale to-
bacconist, loss, $4,000; insurance
$4,000.
State Bank Building company, Toy
building, loss, $4,000; insurance not
known.
Martin Bros, department store, loss,
$4,000: covered.
Davidson Bros, department store,
loss, 10000; covered.
Magner & Walsh. saloon loss, s13,-
600: insurance, $4,000