Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-03-08
CEDAR RAPIDS FIRE
LOSS $|,5O0,0O()
Largest Dat Meal Mill In the
World Destroyed, Together
With Big Elevators
ONE MAN Persisted IN FLAMES
American Cereal company's Big Plant
at Cedar Rapids Completely consum-
cd, Causing Loss Estimated at Over
Million and Half DoIIars-A spectae.
ular Fro.
TBv Associated press.1

| pavement was the only fatality In the
| S1,500.0o0 fire which took place in this
city last night In the American Cereal
| plant. John Safety night Waterman,
had gone to the sixth story OF the hull
house to examine the condition of the
floor, when the explosion occurred.
Safety was either thrown out of the
building Or else jumped to the pave
| ment bel.,w. He was crushed beyond
recognition. The fire Is still burning
this moraing. and is eating its way
thru the new mill $50 feet which al
ready has been destroyed.
| The entire loss will reach $1,500,000,
while the official list of insurance as
prepared, amounts to 100000. The
| fire departments from Belle Plaine,
vinton and neighboring points We're
here assisting the local force to contlne
| the flames to the cereal plant.
| Special to Times Republican.
Cedar Rapids. March S.-The most
disastrous fire In the history Of Cedar
Rapids. antailing loss OF nearly ST.
| 100000, and resulting in the death Of
at least two persons swept the plant
Of the American Cereal Company last
night, the largest In the world. COM
Iprising two entire blocks Of brick and
iron structures, together with num-
erous smaller buildings. The insur-
ances reaches close to st,o00,O00. Those
known to have lost their lives are:
Tho Known Dead.
Joe Holiingsworth, of Parnell, la.
An unknown man.
Hollingsworth was blown out OF the
building into the street by an .explo-
sion.
1t is feared several others lost their
lives, but this is not definitely known.
A man. who was seen at window,
fell back into the flames.
AT 3 o'clock this morning, the flames
were under control. The fire was con-
fined to the cereal plant. Surround
ing buildings were on fire several
times. hut the fire was eXtinguished.
The fire started early in the even-
| ing in the American Cereal Co. plant,
| the largest oatmeal mill in the world,
and was burning tiercely at 1915
O'Clock. There We're fears the flames
would spread across an eighty-foot
street to two blocks OF frame dwell
ings, beyond which lies the business
portion Of the city, but after a hard
fight, these were saved.
An appeal for aid was sent to sur
rounding towns and Waterloo, Clinton
and Marion rushed 1iremen and APP
paratus to the scene on special trains.
With this assistance the laddies worked
with night and main to conflne the
flames to the cereal plant and their
united efforts won.
The plant of the building is TRAN
gular, at the base of which is a group
OF elevator buildings and boiler houses
At the apex Is a group of mill build
ings and mora boiler houses. street
intersects this, triangle and divides the
two groups of buildings. The fire start
ed in the hull grinding room of one Of
the elevators and a sheet OF flames in
veloped that structure. In ten minutes
more flames had crossed the avenue to
the mill group Of buildings, and the
flremen were powerless to prevent the
Spread of the flames In either direction.
The fire burned northward against
the wind slowly in the mill group and
southwark with the wind in the eleva-
tor group with fearful rapidity.
Huge Walls Fall With Roar.
The five story brick walls crunlbled
and fell with roar heard for many
blocks, Clouds Of elnbers We're driven
by a. strong wind over an area of six
blocks, square and a large number of
men with small hose and buckets We're
drenching the roofs Of these buildings.
while In the vicinity of the fire there
was all exodus of families from dozens
of houses. kilograms for help We're
sent to the river cities and smaller
towns. The cereal mill employs in the
neighborhood of eight hundred men
and the loss will be serious blow to
the city.
On the north side Of G avenue, at
the apex of the right angled triangle is
elevator A, with a capacity Of 100000
bushels, mill A and B and then pack
age and storage rooms Very soon
after the fire started the fire had cross
ed the eighty foot G avenue to elevator
A, which was of frame, iron clad. This
was quickly destroyed. Strenuous eff
forts were made to prevent the fire
burning back into the brick mill build
ings hut mill A and mill s were Quilted
Elevator B, with capacity of 4oo,-
600 bushels. standing next to the rail-
way tracks on Fourth street of crib
construction, iron clad, was the first to
60 From It's basement to the roof
100 feet above the street level the
flames roared IN seething terror that
melted the iron clad protection in
white heat. Then the veneer walls of
the cleaning house tottered and fell in
great slices to the street below like the
discharge Of many cannon. After each
fall OF a section of wall. the flames
shot down the street for hundreds of
feet and drove back the thousands of
spectators on the run.
There was an intermediate cleaning
house on the Fourth street side, So
feet high to the roof. and this was
next consumed. Then the flames be-
gan their work on Elevator c and this
huge building with capacity Of $780,
600 bushels, 100 feet to the top of the
roof. of the crib construction and iron
clad. made most spectacular and
horrible fire. It was watched by many
thousand people who throng.ad the
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