Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-03-08
like sardnes from the railway tracks
to the brow of the hill.
Tho Burning Of Elevator D.


Tho Burning Of Elevator D.
| hut the immense Elevator ID. one OF
| the last to be constructed with u cap
acity of 81 million bushels, by far the
largest building in the city, was the
fire which was watched with the deep
| est interest For half un hour per-
hnps, there were some who predicted
| that the automatic sprinlslers In this
| building would do their work SO we'll
that the building would be saved and
| the flames would not break thru It's
| iron clad wallis Across u avenue,
only eighty feet were q number of low
| frame structures and then the lum-
| Der yard of the Cedar Rapids Lumber
| Company, reaching almost to the
| Grand hotel. re the fire once crossed
| r avenue to these frame structures
1t would destroy the central fire sta
| ton. the lumber yard and then what
was to prevent the destruction of the
Grand hotel. and perhaps scores OF
others Of the best buildings In the city:
The firemen worked with might and
main to prevent the fire from crossing
| the street.
Was Terrible Danger.
| Similar efforts were made to pre-
vent the flames crossing North Third
street on the west side OF which was
similar group Of frame structures,
Water was poured upon these build
| ing. as 1t was upon the central fire
station In u perfect deluge For q
| time hopes and fears wavercd. For an
hour there WAS uncertainty as to
whether the firemen would win the
victory and save half the town from
destruction. The teams of Vinton,
Belle Plaine Marion and Iowa City
worked like heroes with the local de-
| partnent to save the town. Several
times the fire crossed the street and a
brick building, near the central fire
station. was In flames. At midnight 1t
seemed as IL the tiremen would win
| their heroic fight, tho the result was
not then decisive.
| Tho Firemen Win tho Fight.
| Soon after midnight, however. 1t
| was seen that the heroic work of the
| firemen In attempting to save the city
| from destruction had succeeded. While
| they had not succeeded In checking the
| IRE Mn Elevator ID, for that was u task
beyond human power. they had pre-
vented the flames from crossing B ave-
| nue. and Third street. except here and
there and these small CONGREGATIONS
were soon extingushed One small
| house was burned to the ground. No
one knew whose 1t was A small frame
house counted for nothing In such a
fire as ragged last night.
Spectacular Fire.
/ 1t was one of the most spectacular
fires ever witnessed outside Of tba
great conflagrations in cities like
Chicago. The elevators filled blocks
six and eight stories high, solid masses
Of heavy framed timbers. When the
flames got under and thru them
they darted hundreds of feet into the
air and rushed thru the openings like
flames out of blast furnaces. No pen
can describe the weird and horrible ef-
fects. And then there was the pity Of
it all to see so much property destroy
cd In the course OF few hours, with
loss of money, loss of employment and
loss of life.
Lighted Up tho City.
The fire lighted up the whole city as
bright as daylight. but It was a weird
and uncanny ligE... Inside of the
buildings the electric lights grew dim
us compared with the flames out
side.
As to tho Firemen.
The flremen had very little to do
with the, fire. They were helpless. Ten
thousand fire departments would have
been just as helpless. No amount Of
water could have stopped the confla-
grafton. It was outside the bounds of
human possibility. Something might
have been done to save the mill portion
but the flames We're like seething caul-
drons and the water that was applied
and 1t was very little that got to the
hames-simply gave 1t more means of
spreading. When the top of a whole
building bursts into flame 1t Is impes-
sibe to do anything with engines or
other human agencies.
Did Heroic Work.
But the firemen. both those from Ce-
dar Rapids and from the neighboring
towns which were kind enough to send
aid. did heroic work in saving the sec
lions of the city surrounding the plant.
For hours there was a steady rain of
fire on that part of the city. Times
without number neighboring buildings
caught fire, but the department was
always on hand with a stream OF water
or the bucket brigades which worked
everywhere, were ready and on the
spot. The saving of the fire depart
ments own headquarters was mir
acle. But a still greater miracle was
performed in saving the lumber yard Of
Limback & Jeffries. This yard, filed
with the most combustible stuff, was
just across the street to the west.
In the early stages OF the fire 1t was
freely predicted that the city would
burn, as far as First avenue, but that
doleful and possible fate was happily
averted.
METHoDIsTs HOLD CONVENTION.
Delegates From Iowa and South Da.
kota Meet In Sioux City.