Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-05-23
Absence of Wind and Good Work Of
Fremen Make a Lucky Situation
Out of Blaze - Flames Confined to
Main Part of Barn and All Adjoin.
ing Buildings saved-captan Roupo
Injured.

can protect. the loss is fully covered,
| but more or less loss will result from
l{time that will be required to make re-
| pairs, and do cleaning, and from dam
| age to property by the Immense crowd
| that Witnessed the fire. Fully 1000
people were attracted to the fire and
We're Interested spectators.
Elmdale farm Is situated on West
| Jerome street little west of Sixth
| street, and is the old Bunce farm. 1t
has been greatly improved in the past
year by its present owner who has
constructed large addition to the
.old barn, new engine and boiler
house, feed grinding and nanufactur-
ing room, store house, poultry houses.
etc.
Mr.. Duffield left his home at about
S:25 Tuesday evening to Keep an APP
pointment at his office. His foreman,
Ed Gullakson, left at the same time.
after seeing that the barn and other
outbuildings were locked. Mr.. Duffield
had only got to his office and unlock
ed his safe when a telephone message
from his wife announced that the barn
was on fire. Mrs. Duffield reported the
fire to the Marshall Telephone opera
tor, and an alarm was turned in from
box 27, The crew from station No.
was on hand in few moments, altho
it was a long, hard run, With the tlnal
stretch over sandy and hilly road.
Ablaze from the Start.
The large barn was entirely envel-
oped in flames from the time of discov-
ery. Mrs, Duffield smelled smoke, went
hA n
of the barn to be on fire, and
even then the flames were bursting
thru the roof. Not more than
twenty minutes before, when Mr.. Duff
field and Gullakson We're there, there
was not the least sign of anything pc
ing wrong.
Mr.. Duffield is confident that spon-
taneous combustion caused the fire, as
is also Chief Kirby. There were no
wires in the building, there had been
no fire in the boilers for three days,
and the building had been locked
without the aid of a lantern.
Neighbors Save Stock.
Neighbors We're on the ground as
soon as the fire broke out and removed
from the burning building three head
of calves, two horses and about forty
sitting hens. The fowls We're in the
poultry conditioning room, and about
one-third of the biddies staid by their
! eggs and were still sitting this morn
ing. They were carried out in their
nest boxes, and but comparatively few
eggs were broken. Others, from the
excitement and noise, deserted their
nests, while some nests were wet and
the eggs broken. Mr.. Duffield says that
he believes not one hen was burned.
When the neighbors had got the
livestock from the barn they turned
their attention to the chicken houses
adjoining on the west and carried pen
after pen filed with birds to safe
quarters.
Firemen Did Good Work.
The fire department did excellent
work, and Mr.. Duffield is more than
pleased at the result. He said that
when he reached home he did not see
how any of the outbuildings could be
saved, and yet the fire was confined
to the main building. The engine
room, boiler room and heating plant
were not damaged, and some of the
machinery was not even wet. What
was soaked was gone over this morn
ing, cleaned and oiled, and there will
be no loss to it. The main part of
the barn, store room, in which were
kept supplies used in the manufacture
of poultry food and lice powder, the
loft, containing several tons of baled
hay, and the poultry conditioning
room, were destroyed. Mr. Duffield
says that his loss could not possibly
have been under $4,000 had the adj
joining buildings gone.
In fighting the fire the department
laid 1000 feet of hose, which was run
from the hydrant at Fifth and Jerome.
There is nearer hydrant on Park, but
the hose would have had to have been
laid thru several wire fences
Elmdale farm is one Of the pretty
country homes in the edge of the city,
and is operated as a poultry, egg and
dog farm Between 600 and TOO fowls
are kept on the place, besides cattle,
hogs and imported dogs, which Mr..
Duffield breeds. Mr. Duffield carries
$4,000 insurance on the barn, and $3.50
gagged this morning to figure on the
work of rebuilding at once.
Captain Roupe Injured.
Captain Charles Roupe, OF statlon
No. 2. was injured, shortly after 10
o'clock, after the flames were under
control. by falling from the second
floor of the barn. Roupe was looking
over the building to see that there were
no more evidences of fire on the sec
ond floor, and stepped into a hole. He
fell ten feet and sustained fracture
of the right clavicle. He was cared
for at the Duffield home over night,
and this morning was removed to his
home, sos East State street. His in
jury is not serious, altho he will have
to be off duty for some time.