The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1906-01-04
BIG FIRE AT CHARLTON
Six Brick Business Blocks Destroyed
by Fire Saturday Morning--loss
$50, ,OOO--InsuranCe Small.

From an extra issued by the Charlton
Herald last Saturday morning, we learn
the following particulars of disastrous
fire which visited that city at an early
hour Saturday morning:
At a little after one o'clock this, Sat-
urday morning, December 30, fire was
discovered in the Oxford Cafe, owned
by A. L. Swift, on the north side of the
square, and the alarm called the liremen,
who responded quickly and worked val
iantly, but the fire had gained such
headway that six two-story brick bust
ness houses were completely destroyed
before it could be controlled. The wind
was from the west, and the firemen
worked to save the buildings east of
the Oxford Cafe. Engcbretscn & Man
nings store and the postoflice were
burned before the blaze could be check
cd in that direction, while the building
occupied by Paton's cigar store, Stein
baugh's meat market, and the Savings
Bank, was atire and seemed to be DOOM
ed, but, was saved by the firemcn. Had
the fire spread eastward any farther, all
the stores on the north side and the
livery barns, residences, the Christian
church, and many more buildings would
have been burned.
BY concentrating their efforts on the
east of the fire, the iircmen had to allow
the flames to work westward for while,
and all the buildings to the northwest
corner were burned, including Flatt's
candy store, j. ]. Smyth's private bank,
and W. Ii. Smyth's dry goods store.
This included a solid block Of six two
story buildings, owned and occupied as
follows:
w. H. Smyth's Building
Valued at $1,000, $1,000 insurance on
building. Occupied by Smyth's dry
goods store, stock worth $4,000. One
tenth of it saved. No insurance.
Upstairs was the Leader printing
office, H. w. Gittinger, proprietor.
Nothing saved. Loss $4,000, insurance
81 900. In the front room Justice Ed
Storie lost $50 worth of office tixtures,,
fully insured. -
In the basement Stroud & Burnham,
BARRIERS, saved abont half their equip
ments. Loss $500, insurance $3.50.
J. J. Smyth's Building.
Occupied by ]. j. Smyth's loan Office,
loss 5000. Loss on building $4,000, no
insurance. J. D. Raper's iewelry store
was in the same room. Loss 5000, fully
insured.
J. }. Smyth's Second Building.
Loss on building $4,000, no insurance.
Occupied by Flats candy store. Stock
valued at $4,000, probably a fourth of
which was saved. Insurance $1650.
Upstairs Viers Bros. real estate office.
Loss s40O, mostly insured.
W. h. Smyth's Second Building. !.
Loss on building, $4,000, insurance
$4,000, occupied by swift's Oxford Cafe.
Stock valued at $500. Insurance $140O.
Upstairs was Culbertson & William
sons real estate Office, loss $10O, no
insurance.
L. F. Naples Building.
Loss on building $4,000, insurance
s250O. Occupied by Engebretsen &
Manning's book and drug store. Per-
haps one-third of stock saved. Loss
$4,000, insurance $1,000.
Upstairs was Will B. Barger's law
office. Law books and furniture worth
$4,000 were burned, only few books
being saved. Insurance $500. Mr..
Barger's Office and libary we're also
destroyed in the opera house fire two
years ago.
Pete Paton's tobacco storage room
was also up stairs, 5000 worth of prop
erty being destroyed, fully insured.
Hobson's jewelry store in room with
book store, $40O loss, fully covered.
postoffice Building.
i Owned by j. A. Brown. Loss $4,000
insurance $500.
Postotficc mail etc. all saved, but fix
lures, owned by Postmaster Maple,
burned, loss $1,000, no insurance.
Gookin Bros. & Wright's real estate
office upstairs. Loss $500, no insurance.
Very little saved.
w. B. E. Lusk's tailor shop upstairs.
loss $500.
This makes total loss of over $50, 1000
with about S19,500 insurance. The loss
on buildings alone was over S36, 900,
with only $95O0 insurance.
The origin of the fire is mystery.
Mr.. Swift left his restaurant about 1920
a. m. TO catch No. IL to go to Hiteman
to see his wife, who is ill shere.