Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-10-26

Fire, the origin Of which Will prob
ably never be discovered, and Which
started at S:25 o'clock Friday night ana
ragged fiercely for more than three
hours, completely destroyed the car
and paint shops of the Iowa Central
railroad and all their contents. m
Guided In the property burned, are the
two large frame buildings, 50x260 and
40x15O, much valuable machinery, cars,
lumber, equipment, supplies and tools.
The loss can only be estimated, as
the various local officers Of the com
pany are unable to give any more than
an approximate, which ranges from as
low as $4,000 to as high as 100000.
The first named figure is too small and
the latter is high. 1t is believed the
loss. will total about 100000
Amount Of Insurance Not Known.
The exact amount of the insurance
carried, altho it is known that the
property was protected against lire
loss, could not be learned. 1t is known
that at least $4,000 of insurance is
carried. OF this amount $4,000 is on
the car shop building, and $4,000 is on
the machinery it contained The cars
burned are undoubtedly insured with
the rest of the company's rolling stock
under one blanket" policy.
Explosion May Have Been Cause.
The most reasonable theory as to the
cause of the fire was that it resulted
from an explosion of acids in what is
known as the brass cleaning room.
where it was discovered. Acids are
used extensively in this part of the
shop for cleaning brass car and ma
chine parts. AS far as can be learned
there was no fire in this or any other
part of the building, except the one
that was banked" under the boiler.
Spread With Rapidly.
e. j. Hamblin, the night Waterman,
discovered the flames, which were then
burning in the brass cleaning room
burning rapidly in the brass cleaning
room. Without attempting to put them
out he rushed to the round house to
give the alarm and notify the de-
partment. Help from the round house
dashed to the car shops to turn the
company fire apparatus on the flames,
but the blaze had already spread rap
idly to the west and Charles Winters
and John West, the latter night round
rouse foremen, We're driven out, half
suffocated with the smoke. In a short
space of time, the whole east end of
the building was aflame, and the fire
had broken thru the roof and was eat
ing its way to the west.
All Aflame When Department Arrived.
A. large part of the car shops was
afire when the department reached
the scene, and a general alarm was
turned in, which brought both of the
departments out with dozens of the
members Of the old volunteer COM
panies, who gave much assistance.
With a rapidity that increased. as the
flames grew in volume and heat, the
fire spread first to the paint shop,
which stands directly north, then to
lumber piles surrounding both it and
the car shops, and still farther west
to the cars that filled the tracks lead
ing to the car shop.
Saved Other Property.
1t soon became apparent that be-
cause of the large territory the flames
We're covering in consuming the shops
and their contents and the cars that
stood adjacent to them, that it was
useless to attempt to save this prop
erty. Master Mechanic Thomas M.
Feeley directed that efforts be con-
centrated on the round house, the south
side of which was in imminent danger
of bursting in flames from the heat.
In it were a number of locomotives
that could not be moved, and much
other valuable property. A part of the
with the aid of others,
conspicuous among whom were Reu-
ben E. Stump, turned their attention
to this building, and kept streams of
water playing upon it until the danger
Of it's igniting was past. When atten-
ton was directed to it the building
was scorching hot, and resin was ooz-
Ing from its wooden sides.
Shops Burned Like finder.
From the nature of the combustibe
material both in the shops themselves
and much of the contents. the fire
gained Roadway that gave promise
Of it's extending westward thru the
yards, Wiping out everything in its
path. In the east end of the car shops
there was much loose material, saw
dust, shavings and cuttings, which fed
the flames. In the paint shop there
was much oil. turpentine and other in
fiammable material. which was licked
up greedily.
Spread Outside of Shops.
The flames swept q path clean from
east to west thru both shops then
spread in all directions to piles of lum-
Der and cars. To the west tracks.
leading into the car shops We're filled
with cars in the course of being re-
paired. Those nearest the shops
caught readily, and the flames leaped
from one to another toward the west.
On some of the tracks the fire extend "a