The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1908-09-17
BIC COAL CHUTES
WRECKED BY FIRE
IOWA CENTRAL RAILWAY SuS
TAINS A SEVERE LOSS.
TWENTY THOUSAND DAMAGE
Origin of the Flames Unknown-Burn.
ed Structure Will be Rebuilt
at Once-Temporary
Arrangements


Fire Of unknown origin at six
O'Clock Monday morning, partially de-
|stroyed the Iowa Central coal chutes
located north of G avenue and near
the lound house property. The building
was entirely destroyed and the prop
erty rendered useless. The fire burned
down into the fuel pockets and was
very hard to handle. Many of the
aprons" or the front of the coal
pocket were partially burned or
the mechanism with which they are
Operated was rendered useless, so that
the chutes are practically out of COM
mission for the time being. The pill
ing and the greater part of the timber
work that supports the chutes and the
tracks was saved and the approach on
the north is unframed.
The fire was discovered before six
o'clock this morning, both by employees
working at the railway shops and by
people living near the chutes. An
alarm was turned in and the fire COM
pany made immediate response. The
distance. of the property from the fire
station is almost one mile and the
company had a long line of hose to
lay to reach the buildings. BY the
| time water was thrown the fire was
burning fiercely in the car house and
on account of the ready draft the
flames obtained the fire swept from
one end to the other and the struc
ture was soon a mass of ruins. The
fight was then extended to the fuel
pockets and the lower works and wat
err was thrown for period of more
than two hours in order to drown out
the fire that had secured big foot.
hold. "
| The origin of the fire is not discuss
ed by the railroad company. The Of
fcials make no statements or claims
oil any kind.
| The coal chutes was a comparative
\ ly new structure. 1t was erected about
four years ago when the company
made extensive improvements to its
property here. 1t was large build
1 ing with tracks and coaling mechan-
4 ism on both sides accommodating en-
gines coming out of the round house
and regular and passenger engines
coaling on the main line side. The
building, together with it's approach,
built on the north, and the extension
for cars on the south, covers a space
about five blocks in length. The work
was installed at total cost, with the
building of the approach, of between
twenty and twenty-five thousand dol.
lars. At the time it was put up there
was no better building of the kind
owned by any railway in the state.
THE loss connot be estimated until
the extent of the damage to the mech,
anical working parts of the pockets
can be ascertained, but it is thought
$40, 900 will be required to replace the
work.
The chutes will be rebuilt immedi
lately and with the least delay posi-
BILE. A few coaling places will be put
in condition to provide temporary &C
commodation for at least two engines
at one time and the work will be ex
tended from this start.
The coal cars containing fuel that
were in the building at the time were
lof the late steel body, and while some
what warped in the heat of the burn
ing building, they did not add TO the
infamable material about the place
1t was impossible to get these cars
tout after the fire was discovered.
The piling and the frame work upor
which rests the track leading into
the building is practically uninjuret
and will be easily repaired. The
frame work of the chute house stand.
upon foundation of cement pillars
and such of the sustaining timbers a:
have been burned off above can be cas-
lily replaced. Piling was original.
driven only for those parts of the strut
ture over which pass the locomotive!
|, and the heavy loads of fuel.
The incendiary theory of the Origin
of the fire does not hold favor will
lsome who were on the ground soon af
. ter the fire started. Thomas Terrell
was among the first at the scene ant
, took pains to examine employees whit
had been about the place. These mel
believe that the fire was of academia
origin and that it was started b.
lsparks flying from passing engine.