Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1909-11-27
Warehouse of Davenport
Lumber Concern Goes
Up in Smoke.
NUMBER HOMES BURN
Families Barely Escape With
Lives in Early Morning
Few Homes Insured.

/ The sash and door warehouse of the
70. N. Roberts company. at Case and
Federal streets, Davenport, one-story
building 150x6OO feet in dimensions,
Eflled with the completed products
/ handled by the concern, was destroyed
] by fire that broke out at 4:30 this
morning. Eight houses adjoining also
were burned to the ground. The loss
( to the U. n. Roberts company is $780,
! 600, and to the residence property $780,
900. The Roberts company is pro-
I tected fully by insurance. The only
part of the concerns plant which was
saved was the Office and the moulding
department. The fire was discovered
by the night Waterman, and he turned
in the alarm. simultaneously resi-
dent OF the neighborhoOd also turned
in an alarm The call was answered
promptly by the department, and in a
short time several streams were play
ing on the blaze. A fairly stiff breeze
was blowing from the south and the
flames spread rapidly. A row OF
houses along Case street were soon
mass of flames. All that could be done
was TO stop the FIRE from spreading.
IN one of the destroyed homes two
hours before the fire broke out baby
was bern. The mother and her child
were carried from the burning house
r.1I.arned.
Families sayc Narrow Escapes.
TEo ilhabitant5 Of burned houses in
20 ne Instances barely escaped with
Aeic lives Some of them ran into the
reefs scacttily cad. One family was
cd % leave via the rear door, the
3 mes having already consumed the
o-, Little Of the furniture in the
zcmez vas saved. In one house, which
occupied by a family of Italians,
cone Of the furniture vas saved, and
=eycral hundred gallons Of wine which
e. atored in tha cellar was also res
cuad little boy whose home was
destroyed was sent down the street
rs morning wrapped up in a bed
guilt.
Records Arc Saved.
The I. n. Roberts company was or
canizad il 1865. and at first was
manufacturing concern. For several
years they have only been distributors
Of sash, doors, windows, etc. U. n.
Roberts was the founder, and his son,
II. c. Roberts, is now manager. Mr..
Roberts stated this morning that the
loss would amount to at least S250,0OO,
and that the loss was fully covered by
insurance. All of the office and ship
ping records were rescued. They were
stored in the vault of the shipping Of
fee. which was destroyed. No definite
plans have been made as yet for the
rebuilding of the plant, but it is I'M
,derstood that new warehouse will be
Immediately erected on the same site.
AS to the origin of the fire, nothing
certain is known. At 3:45 a switch en-
CINE was run into the yard alongside
the warehouse. 1t is supposed the fire
was started by a spark from the loco
motive.
Burns Rapidly.
The only other way in which the fire
might have started was by spontaneous
combustion. The Waterman claimed
to have visited the spot at which the
fire started just few minutes before
the fire was discovered. All was well
then. 1t was but the work of min
ute for the fire to get start, as the
warehouse was frame structure and
contained large quantity Of dry Ium-
Der.
In 1901, when the concerns saw mill
and several houses were destroyed,
the plant burned today was just on the
border of the burned district, and but