The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1909-05-27
THREE FIRES IN
Fifteen HOURS
Ezra MendenhaII's Furniture Factory
Destroyed.
j. loUGHRIDGE's HOME RUINED
other Fire At Selbei Milling Com.
panys Tenement Property Where
Little Damage Resulted
Fire Department Busy.

After a period of six weeks withou
a blaze of any kind, the fire fiend ap
peared Saturday evening, soon afte
ten O'Clock and within space of fiji
teen hours the fire department had re
sponded to six separate alarms ant
handled three fires.
The Mendenhall furniture factory
upholstering establishment and under
taking rooms, Nos. AIS, 420 and AZ:
High avenue west, was almost wholly
wreck and the building was badly dam
aged. Living apartments on the sec
ond floor of the building were damaged
and some smoke damage resulted &c
the clothing store on the west.
The fire department was called to
the frame building on South G street
south from the Ben Templeton gro
Gerry, to the apartments of William
Groce, at ten minutes after twelve
o'clock Sunday afternoon.
The third alarm was turned in at
1:45 o'clock Sunday afternoon for the
James Loughridge residence, No. oil
A avenue east. The roof and second
story of the building were badly burn
ed and the contents seriously damaged
by water.
The MendenhalI Blaze.
The Mendenhall fire broke out at
a time when the street was crowded
with pedestrians and vehicles. 1t
started in the rear portions of the
building devoted to manufacturing and
upholstering. 1t was filled with eX-
celsior, cotton. hair, burlap. varnishes
and finishing material. all of which
are of highly inflammable nature. The
fire had a big start when discovered,
and the entire rear portion of the place
was a roaring furnace when the fire
department arrived. Five lines of
hose were laid and the department
made an effective fight, combining the
flames to the south portion of the big
building The damage to the furniture
in the front portion of the building
IL severe, however, and the brick por-
ton Of the building itself sustained
damage. The plate glass front was
broken out by the intense heat. The
flames several times came through in
to the show room, but were driven
back each time.
The fire was first seen by Fred Son.
dregger and Edward Haynes, who
were standing at the front of the Glaze
& Haynes store across the street north
from the furniture store front. Young
Sondregger saw the flames start, but
thought nothing of the blaze for mo-
ment. supposing the fire was in the
hands of some one in the room, carry
ing a torch or light of some sort. He
watched the light a moment and as it
instantly increased in size he called
Mr.. Haynes attention to the fire and
they were not long in reaching the
conclusion that the store was ablaze.
An alarm was Immediately turned in
from the Glaze store The fire depart
ment made quick response and the first
line OF hose was laid within a short
time and water was playing on the
fire from the front to keep 1t out OF
the building. Other lines were soon
operating from side and rear but the
fire burned almost an hour before 1t
was finally out.
The fire broke out again in spite
of the seeming thorough work of the
firemen, and subsequent alarms were
turned in at two O'Clock, four o'clock,
and again at seven O'Clock a. m. The
fire smouldering in cotton and other
upholstering material would break
forth and threatened the unburned
portion of the building. Four visits in
all were paid to the place by the de-
partment.
The origin of the fire is uncertain.
The firemen located the start OF the
blaze in the work rooms at the rear
OF the furniture show rooms. They
believe the fire to have been started
by spontaneous combustion, caused by
oil saturated rags being thrown aside.
Others believe that the fire started in
a room devoted to the uses OF sta
bic. A team in the barn was rescued
and at the time the room was entered
the fire seemed to be greatest in the
work shop.
The building Is the property OF H.
II. Sheriff, who purchased it OF the
old Christian church organization upon
the building of the Stone Chapel"
building. and rebuilt 1t for the Ley
Brothers factory. The old church
building, which was brick structure
with good heavy foundations and walls.
was incorporated in the building that
was enlarged and improved from time
TO time. The sixty foot brick front
was added to the north of the old
church building. completely hiding 1t
from view. The structures at the rear
are OF frame and were extended to the
alley line on both south and east. One
OF the more recent alley additions was
frame affair covered by tar paper.
The entire rear portion was yeritable
fire trap, stocked with a great quanti-
~ of stuff that was next to explosive
In its comhustible nature. While the
fire was in progress numerous small
explosions OF varnish and other mater.
ial occurred but they did not interfere
with the zeal OF the firemen In ap.
proaching the seat of the trouble.
frhtoe F...nn