Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1912-05-04


trict doing damage of 3s0S,700 and
threatening for hours to destroy the
entire city. 1t was the worst fire in
the history of the town. Included in
the property burned were five grain
elevators. three lumber yards. two ho-
tells, two mills and more than nifty
other structures, including railroad
buildings, dwellings, barns and sheds.
The fire wiped out all the grain elevat-
ors and lumber yards Of the town. The
insurance is $105, 800.
Some such 8 paragraph would have
been the lead" Of a big local news
story Of this evenings issue of this
paper were it possible to turn back
time forty years. May 4. 1912 marks
the fortieth anniversary Of this disas-
ter, which was the most terrible the
city ever passed thru. It was to Mar
shalltown what the San Franc,sco
earthquake was to that city or the
Baltimore FIRE to that center. A COIN
cident of the date is that May 4. 1872
fel! on Saturday, which makes it Pc
culiarly appropriate to retail briefly
today some Of the more important
features Of the catastrophe.
0Oe000 our S0u0TO 6i0CNUs
The territory completely burned
over was bounded on the south by the
Northwestern railroad, on the east by
Fourth avenue (then Franklin street,,
on the north by Nevada street. and on
the west by Second avenue, (then
First street.) The flames swept be-
You'd these boundary lines in places.
They extended east Of Fourth avenue
north along the side Of the Northwest
ern right of-way to as far as where
the Kreutzer & Wasem mill is now.
and north up both sides of Third
avenue to north of the alley alongside
Of the Y NJ. c. A. building. few
buildings in and just south Of the
Northwestern right of-way were also
burned.
Only one structure that stood in the
burned area went thru the fire and IS
still standing. 1t is the Hatcher build
ing on Third avenue, between Market
and Nevada streets. Its interior. and
all the wood work was burned. but the
brick walls remained upright and the
structure was rebuilt.
Started in Elevator Roof.
Marshalltown was preparing for Its
MONDAY meal when engine whistles
began to screech from the railroad
tracks. setting up such din that pres
emily all the town raced to the point
from which the noise came.
Fire, supposed to have been set by
speaks from a locomotive, (altho this
detail was never fully established),
was discovered breaking out thru the
roof Of the Stanley elevator This
building stood where Sloppy's elevator
Is now situated. BY the time the
alarm whistles had aroused even a
part Of the town the fire had spread all
over the roof Of the Stanley elevator
and was threatening adjoining elevat-
ors.
The flames leaped and roared az
they were famed by a hard southeast
wind, that blew straight from the
burning elevator toward the center OF
the city. The strength of the wind and
the lifting power of the air heated by
the fire may be Judged from the fact
shingles from the tall building were
carried as far northwest as Albion. In
fact it was these sheets of paper that
came floating down in the village like
falling leaves that carried the alarm to
that place and brought the Albion
people post haste in every sort of We
hicle to the scene Of the fire.
Spread Both Ways.
Whipped onward by the wind. and
backing up against it, the fire spread
both east and west at about the same
time. A short distance west Of Stan
ley's elevator. and where the Stone
restaurant now stands. was F.. G.
Sleight's grain elevator. Burning brands
set it on fire Just east Of the Stanley
elevator was G. w. Westlake's elevator
The intense heat set it afire In short
time all three were pillars Of cracking
flames.
The heat from the westlakc elevator
caused the Marshall Wooden Mill. owned
by ]. p. Woodbury. and standing where
the Marshall Vinegar Company's fac
tory is now, to burst out In flame
Later a small -four mill. on the site OF
the Kreutzer & wasem mill. was set
on fire by the heat. That was the east
ern limit of the fire area.
While the Stanley and Westlake ele-
vators were burning the flames leaped
across Market street and ignited the
D. w. Cunningham lumber yard. The
land It covered Is now occupied by the
Citizens Lumber Company.
Swsepe Over Third Avenue.
On the corner of Third avenue ard
Market street, where the Ketchum a
CASTOR building stards, stood the i'm
plement warehouse Of Sleight & ketch.
nm. (the latter n. s. Ketchumo. II
caught fire at about the same time The
flames reached the Sleight elevator just
south of 1t. With the wind sweeping
It on, the flames broke over Third
avenue in a short time and soon build
inss on the west side Of it were burning
fercely.
In the block bounded on the south by
the Northwestern, on the east by Third
avenue. on the north by Market street
and on the west by Second avenue
we're two more elevators and . lumber
ward. The Binford Bros elevator
stood where the Plunkett building II
now. It caught first. The burning
fra Rments from 1t set fire to Coppocka
elevator, Just west Of Binford's. The
west part OF the block, where the Plaxa
Hotel Is now, was filled with lumber
owned by Price 4 Stocking Soo: the
flames from the burning piles Joined
in the mighty blaze that was c.,nsum-
Ing the neighha.irg elevators. 9.
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