The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1912-08-15
CLENOEN0N COMPANY AND D. 8 v. TEA
COMPANY ALSO HEAVY LOSERS,
Williams e. Orvis Lose
Law Library-Lacey
Law Library Re-
moved, but is
Damaged.

Fire that started in the rear of the
basement of the Walton Clothing
Store, No. 100 High avenue west
about nine-thirty o'clock this Wednes-
day morning, partially destroyed that
building and before controlled had
burned through into the Clendenon
Company shoe store basement and
had done irreparable damage to the
d. & w. Tea Company store next
west. The loss to buildings and stocks
will not be far from $5O,OOO.OO.
Losses.
Walton Clothing Company, total
loss
}. c. Williams and C. C. Orvis law
office and library, total loss. ... ~.
II. ID. Parker, insurance office, total
loss.
Chris Winter, owner of building,
with Office on second floor, practically
burned out. .
Clendenon & Company Shoe Store,
part VI SUCK destroyed.
John F. and w. r. Lacey. law ofiees
and library, owners of building east
of Walton,s,
! ID. & w. Tea Store. stock practically
ruined.
w. H. Shaw. insurance office.
0. c. G. Phillips, justice of peace
Office.
Lewis Cruzen, owner of building
west of Walton store.
Damage was finally confined to
three buildings, the one in which the
fire originated and adjoining buildings
on either side.
NO one thought the fire of serious
character at first, but the firemen
were unable to locate the seat of the
flames and, hindered by brick parti-
tions, could not place water on the
hre. Only small amount of blaze
was seen at any time but the fire ate
its way into the Lacey building and
the Clendenon Shoe Store, into the
second story of the Winter building,
and finally came through the roof at
point about midway of the building.
The Clendenon Company moved
much of their merchandise to a place
of safety
Van Wittenmyer of the d. & w.
Tea Company started to move out of
his room. Others prepared to go. g.
Williams & Orvis' loss is complete.
They occupied the rooms over the
Walton store. When the fire reached
the second floor they were unable to
enter their rooms on account of the
smoke.
The law library of ]. F. and w r
Lacey was removed. but is badly dam.
aged in the handling.
-Four lines of hose were laid and
played upon the fire, front and rear.
in few minutes. AS the fire spread
TWO more lines of pipe were laid and
used.
The fire burned over four hours the
greater part of which time it was I'M
controlled.
Discovery Of the Fire.
Fire was first detected in the base.
ment of the Walton Company Store by
Harry Ragen, one of the clerks. He
had been working in the stock at the
rear OF the store and noted an ever
increasing odor of burning wood or
paper, This was no unusual thing
however, as fires are frequently start
ed in the alley to dispose of refuse
paper and debris coming from one or
another of the stores of the block.
When the odor increased in the room,
Mr., Ragen started back to investigate.
He opened a door into lavatory
room and saw the smoke coming
through the floor around the waste
pipe. He called to those at the front
of the store that there was fire in the
basement and then attempted to get
down to locate and il possible stop
the blaze. When he opened the door
to the basement he was confronted
by a dense wall OF smoke and fumes.
He pressed forward in the effort to
turn on an electric light and none OF
the lamps reached would burn. The
smoke was so dense that the young
man had to retreat. as did also those
4 who had followed him into the base
} ment. There were two partitions In
1.-The absement. and the. Ore. started y