Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1913-10-21
SIX LARGE BUSINESS FIRMS SUSTAIN LOSSES BY
|. THE b|C FIRE OF SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING
Two Wholesale and Three
Retail Stores Totally
Destroyed by Flames
THREATENS ALL OF
BUSINESS DISTRICT

Oskaloosa Sends Depart
ment to Aid in Fight;
Owners May Rebuild
Ottumwa was visited by its most
serious fire In many years Sunday
afternoon and evening when flames
consumed two Of her largest furni-
ture stores, retail and Wholesale hard
ware houses. the Headquarters OF the
Ottumwa Gas Co., and the warehouse
OF the Bissell feed and seed company.
but arfew hours sufficed for the
fury of the fire to work destruction
upon a large portion OF Ottumwa's
better business properties. The build
ingss that were destroyed were all OF
them fopr-story structures save that
occupied by the Bissell seed house
and Cooper furniture stock on lower
Court street. A conservative esti-
-..,4. - th.c,t l.,o IN h,,iId;n On 4 and
.,..s !. ~ & s. .,mo., ha,f NIL.
~. a.n.rs
The fire department, aided BY
numerous volunteers from all walks
of life, worked almost impotently
against the tremendous force with
which the flames spread. The fire,
famed BY a strong wind that carried
h,,rn,rp II emher. great distances
s., Z. ~ 4, ~ stb :, .kv Far
=. ~ 80 - - u "a
ssfew hours N ttneS cary evenins' anu
made q mockery OF the efforts OF the
S,rA,,, sns II Afern itp spread, One large
A..,,a,.,-s ~ Y, - HI ,u,c.
4 ~. NJ IS II 80 g .
cessions N pecoMins vieeini l' ~ ''ne
awful destruction that was waged by
INA f,ama. That the entire block and
- - ....i, a,..-,1+ ,,,r. -, - stha
.ne usss 8 - !. $. !, 80,
burning Dull0ines old mol 80 'too ls'' W Was = J
due to the change of the wind. the
,.llinS of the Cenft street wall Of the
.,-..-s.. ..,..x....r. 80. 80 .ha oon.
Soope. to s.o' = a :.
centrate11 efforts OF most OF tne iire'
men on that side of the blaze and on
the buildings in the block east OF
Court street.
oskaloosans Arrive.
-. o.,-., nua
me ne arrival = q - .Ae osAaioo'a Ai'o
department. headed by Mayor Byron
Sewers, Fire Chief l. H. McCracken.
chiaf ~ police link stoler Night
=. nta,n Inhn Rnrrenherg and com
nosad ora DOZEN volunteers from the
ighhor,np citv tnund the fire m
d.r cnntrni The (,skalnossns how.
s,.r hro,,gh+ with them come 50f
Ssat os .hosa In ona = their wagons.
which With : team was loaded nnon
.n.o,si train and after arrival i'm
-sa.t.i~ tnor boId nnder the direc.
ttar ~ Actinp Chief Charles sloan
80 Observation-Disclosures n I Rremhorat
s.d -, ,.tt tha fira for SOMA time dur.
sns tha r,cht The man from the
ln,..rar citv ,ron receiving the cal
for aid from Ottumwa. were ready to
leave the city within seventeen min
o,,rsng u.rs M snac,.I @ M train of two cars for
$ea m and anY1iDnarlt came in over the
pncL 1s,and about & O'Clock. N.
-s
Alarm Before O'Clock.
~. alarm was aiven the fire de.
.-+rant ahn,,t I.5o IN the afternoon
- % ~ unon srrival soon after the fire.
s,., s. tprni the Ottnmwa Hardware
~ on .tnra | hrrn;np The fire annaarad
- ~. ~. .t.rtad l .oma +ima hafnra Il
s,s.arsrsd ycr nnor its hreak;ng
S,,t - .nrasa = Nth great ran,ditv and
~. -. \. .aan havnnd +hs control :, the
ssae as 49, - ~ Tbs nnner z yInnrs ~ ina
n..nIsn. - .ra ,,rst sasr aSira b,+ ~
cul in.t .,nea .ha an+ira ~ h,,iidirg MN ~. q,
.rama s and aidad hv the wind thai