Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-01-29

but was not dense from the windows
toward the west. Fire Chief l. T..
Kirby thought il very probable that
the fire started in the west half of the
basement, but neither he nor the owner
of the business could do more than
hazard a guess as TO the cause. Arkin
said there were two furnaces in the
! basement one under the east and one
under the west halves.
Much Smoke; No Fire.
For fully half an hour the firemen
fought only smoke. no flames We're
visible. The smoke that kept pouring
out in bIacker and blacker clouds from
the cellar was attacked with streams
OF water thru basement windows on
all sides of the building. But APP
parently the water had little effect
Ii was nearly 9 o'clock before the
( seat OF the fire was located and not
until chief Kirby and others broke
hole large enough for a hose nozzle.
thru an outside cellar door in the rear
Of the building. He found hot fire
burning near the rear Of the west side.
Not long after the flames ate thru the
first floor on that side.
Stubborn Fire to Fight.
! Even after the seat of the fire had
been located the fire stubbornly re-
sisted the hremen, who were handi-
capped in getting streams directly on
the flames by arrangement OF the
interior OF the building. showcases,
racks and other furniture. For time
the srenen who were lighting the fire
/ from the rear of the building with two
/ lines Of hose seemed to have the base
nent fire under control. For fully ten
minutes they held stream of water
pointed directly at flames that had
broken thru the first floor without ap-
parently touching this FIRE.
From the very beginning the smoke
made entering the building impossible.
Fgrer1en fighting in the cellar way in
the rear had TO relieve each other fire.
quently to keep from being overcome.
Climbs Thru Floors.
Once holes had been eaten in the
floor. the FIRE climbed steadily upward.
Firemen, who were fighting in the
rear. shifted their lines Of hose from
the cellar way, up TO the ground. then
up a rear stairway. and on top OF a
one-story addition of the building. then
back TO the ground and into the cellar
way again as the flames broke out
afresh first al once place then at an
other.
The fire. which continued to burn
eercest IN the rear. broke thru the
second floor Of the building near that
end first, but for half an hour was
| beaten back
, FIGHT From Building Tops.
As the flames ate upward inside the
building. the firernen abandoned their
positions on the ground or on short
: ladders to the first story and took to
the roofs Of adjoining buildings. Two
J lines Of hose were carried to the build
ing across the alley east. One was
fought from an outside stairway OF
this building Another line was car
ried TO the roof of the building to the
west. Still two more were fought from
I the street in front For three or foul
I hours. FIVE streams were kept on the
\ fire constantly. From the rear, tbs
: flames, after eating thru the first ane
I second floors, spread toward the front
Entire Building collapses.
2 shortly before 10 O'clock fragment!
: Of the cornice in the rear Of the build
g ing began TO crumble off A few min
: utes later a section Of the east wall fei
n out. The whole interior had beer
ablaze for almost an nour.
About 1915 the second floor col
d lapsed upon the first. which gave wa!
. and both fell into the basement. Tel
= minutes later the entire front and al
. of the east wall as far north as tn
d one story addition. fell. The from
d dropped straight. The alley wall fel
n out filling the alley. Soon after mos
q Of the north wall went down.
d Wild Rush When Walls Fell.
\ The collapsing Of the ecors CAV
warning that the walls would no
nd n
\. guard. People filed the street to tn
g. car tracks and when the 'front.' starte
o to topple they turned and stampede
= for safety. Fjremen struggling out Q
I. danger with the hose turned the col
o streams into the crowd. The hos
IS aged over the pavement swep
= spectators off their feet. Before the
ID were seen TO rise steam, smoke an
8, dust from the settling ruins filled tn
Y, street and cut off sight OF those VIII
went down a moment before.
ts An aged couple, whose .oung 80
10 they had seen go down in the rusf
IN set up a piteous crying ard bega
to searching the crowd for him the
feared was killed. No one, tho, was in
jured.
in Pisman Has Close Call.
i Great concern WAC felt for one sna
ID band Of firemen who were directin
> stream OF water from the stairwa
~ Of the building across the alley. Whe
e, the wall fell into the alley 1t carrie
at down part OF this stairway. and n wa
~ feared the fremeT with it. They ha'
however crowded back into the hal
%, way Of the building off the stair land
lg ing.
ne Captain c. c. Pigman, OF station N
r j, started thru the alley Just beofre ii
IS, wall went down. He was warned