Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-10-26
FIRST BAPTIST EDIFlcE CEDAR
RAPIDS is TOTALLY
a DESTROYED.
WAS TO BE SCENE OF
STATE CONVENTION
Church Decorated and Ready For
topenins Baptist Association Meet
ing-Another Edifioe Secured-suild-
ing Cost 5,ooo-Insurance of $751;
COO Carried.

Cedar Rapids, Oct 26.-Fire start
ing from some unknown cause Monday
evening and spreading with incredible
rapidity totally destroyed the First
Baptist church building at Third ave-
nue. and Eighth street. The building
wascerected III 1891 al q cost OF $40
600 and builders last night said it
could not be duplicated short Of So
600 al the present time. The insur-
ance carried on il aggregated $4,000,
These facts make the fire one OF the
most deplorable the city has suffered
i'm many years The church has about
500. active members, none of whom are
very wealthy.
Decorated For State Convention.
All the church workers have been
busy the last few days preparing for
the, big Iowa Baptist convention which
Vas to have opened III this chu.2h
Wednesday, Yesterday many OF them
were busy with the decorations. but
Ill had gone home with the exception
of Mr.. Sherman. He went up to the
balcony thru one class room into an
other class room. looked out and saw
men who had been unloading coal
little. at their hurry and then turned
to go back into the class room from
which he had Just emerged. II was
filed with smoke.
BY This time the men who had been
unloading the coal had turned il az
alarm and hundreds OF people were
running towards the building. attract
ed by the smoke and the flames Eye
witnesses state that the flames were
first seen in the basement windows.
but in few seconds they were burst
ing from the roof The smoke rolled
up in great clouds and the glare of
the flames could be seen half way
across the city. In few more sec
onds the throng had swelled from hun
dreds TO thousands
Starts in Pile Of Rubbish.
The fire was discovered in pile
Of Cubbish consisting Of rags and
paper piled against the coal bin. 1t
was discovered by D F. Munnell.
teamster engaged in hauling coal from
the car to the basement of the church.
Munnell had Just brought load to
the church and while unloading 1t.
used water to wet the coal down. The
hose ran from the basement TO the
outside and Il was necessary to go
down STAIRS 10 turn II OH pl plL. VI
nell. when he was thru with the water.
went 10 the basement to tell the men
at work IN the basement TO turn the
water of. ard on turning the corner
of the coal bin saw blaze in the pile
of rubbish.
Slate Roof Handicap.
The slate roof on the church was
handicap 10 the firemen and vas also
a source of great danger When the
four streams of water seemed 20 be
making some little headwav against
the flames Chief Mohrbacher took
three men and a hose into the entrance
at the rear OF the building But they
had scarcely began work until the
roof above them gave way, large
portion Of 1t falling with great crash
and they had barely time 20 escape
Only the Walls Remain.
Fifteen minutes later the effect Of
the streams OF water became manifest
and in another fifteen minutes the FIRE
vas practically out But only the
tlaekened. warped and cracked brick
walls 81 the structure remained. The
handsome stained windows the pipe
organ pews partitions, floors ball
comics everything was DESTROYED
Convention VIII Be Held.
The Iowa BAPTIST convention will De
heldsthis week. just as if nothing had