Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-01-13
LARGE PART Of
BUSINESS BLOCK
IN RUINS;
PLAN REBUILD
Friedman Department Store
Completely Wiped Out
in Early Morning
SWIRLES' DRY GOODS
o TOTAL LOSS

Stevens Shoe Store, Nelson
! Cloak and Woolworth's
Are Also Damaged
Five buildings in the retail district
n twice as many firms suffered a
heavy hre loss here early this morning
when a blaze originating in the eleva-
TOR smart OF the Friedman department
store Quilted that large structure, the
Harper Il Browning building adjoining
and seriously damaged three other
business blocks nearby. A loss to
buildings and stock Is estimated to
reach $396,5OO with $242,3OO insurance.
The property wner all state they
VIII rebuild as soon as they can and
the merchants except Mr.. Friedman,
who is out of the city, state that they
Will open temporary quarters as soon
as they can get located, or where they
can reopen in their present quarters
without too great delay, will do SO
without moving their stocks elsewhere.
The fire was discovered shortly after
two o'clock by Officers Lightner and
kapp, who entered the building but
were driven back by the flames that
roared from the elevator shaft. The
department received the alarm at 2:15
o'clock and when 1t arrived the entire
Friedman building was q mass of
flames.
Starts Near Elevator.
The flames swept through the eleva.
tor shaft darling right and left at
every opening and soon reached the
top Of the building from where the
fire spread to the Swirles store on the
east and the Stevens shoe store on the
west.
BY the time the fire had gained a
great Roadway in the Friedman build.
ing large throngs had gathered and
were aiding the firemen to play water
on the buildings while many engaged
themselves in helping to remove er.
fects from the stores. City Solicitor
M. c. Gilmore was on the ground a
short time after the start of the fire
and helped the flremen in their tasks.
A light wind and the combustible ma
SuiC u LAX SOOu5 Ill LILO SIOCho u0lpeU
the flames spread, but a fire wall on
the east of the Harper & Browning
building checked the flames and help
ed to keep the fire back.
Frank jacques Injured. 49,
Roy Stevens, Of the Stevens Shoe
Co., entered his store q short time after
arriving at the scene and removed
papers, etc., from his office situated
near the rear Of the store. Several
men that had gathered were aiding Mr..
Stevens and they were about to start
taking out new stock, that had just
been unloaded when Mr.. Stevens
changed his mind. fearing the danger,
and ordered everyone from the build.
ing. The men had scarcely reached
the front door when the entire real
end of the building fell in with q
crash. Frank Jaques of the same firm
was about to enter as the floors fell
and was painfully cut about the hands
by falling glass, the front being blown
out by the force Of the falling real
walls.
Much Water Used.
Fourteen streams of water were
! played on the burning buildings and
the aerial truck was stationed in front
of the Friedman building and threw
water into the upper stories of the
Friedman and Swirles stores. Water
was thrown over the tops of the build
ings through the windows along the
fire escapes. The central department
ran short Of hose and was reinforced
by the hose from the packing house
The water froze to the buildings
fire escapes and to the coats of the
firemen as it fell and the fronts of the
stores presented a sea Of ice by the
time the blaze was controlled. :
Rear Walls Fall.
The rear wall of the Friedman
building on the west side fell a short
time after the fire had started and the
flames rushed out of the store like q
roaring furnace. Wires along the rail
road tracks were burned away by the
flames and progress along there was
made dangerous on account of live
wires. The Swirles store catching fire
from the Friedman store was soon a
seething mass Of flames and the heal
was intense. ....
Department Worked Hard.
The fire department was greeted on
all sides today by congratulations from
those who were present during the
. fire for the way the fight against the
blaze was conducted. The flames had
gained great Roadway before Chiel
Sloan and his men arrived and to keel
the fire from spreading over the entire
block, the department was forced tc
fight hard. The aerial truck proved
invaluable by throwing, a steady
stream of water into the upper floors
Of the buildings.
Nelson's Loss $4,000.
The loss from smoke and water al
the Nelson Cloak Co., is estimated al
81, 500. The front third of the store
on all floors is practically untouched
but at the rear great damage has beer
done from water which leaked through
from the roof and upper floors. The
alteration room on the first floor az.