Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1917-10-17
p. r. ARNEY BUlLDlNG\ BURNED,
INCLUDING CONTENTS IN AN
OTHER MYSTERIOUS FIRE.
LOSSES ESTIMATED AT
s1e,15o INSURANCE $11 900
Heaviest Losers Are p. F. Arney,
Owner Of Building and Large Stock
of Agricultural Implements, and
George o. Cohurn-Latter Owned
Six Horses That Were Burned.

| The third bad fire within a month,
which destroyed a large quantity of
property and threatened to spread to
adjoining buildings, did an estimated
damage OF s19,150 early Tuesday eve
ming when fire broke out in the P. T..
! Arney warehouse fronting South First
avenue between Railroad and Nevada
streets. the building. a huge one
ucally totally destroyed, and with il
most Of its contents, consisting of agri-
cultural implements, household goods,
and dray horses, the latter owned by
George O. Coburn.
The principal losers are p. T. Arncy,
George Q. Coburn, eleven owners of
household goods, and the Ewing Trans
fer and Storage Company. The losses
and insurance are:
p. F. Arney. building, loss $1,000: in
insurance $4,000.
P. +. Arney, agricultural implements,
loss $4,000; insurance. $4,000.
George O. Coburn, horses, etc, loss
$500: insurance $1,000.
Household goods. loss estimated,
$500; insurance not known.
Ewing Transfer and Storage Com
pany, equipment. loss $50; no insur-
anCe.
Heaviest Loss in Implements.
The heaviest single loss falls on P.
r. .Arney. The invoice of the nipple
monts stored in the warehouse is no.
taken until the first Of each year, but
M. .Arney placed the value of what
was burned at $1,000. with the posi-
bility that some OF il might be sai-
yugrd Dy being repaired. Other agri-
cultural implements in the building
We're a quantity Of potato sprayers and
dlegers. owned by the Aspinwall Manu-
featuring Company. Jackson, Mich, and
ga~c engines owned by the Lawson
Manufacturing >ompany, New Hol-
stein. Wis Some Of this stock, which
was in storage for transfer and re-
shipment may have been slightly dam
aged. bat il is thought most Of II was
not seriously hurt.
Six Horses Burned.
Cnbgrn leased the west end Of the
building for stable In It were six
horses. two loads of hay, 200 bushels
or oats, EllIN DISiltiS VI NcA H. So
sets of bob sleds. and four sets of har.
ness. All this property. including all
the horses. were burned. One Of the
teams. a splendid pair Of blacks, was
worth $500.
The origin Of the fire is not known.
| but it is evident that it caught toward
the west end OF he building. Several
theories have been advanced. One is
/ that it broke out among household
goods stored by the Ewing Storage and
! Transfer Company. Another is that it
started in the CobuTn stable. the west
end Of the building. It is thought mice
eating matches may have caused the
fire in the household goods There is
growing belief. however. that this
fire. the lumber yard fire, and the Mel
son barn fire were OF incendiary origin.
Proof is lacking, bat circumstances in
dictate that such may be the case. In
each case no one was near the seat Of
the fire when il was discovered.
\. A. Shaffer, employed by Ed Sher!
| dan, who owns a grocery just west Of
the warehouse went to take care Of his
horse in a barn near the FOburn
sta BILE. He heard the COburn horses
stamping but paid no attention to
them. After doing his chores in the
barn he came out to find the ware
house in flames.
Much Household Goods Burned
Stored by the Ewing company n
q part Of the building it leased were
eleven lots of household goods, owned
mostly by residents, and some OF
the furniture taken out of the burned
Presbyterian church. Without know
ing the exact value Of the household
suuua iiiG Storage company estimates
them to be worth $500. Some arc
known to pc insured but not nearly all.
The owners of these household goods,
some Of whose initials are not known,
and whose whereabouts are not OBJ
tainablo are: Mrs. Anderson; Mrs.
Hcttie r. Heitshu. Fayetteville. y. c.;
L. French. Mrs. Garlinghouse. Margaret
Hileman Iowa City: George Hinncker.
city; G. G.. Kaiser, Mrs Roupp. Moline,
H.: Knute Swanson, Panama Canal
zone; r. J. Swisher, Mrs. Rose Lander
Pasadena, Cal. 1t is known that tho
Lander and Swanson goods are insured.
the latter for s46S.
The Ewing company lost one piano
wagon and ten piano boxes. worth
about $3.50, but not insured. The prop
erty Of the Presbyterian church, which
was insured, included desks and tables,
and they were damaged.
The fire did not reach a quantity of
valuable copper wire, insulators and
blocks. repair material of the American
Telegraph and Telephone. Company,
that was in storage in the warehouse.
Small Towns Dark.
The high tension electric line of the
Iowa Railway and Light Company that
| supplies Story City branch towns with
| light passes near the warehouse. It
is crossed by telegraph wires of the
Chicago Great Western. The latter
! =:-cs gagged over the high tension
| wires, and to prevent accidents from
shock the Iowa Railway and Light
Company shut off the power on-its line
and left the Story City branch towns
| without light during the night. The
| railroad company's wires were restrung