The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1918-04-04
WEST 0skAL00sA
HAS A BIC FIRE
HALF BLOCK OF RuILoiN s
COMPLETELY DESTROYED.
TWO PIONEER DWELLINGS BURN
Fire Starting In Stable Makes Clean
sweep-city Pumper Broke
Fire Department crippIed--ln-
surance Is Small.

surance Is Small.
Fire that started about one o'clock
this Tuesday morning made almost
"clean sweep" through the block
east Of II street between First and
Second avenues. Two dwelling
houses were burned, four barns. and
innumerable outbuildings, chicken
houses, sheds and closets. A horse
and two calves were cremated and
some chickens burned, together with
over 200 bushels of corn, six tons Of
hay and considerable other feed. A
street sweeper and sprinkler, the
property of Dan Lewis, also went up
in the blaze.
Pumper Was Useless.
1t was the first big fire of the year
and the fire department was helpless.
The pumper, broke at the Sewers
fire Monday, was out of commission
and could not be used. This gave
the department only the city water
pressure which was ineffective. Not
enough hose was available to reach
distant plugs and return trips to the
department house had to be made.
BY this time the fire, driven by
gale of wind was sweeping through
the blocks and it threatened to cross
the street and clean out the j. II.
Turner and adjoining properties. But
for the shifting of the wind other
properties would have been con-
sumed.
Took Pioneer Homes.
The fire burned over four hours. 1T
started in the Sam Shrago barn at
the rear of his home, No. $40 First
avenue west. A horse, wagon, har-
ness, feed and other equipment were
burned here. The fire crossed the
alley both east and south and involv-
I'd all other buildings cornering in
the alley intersection. The barn at
the old Louis, Ed and Irv Davis home
No sos First avenue west, the old
M. Vreeland barn and home, No. 800
Second avenue west now the proper
ty of Hall & Hall and occupied by the
Alex. Myers family. The wind car
ried the fire along rapidly and the
fire deartment was no match for the
flames. Soon the fire had reached
the big barns on the Dan Lewis PLACE
at No. 815 Second avenue west, the
old Bernstein property, formerly oc-
cupied by the Charles Beadle family
and the old home place of the Wright
family, parents of DR.. Walter Wright
of Rose Hill. All these places were
destroyed or so nearly burned that
the loss will be total.
Loss Is Complete.
In addition to the property destroy
ed in the outbuildings, which was
considerable, the loss of household
effects is also heavy and the some
what meagre insurance carried will
not nearly compensate the losses.
Dan Lewis, an addition to other
losses, had fine new buggy burned
and the street sweeper had just been
furnished with a new broom and was
to have been started at work today.
Neighbors and friends worked like
soldiers in getting what could be
saved from the burning buildings but
in no case could they keep ahead of
the fire, which literally burned itself
out when it failed to cross Second
avenue or H street.
Just a Little Late.
Coincident with the fire of Monday
might and the loss of one of the street
Isweepers, 1t happens that at the meet
ing of the city council Monday evening
there was discussion regarding the
purchase of water tank that could
be attached to the sweeper so that
the street could be sprfnkled and
swept at the same time, thus doing
away with the use of the watering
cart, one team and driver The large
new motor machine sweeper is provid.
ed with an arrangement of this kind
SO that both operations are done at
once. Of course now that this sweep
er has been destroyed; some other ar
jrangement will have to be made.
Alarm of the fire was turned in
about the same moment from the Jas
Brown home and BY the M. & st. l..
railway dispatchers office. The switch
engines whistles aided in spreading
| the alarm