The weekly tribune and the Cape County herald. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1914-1918, 1918-07-19
Barn, Grain Stable, Silo and
Garage Are Totally
Destroyed.
CAPEFIRE ENGINE
RUNS TO THE SCENE
Thousand Bushels of Corn, SOC
Bushels of Wheat Are
Lost.


ing outfit yesterday afternoon burned
all of the farm buildings at the home
of Judge G. J. Keller, on the Bloom
field road, and a huge quantity of
grain and hay. The total loss is APP
proximatety $4,000, he Informed
The Tribune last night.
The city fire department went to
the scene, but arrived so late that it
accomplished nothing. The buildings
were reduced to ashes within an hour
after the blaze was discovered, but
the burning grain was still shoulder
ing last night.
Judge Keller was unable to deter
mine how the fire originated, but it is
presumed that a spark from the en-
cine ignited the straw pile. The en-
zine was located near the Keller re-
sidence, a distance of almost a block
from the straw stack, where the fire
started.
The threshing machine crew had
lust finished threshing keller's
wheat. 1t measured 7S6 bushels and
had just been placed in the granary.
Someone noticed smoke issuing from
the eastern side of the straw pile and
IN investigation revealed blaze.
An effort was made to eXIinguisk
the fire by beating it, but this scat
tered the flames. A bucket brigade
was then formed and water was car
ried FROM the pond nearby. But in
spite OF their efforts to subdue the
fire it grew in intensity. From the
straw pile it spread to the corn crib,
which was built on to the main barn.
This building was 96 feet long by a
width of As feet.
The wind whipped the flames from
one building to another, and finally
the fire ignited the garage, which was
located only twenty feet south of the
Keller home. The large barn was
in flames when the nay and grain
barn became ignited. The 7S6 BUSH
els of wheat had Just been stored in
this structure. In addition to the
wheat the building contained eighteen
loads of oats and one load of rye. All
Of this was lost.
In the large barn were 400 bales of
timothy and pea lay in addition to
about so tons of hay unbaled. Be-
side the barn stood a large silo, which
also was destroyed.
The corn crib contained more than
one thousand bushels of old corn. All
OF this was lost. The three buildings
and the silo were worth more than
$4,000 alone, Judge Keller said, and
he is confident he cannot replace them
for that amount. He estimates the
loss of the grain, implements in the
three buildings at about $1,000, bring
ing the total loss to $4,000. Judge
Keller said he carried about $4,000
in insurance.
Several telephone messages were
sent to Cape Girardeau for help when
It was seen that the fire was beyond
control The blaze had been in pro-
gress only fifteen minutes When an
appeal was made to Chief Kraft of
the Cape Fire department. He said
he could not make the trip without
authority from one of the city Off
Gals.
A farmer telephoned Commissioner
Frissell after he was unable to get
in communication with Mayor Haas.
Commissioner Frissell communicated
with Commissioner Wittnlor and tney
agreed to order the fire department
Chief Kraft notified the commits
sioners that he had been informed
that the fire was burning almost two
to make the run to the Keller home.
hours earlier. He said ne had not,
notified the city commissioners be-
cause he did not believe they would
permit him to leave the city. When
the fire department reached the kel-
Ter home, the buildings were in ruins.
The garage, w1ich was located near
the home. produced such 2 lot Ire
that the fire department was called
. ~ Va