Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1919-02-26
FIRE DESTROYS TWO STORES
Grocery Store of HalvOrSon & John
son and Shoe Store of WinGer
Bros. Burn Wednesday
Evening
Dental Office of DIR. o. Boo. on
Second Floor Nearly Ruined.
Loss is Heavy.

One of the most disastrous fires
that has occurred in DEBORAH in years
broke out last Wednesday evening
about 1880 in the DEBORAH State
Bank block, and the grocery store OF
Halvorson & Johnson and the shoe
store of Winger Bros, were destroy
ed. There is hallway and stairway
between the two stores, which face
on Washington street. The grocery
store had been closed for the night
but the shoe store was open. Mr.
Winger, the proprietor smelled
smoke and opened the door in the
rear leading out into the hallway
between the two stores, and he was
met with heavy gust of smoke, and
fire alarm was Immediately turned
in. The department was on the scene
| in a few minutes and when they ar
rived the flames were shooting
through the grocery store and i.
was quite evident that the stock
would be ruined, despite the efforts
| of the firemen who were doing
heroic work in preventing the spread
Of the flames to the bank and the
upper stories of the building, which
| is occupied by offices of Dr.. T..
Stabo, DR.. o. Doe, dentist Christen
Bros. the real estate dealers; H. d.
Paine, fire insurance A. 0. Elby and
| Herman Dale life insurance agents;
j. P. Burns, roomer. On the third
| floor fiat is the home of Mrs. Eliza
beth Chinn.z The fire did not reach
this floor but the rooms suffered from
smoke. ... ..... ...... .-r .'.......,.
DR.. Stabo's office was not damag-
ed by the fire, but was. quite badly
: water soaked. DR.. Boo, the dentist,
| is a heavy loser, practically all his
instruments and equipment suffer
ing more or less from.the fire which
got quite a start ~ this office be-
fore it was checked. ]@--"
The other Offices were not injured
to any great extents although the
flames had started to eat through the
floors in places. " We.
The grocery stock of Halvorson &
Johnson is a total loss While the fire
did not seem to rage SO strong in
the shoe store of Winger Bros.
nevertheless about half of the stock
was burned and the rest badly wet
up. We understand the firm carried
shoe stock that totaled about $l0,-
600. ~... .8.t ..-.r&.# 4.t"t .a,.#ra
If the fire had started late in the
night there is no telling what damage
would have resulted. The building is
a large three story brick. The State
Bank is on the north side of>the two
burned stores and the Posten on the
south side. Neither of these places
were injured. The efficiency of the
DEBORAH fire department was eVidenc=
ed very wildly at the fire. The boys
did great work and are to be COM
mended for it, When the fremen ar
rived the grocery store was seeth-
ing mass of flames and the flames
shot out, the front windows and
doors high into the air.
d. S. Benjamin, of Springfield, III.
arrived Saturday and has@been adj
justing the insurance losses on both
stocks.
Mr.. Winger expects to rent the b.
o. DAILY building west of Parman's
drug store and move his shoe stock
therefor the present. J III = III
At eleven o'clock the same. night
the department was called to the
Dell Morrison home on the West Side
where "a burning chimney fire set the
roof ablaze, but it was put out with
out much damage. being done. -. = :
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