Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1919-12-10
BED FIRE AT PUBLIC SCHOOL.
Fine Building Had Narrow Escape
From Ruin Thursday.

A fire broke out in the DEBORAH
public school building shortly after
five o'clock last Thursday evening
and for time the entire structure
was threatened. Chief Olson and his
firemen were on the scene few
minutes after the alarm sounded,
but the smoke had got so dense in
the building that it was impossible
to get inside to locate just where
the blaze was.
We understand that the fire start
ed in little room off the Domestic
Science room, which is used for
heating water and tank stands
close up to the wall. The gas was left
burning underneath by some of the
students who had been using it, and
the tank got overheated and caught
on the walls. At least this is the pre-
sumption of the way the fire caught
Mike Walsh, the janitor, was at
work in the building, and his son was
assisting him. The boy took basket
Of waste paper down through the
Domestic Science room to empty it
in the basement when he discovered
the fire, and Immediately notified
his father who turned in the alarm
The firemen worked like beavers to
keep the blaze confined to the base
ment, and with the dense smoke roll
ling out it was a hard battle. A great
deal of water was thrown into the
Domestic Science room and cellar
and it was a number OF hours before
the fire was put out. The fire burn
ed through the ceiling into the fifth
and seventh grade rooms and the
floors are practically ruined. The
fifth grade is in the worst condition.
The building contains thirteen
good sized rooms, besides the high
school room. There are also four
recitation rooms upstairs and five
rooms in use in the basement. Prac-
tically every one of the rooms are
damaged more or less. No water was
thrown above the first floor, but the
smoke penetrated every room in the
building. The assembly room or 9th
grade is damaged considerably, big
black streaks running down the
walls all over the room.
A number of steam pipes were in
jured and the pump for the thermo-
stat is gone. In the Domestic Science
room four sewing machines were
ruined, two are total loss and two
are being gone over to see if there is
a possibility Of saving them.
All the water that was thrown into
the building ran into the boiler room
adjoining and about four feet Of
water was in this room. The fremen
fought the fire until midnight, and
about three O'Clock in the morning
II. o. Teslow and Henry Elaess, en-
ployees OF, the county, got the coun-
tvs. power pump and pumped all
I VIC NdCSl OuJ VI LllS UOllEi lOOEl.
While the loss will be quite heavy,
principally from smoke and water
we feel the fremen did good work
in saving this fine building from 2
! total loss. The damage will possibly
range from between $4,000 and pos
sibly $4,000.
| Work on fixing up the building was
begun Friday morning and school
was resumed Monday morning. The
/ fifth and sixth grades were trans
fered to the basement of the Nor
! wegian Synod church and the seven
tn and eighth grades are combined
using the fifth and sixth rooms.
The kindergarten room will be
closed temporarily and Miss Marsh.
J the Domestic Science teacher will
use that room for the Domestic
| Science