The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1920-12-13
BLAZE RUINS
BEST SECTION
OF OHIO TOWN
Business Block of College Cor
ner, o., Practically Wiped
Out by Blaze of Unknown
Origin.
HAND ENGINE IS USED

HAND ENGINE IS USED
COLLEGE CORNER, O., Dec. 1s.-
Fire of unknown origin wiped out the
largest business block in this town
early Monday morning. The blaze was
discovered shortly after 2:30 a. m.
Total loss is thought to be 100000.
The Park Hotel, Scissors Restaurant,
kubacki's clothing store, Roberts
butcher shop, H. L. Bakes grocery and
department store, and Barkey's drug
store were completely destroyed by
| the confiagration.
! Residents of the town manned the
| village hand engine and employed
chemicals in fighting the blaze.
Fire departments at Oxford and
Connersville, Ind, were called but did
/ not arrive until nearly 5 o'clock. By
! that time the buildings were practical
| ly total loss.
| The blaze is thought to have origi-
mated in the rear of Scissors restaurant
although the exact sourse has not been
| determined.
Employ Hand Engine.
The hand engine crew fought the
blaze with water obtained from the
railroad tank and with the chemicals
they had at hand. They were power
less, however, in checking the prog.
ress of the fire, which spread rapidly
through the block An explosion
thought to have been caused by the
bursting of a barrel of oil in one Of
the stores, smashed the plate glass
window in Miller's Furniture store, di-
rectly across the street from the ruin
ed block. The fire brigade succeeded
in saving the furniture store from fur
| ther damage.
The fire did not spread to the resi-
dence section as the business block
stood apart with some space between
it and adjoining buildings.
Harry Earhart, local man. suffered
broken arm when the roof of the
Tark hotel caved in carrying him
| down with a mass of debris. Several
persons suffered minor burns.
The Richmond fire department was
called about 4:30 a. m, but as the
Richmond department does not carry
a pump it was unable to respond to
the call.
! The hotel was next to the last build
ing to burn and the occupants had
i plenty of time to escape in safety.
With the exception of small amount
of furniture, the hotel property and
buildings were total losses. The
amount of loss to the hotel is esti-
mated at $4,000. No plans had been
made Monday afternoon for re-estab-
lishment. Between Is and 20 persons
were regular patrons of the hotel. 1t
is thought that these persons will be
lodged by the residents until other ar
rangementS can be made
Kubacki's clothing store had laid in
an unusually heavy stock for the
: Christmas trade and it is estimated
that between $4,000 and $4,000
worth of stock was destroyed in ad.
dition to the wrecked building.
= Roberts meat shop had a splendid
equipment, including refrigerator OF
the latest type and other modern fix
lures, all of which are a total loss. 1t
: is estimated that the loss to the own,
ers of the meat shop would exceed
$4,000
Bakes department store and gro.
, cery also had large stock on hand
and it is thought the loss to that store
would approximate $4,000.
Only a few hundred dollars damage
; was suffered by Scissors restaurant, as
the equipment was not complete.
: The damage to Ba rkley's drug store
will total $4,000, it was thought Mon
day
None of the owners who suffered
losses in the blaze have made any
plans for reorganization with the ex
; ception of the clothing store. The
tentative plan of that establishm ent
was to open a store in some upstairs
room. There are no vacant rooms in
the business section of College Cor
; ners and no vacant residences in the
town
1t is said that the fire was dis
covered by number of truck drivers
; who gathered in the business section
early Monday morning preparatory to
making their cross-country trips car
rying live stock
Entire Village Out
Breaking out in the restaurant, the
fire spread next to the drug store
thence to the butcher shop and next
to the clothing store. The blaze then
wound its way to the hotel and spread
from that structure to the department
: store.
The entire village turned out to wit
ness the conflagration, which lighted
: the sky for miles around, and to help
5 in combating the flames. Farmers
within a radius of 10 miles, seeing
the blaze, drove to town with families
: hastily aroused from their sleep.
Many bucket brigades were formed
; College Corner possesses seven deep
: wells and long line of citizens pas
, sed bucket after bucket of water in a
) futile effort to stem the tide Of the
mounting flames.