The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-01-06
$4,000 FIRE SWEEPS
LONDON BLOCK; IMPERllS
/ ALL BUSINESS DISTRICT

of the IL girls who are employed
by the company in its local store.
All records OF the company are
intact in the fireproof safe, which
broke through the floor and is
lodged in the basement with the
heavy safe Of the Fidelity Loan
company. Both will probably be
extracted tomorrow. Inventory of
the Kresge store had just been TAX
en- and records sent to the head
Offices
Mr.. Mccormick was not notified
of the fire until 1880 o'clock this
morning. A misunderstanding in
sending the alarm to him at mid
night when the fire was first dis
covered kept him in ignorance of
the destruction OF the store until
this morning. Mr.. Mccormick has
been manager Of the store the last
four years, coming here about six
months after the local branch OF
the company was opened.
Loan Safe in Basement.
All records of the Fidelity Loan
company are saved, the huge safe
OF the company which fell through
the two floors to the basement. be-
ing intact. The safe will be re-
moved to 400 Peoples National
bank building. where temporary
offices of the company will be main
tanned
W. B. Miller, manager OF the FL
deity company, said the loss will
be confined only to the fixtures. as
all records are believed saved.
This loss is placed at approximate
~ $1,000. The Office of the COM
pany closed at 5 o'clock last eye
ming, and no one had been there
after that hour.
Men Worked at Night.
Three. men of the S. S. Kresge
company worked in the basement
of the building until 9:45. O'Clock
last evening, but noticed nothing
unusual There were NO signs Of
any fire smouidering, nor any evil
dence of smoke fumes in the place,
they said this morning.
The origin of the fire is blamed to
crossed wires by Mr. Mccormick.
who with Albert Stechman, Daven-
port, assistant manager, and Lyman
thinner, Rock Island, floor mana
all evening unpaeking new stock.
The new stock was large ship
ment, and the entire stock of Lne
company is vaIued at $4,000, with
$20,0 worth OF fixtures.
Kresge company throughout the
United States has strict regulations
forbidding smoking in the building
at any time. In compliance with
this ruling, none of the men had
been smoking nor handling fire
which might liable the building, Mt.
Mccormick SAID.
Night Classes Until 10.
L. ]. Gable, manager and assist
ant principal of the Browns Bust
ness college, which occupied the
third floor of the building, stat
ed that classes were held there last
evening until 10 O'Clock. School
was dismissed and nothing I'M
usual was found.
However, during the evening Mr.
.. Gable said he noticed that the
building was tie coolest it had
been this winter. In the early part
of the evening. he called Mr.. Nc
Cormick and asked for more heat.
Soon after, he said, he noticed that
the radiators were warm.
Destruction of the name file,
which contained collection of
from $4,000 to 10000 names, is the
heaviest loss TO the college. The
file listed prospects, the result OF
years of work in compiling names
of people, and will mean an ex-
penditure of close to $4,000 to du-
pifcate. Other loss totaiing about
5000, includes destruction of %
typewriters, As double desks, %
typewriter desks, 100 chairs, office
furniture and other records.
r, H. Peck, president of the
Browns Business colleges, OF Chi
cago, has notified H. II. Hunt, prin-
cipal in the tri-cities, that school
will be resumed at the usual sched-
ule, the Rock Island students go
ing over to the Davenport school
for classes. Work will begin Mon
day. Meanwhile the school au-
thorities will seek new location,
either temporary or permanent.
where the school will be main
tanned
The actual loss caused the school