Evening Republican, Volume 16, Number 189, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 August 1912 — BIG LOSS BY FIRE WHICH DESTROYED BARN. [ARTICLE]

BIG LOSS BY FIRE WHICH DESTROYED BARN.

Fine New Building Belonging to Ed Oliver a Total Loss-r-Als© Two Silos and 30 Tons of Hay. Another big fire broke out in the northern part of the county, completely devastating great barn belonging to Eld Oliver, on his farm at Newland, about twelve miles north of here. It is not known positively, but it is supposed that spontaneous combustion was the of the fire. The fire started about 9 o’clock this Thursday morning. Mr. Oliver was in conferring with Ray D. Thompson and Mr. E. E. Gant, state agent of the Home Insurance Co., of New York. Mr. Oliver was notified of the fire and with Mr. Thompson aifll Mr. Gant, hurried to his farm, arriving there just 28 minutes after being notified. By the time they arrived there the barn had burned to the ground, with the contents still burning. The barn was of gigantic dimensions, probably one of the largest in the county, and was built of the very beist materials. It had an enoripous capacity, measuring fifty feet wide by eighty feet long. From the ground to the eaces it measurer twenty feet, and from the ground to the cone it measured fifty-six feet. The barn sat on a solid cement foundation and had cement floors throughout. It was a modern barn in every respect and was as substantial as the best and most costly materials would make it. Along, with the barn were destroyed two silos, which were built on the north end of the barn and each measured sixteen feet in diameter by' thirty-six feet high. The contents of the barn were completely destroyed. They consisted of twenty tons of hay, thirty tons of oat straw, ten tons of cotton seed oil meal, costing $30.25 per ton, one hundred tons of ensilage, six sets of fine harness, a manure spreader and various other articles, for which Mr. Oliver was unable to enumerate. Also, several hogs Were cremated by the conflagration. A granery standing about 100 yards away was scorched by the heat but the contents, consisting of about 1,000 bushels of oats, were not damaged. ThraShers had been working at the Oliver farm but were stopped by the rain Tuesday. Some of the oat straw, was wet when placed in the barn, which condition caused the combustion. A separator belonging to Silas Tombs was, for some time, in danger of being consumed by the flames. It was standing at one end of the barn with the blower extending through the door. Several men succeeded in pulling it to safey but not before the terrific heat had melted the blower and unjointed it. The fire raged terrifically aUd was uncontrolable from the start and the probable loss ehtailed will reach SB,OOO. The entire property was insured in the Ray D. Thompson agency by the Home Insurance Co. Although each article was protected, the amount of the loss was by covered by the insurance. The barn, which cost $3,750 to build, was insured for $2,500. All hay, grains, fodder, ensilage, cotton seed meal, etc., was insured for SI,OOO. The manure spreader for SIOO and the harness for SIOO. The barn was Built less than a year ago. 7 T Mr. E. E. Gant, who happened to be here on business today, went to the Oliver farm and adjusted the loss, allowing Mr. Oliver about $3,800. Mr. Oliver is undaunted by the loss and even today placed and advertisement for bids for construction of a new barn. He will rebuild on the same site and in the same progressive manner he has showed in the past.