Jasper County Democrat, Volume 4, Number 43, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 February 1902 — BIG FIRE AT WOLCOTT. [ARTICLE]

BIG FIRE AT WOLCOTT.

A Score of Business Firms Burned Out.—Loss About SIOO,OOO. tThe town of Wolcott, 16 miles southeast of Rensselaer, in White county, was visited with the most destructive fire Tuesday night in the history of White county. g The fire was discovered about 10 o’clock in Spencer Bros, drug store, one block north from the Panhandle railroad, and before its progress could be stopped several buildings in that block and the entire block immediately south, next to the railroad were wiped out of existence, except Hart’s drug store and the Masonic building which were saved, in a damaged condition. This latter block was the best in the town, all brick and practically new. i Among the buildings destroyed were the Ferguson House, the postoffice, Blake furniture store, Spencer Bros, drug store, Hinchman’s hardware, Snickenberger’s barber shop, Burke Bros, saloon, Preble’s pool room, Smith’s restaurant, Walker’s dental parlors, High’s opera house, Blake lumber yards, Dr. Cronk’s office, Carson’s general store (building owned by Amos Johnson), Jackson’s meat market, Sawyer’s jewelry store, Leopold’s general store, and perhaps some others whom we are unable to learn of at writing.'#. The Leopold loss was reported to the city papers as SIB,(MX), with SIO,OOO insurance. Moses Leopold went over from here Wednesday and telephoned back that between S3,OCX) and §4,000 worth of their stock was saved. They occupied rooms in the opera house building. Wolcott is without any sort of fire protection, and the flames, which it is thought originated in the I. O. O. F., hall above Spencer Bros, drug store, had things almost their own way. The insurance will probably cover about one-half the loss. It is a most severe blow so Wolcott, but her wide-awake and progressive citizens will be but temporarilly cast down, and ere long the burned district will be built up again and more substantial than before.