Jasper County Democrat, Volume 5, Number 10, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 June 1902 — SUNDAY NIGHT FIRE. [ARTICLE]

SUNDAY NIGHT FIRE.

Stoner Sc Day Flouring Mill Badly Damaged—Thought to Have Been Spontaneous Combustion. • The weird screams of the fire whistle disturbed the peaceful slumbers of the inhabitants of Rensselaer at about 2 o’clock Monday morning, and on hastily donning their clothes and repairing up town it was found that the & D,ay flouring mill on North Front street was a mass flames. The fire department was 1 soon on the ground and had two streams of water plying on the fire, and within a few minutes had it under control, and soon extinguished The fire started in the boiler room on the north end, at the west side, and is supposed to have been caused from spontaneous combustion in the coal pile. There had been no fire in the mill since Saturday, and Sunday evening Engineer O’Meara was in the boiler room and saw nothing of any fire any place. The engine and boiler rooms and the whole north end of the mill was badly damaged, together with the belting and machinery in that end, but except from smoke nothing was damaged very much in the central and south part. The flour stored in the south part on the first floor, was ruined by the smoke, except for feed, and also some of the wheat and corn. Little damage was done on the third floor except from smoke, but the joists along the north end were badly charred. mill was insured for 84,000 in the Millers National Insurance Co., and the adjuster was here from Chicago Tuesday and effected a settlement of the loss that was satisfactory to all parties. The amount agreed upon was 81,700^5 The work of • clearing away the rubbish and repairing the damage was begun Wednesday, and it is expected to have it all repaired and the mill in running order again in two or three weeks. This is the only mill in Jasper county and is patronized largely by the farmers, many of whom will be much inconvenienced from the enforced shut down.