Jasper County Democrat, Volume 8, Number 3, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 April 1905 — FARM-HOUSE AND BARN BURN. [ARTICLE]

FARM-HOUSE AND BARN BURN.

Fine House, Barn and Crib On the W. P. Baker Farm Destroyed Wednesday Night.

The house, barn, crib and windmill on the W. P. Baker farm, two miles north of town were totally destroyed by tire at about midnight Wednesday night. Four horses, one hundred chickens, harness, buggies, wagon, some corn, several tons of hay, quite a lot of household goods, etc., were burned. The farm is occupied by J. N. Gunyon, who owned the personal property lost. He had $l,lOO insurance on all his personal’s household goods, etc., and will get probably S7OO to SBOO, some of the property and cattle covered by the policy not being burned. This will partially cover his loss. Mr. Baker had $1,200 insurance on the house and SBOO on the barn, but nothing on the crib or windmill. The buildings were extra good farm buildings and probably worth over $3,000, the house alone being worth two-thirds of j this amount. Both Mr. Baker; and Mr. Gunyon were insured in i the Home Insurance Co., of New York, represented by C. B. Stew-! ard of this city. It is not known how the fire originated. One of Mr. Gunyon’s

boys came home about 10 o’clock, we understand, and put up his rig in the barn. He does not smoke, it is said, so he could have dropped no fire about. It is thought perhaps a match might have been dropped about the barn sometime and been ignited by one of the horses stepping upon it, or from some such cause. Mrs. Gunyon was the first to discover the blaze. She got up about 12 o’clock to look after a small pig that had been brought in the house and saw that the barn was a mass of flames, the fire just breaking through the roof. The alarm was at once given and three horses were gotten out, but four were consumed. There was no way of keeping the firebrands from the house and, although quite a distance from the barn, it soon caught and was also consumed, together with the windmill and a large crib. Mr. Gunyon was injured by one of the horses he was attempting to get out of the barn, spraining an ankle. He was brought to town and taken to the Nowels House where a doctor attended to his injuries.