Jasper County Democrat, Volume 10, Number 44, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 February 1908 — SCORCHED. [ARTICLE]

SCORCHED.

Fire Fiend Visited Morocco Sunday Night. LOSS IS ESTIMATED AT 535.000. Five Frame Business Buildlufs Destroyed and Only Heroic: Work Prevents Greater Loss.

Sunday night, beginning shortly before 11 o’clock, five business houses in the heart of Morocco, were reduced to ashes. The fire started in the rear of McDonald & Russell’s resturant, and whs driven eastward by a high wind along the north side of State street till stopped by the fireproof building occupied by Kessler & Co., general merchants. The total losses include the following: I. T. Purdy, meat market; Bell & Atkinson, barber shop; Irvin building, with harness and shoe shop, implement store and photograph gallery; Dowling brick building, unoccupied, and the V. P. Hope building. where the fire started. The wind and heat hampered the firemen in their work. Only the Irvin building was uninsured. The others were fairly well covered.' Kessler <fc Co. are heavy losers by goods hurriedly removed and dumped in the streets. The cause of the fire is unknown. The total loss will reach $35,000. County Supt. W. O. Schanlaub, who had rooms in one of the buildings burned, lost about $75 worth of books and clothing which he had not yet removed to Kentland.