Jasper County Democrat, Volume 15, Number 10, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 May 1912 — SUNDAY MORNING FIRE AT PARR [ARTICLE]

SUNDAY MORNING FIRE AT PARR

Co-Operative Creamery and Soft Drink Place Burned. LOSS WILL BE ABOUT $7,000 Fire that destroyed the frame buildings at Parr occupied by the Parr Co-Operative Creamery Co., and by the Griffith soft drink and pool room, was discovered about 4 a. m., Sunday morning, and had gained such headway that efforts to put it out were unavailing. The efforts of the fire fighters were then directed toward saving the adjoining buildings, the row of stores just north of the creamery site and the large frame ice house in the rear of the burning buildings, and in this they were successful. Most of the lostr incurred by the creamery is covered by insurance, and

it is understood that the owner of the pool tables carried some S4OO insurance on "the fixtures in the building, and that the building itself was insured for S6OO. A part of Griffith’s stock was saved. The building he occupied was owned by Mrs. A. Gangloff of Rensselaer, and her loss above insurance will be a few hundred dollars. The creamery company lost in addition to building and equipment about S2OO worth of butter, 20 tons of coal, butter tubs, etc., making their total loss easily $5,000, with insurance on building of $4,000 and on contents S4OO. The front of W. L. Wood’s store across the street was damaged some by the heat, windows broken, woodwork charred and awning burned. Mr. Wood’s loss is covered by insurance.

The fire ie by some thought to have started from spontaneous combustion in a pile of perhaps 20 tons of soft coal which had recently been damped in the rear of the creamery, while others think that it must have been started by a spark from one of the Monon’s engines falling on the roof. The Creamery Co. is going to rebuild on the site of the old structure at once, and will probably make the new building of cement. The company w-ill continue to take in cream, using W. L. Wood’s store nouse as a titation until the new bqilding is completed.