People's Pilot, Volume 2, Number 31, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 January 1893 — IN FLAME AND SMOKE. [ARTICLE]

IN FLAME AND SMOKE.

T*« JV«I A«. *tf FinL—* 88,*OQ. Another old land-mark is gone. The Rensselaer flouring mill, situated on the river bank, on Front street, south of Washington, burned to the ground Tuesday morning. The mill and contents were almost a total loss. The building was discovered to be on fire about 5 o’clock in the morning. The first alarm was given by the ringing of the Christian church bell by Rev. Utz, who was on his way to catch the early morning train. The electric light whistle then gave the alarm, after which the regular fire alarm was sounded by the night watch. He said he was at the engine house before the first alarm was given, but the rope was frozen to the roof

of the building and it was some time before he was able to loosen it. Those who heard the alarm were shortly at the fire, but by this time the whole building was in flames. The fire started in the engine room and quickly communicated to the rest of the building. The only thing which was saved was the books. Tom Sayler, the owner of the mill, made a dash for the office and braving the smoke and flames disappeared from view. He broke the window and reaching through saved the books. Owing to the great heat it was impossible to get near the mill and the energies of the firemen were expended in trying to save the surrounding buildings. This was not a pleasant task, with the thermometer standing 18 degrees below zero. Water was scarce and but for the snow covering the buildings a number of them would have been destroyed.

The frame work of the mill was made of heavy oak timbers and stood before the ravages of the flames for quite a while. The building was owned by Tom Sayler and was worth about 16,000. It was leased by John Sayler, D. E. Hollister and Homer Hopkins. The lessees had 2,000 bushels of wheat stored in the mill, as well as a large amount of flour, meal and buckwheat. About 1,000 bushels of the wheat was saved after the fire, but in a scorched and smoked condition. It was sold for feed for about one-third of the original value. Their loss will be about $2,000. A large amount of wheat was also in the mill belonging to customers. No insurance was carried, except 11,200 on the machinery in the mill in favor of the Rensselaer loan association. But a small amount of this will go to Mr. Sayler. The $1,200 insurance was equally divided in the Springfield Fire & Marine and the Niagara insurance companies, in the agency of J. E. Spitler. The fire is supposed to have originated from burning cinders piled near the engine house, or from the fire under the boiler. This is a hard blow to* all concerned; It is also a disaster to the town as a great deal of trade is drawn here through the mill. It will also be a hardship to those farmers who depended on it for their grinding. As was mentionedlast week a mill will be built in the spring by* W. R. Nowels, but this will be near the depot and trade will naturally be drawn in that direction, a large share of it at least. A stock company should be formed and a mill built on the site of the old one, which we are assured will be done within a week or so, the losers by this fire being at the head of the company. The burned mill was one of the original land-marks of the town, having been built in 1849, when Rensselaer was but a village of a few houses. It has stood the ravages es all these years and the frame work was as solid at the time of the fire aa when flrat erected.