Rensselaer Republican, Volume 19, Number 27, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 March 1887 — A BIG FIRE. [ARTICLE]

A BIG FIRE.

Mount Ayr Badly Burned. The now nnd lively little town of Mount Ajjr, eight miles west of Rensselaer, in Newton county, met’ with a serious misfortune last Monday monijiug. A fire originated about two o’clock, in the one story saloon building belonging to Dennis Barton. ihe fire had made such headway before it was discovered that it was impossible to arrest its progress by any means ht the command of the people of the town; and from the saloon it quickly spread to Fred Nichols’ hardware store, about eight feet north of the Haloon. This was a two story building, frame of course, and occupied on the ground iloor by Mr. Nichols with a stock of hardware and on the second floor by a family a 6 a residence.- Mr. Nichols succeeded in getting out a small portion of his stock, but the family upstairs lost everything, and themselves narrowly escaped, in their night clothes. There was no insurance upon this building, nor upon any of its contents. North of and adjoining the Nichols building and upon the street corner was the large two-story building occupied as a general store by Willey & Sigler, a branch of the Rensselaer firm of that name. It was evident from the first that this building could not be saved, and the most strenuous efforts were made to save the large stock of goods, some SIO,OOO or $12,000 in value, and of which perhaps one-half were rescued. Above, the front of the building was occupied by Wm. Wishard, a partner in the business, as a family residence, and the rear by Mrs. Rider and her little girl, as a residence and millinery establishment. Mr, Wishard saved only a small part of his household effects, and Mrs. Rider saved very little. Neither had any insurance.

Willey & Sigler’s stock was insured tor $5,000; $2,500 in the Phoenix, of Hartfoi’d, and' a like amount in the Phoenix of Brooklin. It is probable that their direct loss on goods will be nearly or quite covered by this insurance. But their loss through interrup-! tion of business and change of lo- < cation will be very large, at best. The saloon in which the fire originated and its contents were well insured. The license had expired some time previous and the pro- j prietor had, it is said, lately made i efforts to sell out. There had been no fire in the saloon that day, if we are correctly informed. A messenger was sent very early Monday for J. H. Willey, of this place, the Senior partner in the firm, and, he went over to the j scene of the fire and returned in the evening. On Tuesday he went back there and will remain for

several days. Monday, Willey & Sigler bought a large vacant liv- 1 ery barn, nearly opposite from | their burned store, and will imine-; diately have that fitted up for tem'porary quarters and will resume business in a few days. Mr. Nichols, hardware store, had the presence of mind to carry a couple of kegs of gunpowder to a safe distance and also to remove the contents of his safe, but forgot to close the doors of the latter, so that it was ruined by the heat. Two big tanks of kerosene were in Willey & Sigler’s store, and there was some fear that they would explode, but they 1 burned quietly, though, of course, brilliantly. The building occupied by Willey «fc Sigler was the property of Alexander Lardner, Mr. Wishard’s father-in-law. It was a large building and cost, when built, three or four years ago, about $2,250. There was no insurance upon it at all. Mr. Lardner will probably not rebuild.