Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 19, Number 88, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 July 1898 — Waterworks Are Vindicated [ARTICLE]

Waterworks Are Vindicated

They Save Rensselaer From Aj Disastrous Fire The first practical test of our' new and. magnificent system of waterworks, as a means of fire protection, together with the efficiency of our splendid fire company, was given late Sunday afternoon. About five o’clock, Oscar Phegley, who operates the brick livery barn, together with Jake McDonald and some others who were i on the main floor of the stable, discovered that the hay in the mow, upstairs in the barn was on fire. There were some 6 or 7 tons of hay in the mow and 17 or 18 years accumulation of cobwebs full of dust and hay seeds in every part, and the fire spread with almost instantaneous rapidity, and in an instant almost, the hay and the whole inside of the south half of the upper story of the barn was on fire. The fire alarm rang, and in a very few minutes hose cart No. 1 and the hook and ladder truck was on hand, and although this was the first real fire the company have had to fight with the waterworks, in a very short time they had two big streams playing pn the great pile of burning hay, and timbers and partitions. Short as the time was however, the fire had broken through two front and one back window, before the firemen got to work. The burning hay and blazing pine lumber made an intense heat, and a most dense smoke, making the fire a most difficult one to fight. Facing the dreadful heat and the yet more dreadful smoke, the firemen poked one nozzle into one of the blazing windows, and carried another up the inner stairs right in to the midst of smoke so dense that some of the firemen were knocked down by it. Hose company Nw. 2, from north of the depot, was soon on hand, and then three mighty streams of water were playing on the fire; one soon being sent to the roof wherei they cut holes through and drepched the fire below. It was a hard fight, but in about half an hour the fire was fully under control, and soon was extinguished entirely. Half of the upstairs of the barn is occupied by the hay mow and for storing grain etc. The north half is used for living rooms by Mr. Phegley the leasor, and two rooms for sleeping and storing furniture, by C. Hildebrand, the owner. ' Mr. Phegley’s household goods are almost totally ruined by smoke and water, and Mr. Hildebrand’s much damaged. The barn is damaged perhaps 8500. The loss is covered by insurance in C. B. Steward's agency. Mr. Phegley’s loss on hay and household goods is not covered by any in- 1 surance. J. R. Vanatta’s harness shop occupied the north room down' stairs. Nearly all of his tools and j stock was carried out. The water ruined the plastering of his place, j and he will have to suspend business for a few days. He is insured. All the horses and other stock,‘ harness etc., in the basement of the barn, and the vehicles on the j main floor, were early removed to places of safety. The good work of our new waterworks is not measured by the paving of this one - building, for had its roof once fallen in, the! enormous blaze and most intense heat from that and the adjoining! frame saloon on the south, with the high wind which was blowing, would have made a fire which i nothing we had previous to our ■ waterworks could have arrested i until great damage was done. Buildings that could not pcssi-

bly have been saved were Hilde-' brand’s saloon, with billiard rooms below, Sharp’s photograph gallery, a big frame barn on the river bank belonging to Luther Hemphill, the latter’s blacksmith shop, Goddard’s ice house, Willis’ gun and bicycle shop and A. T. Perkins’ plumbing shop. Possibly the fire could have been arrested there, but not unlikely it would have taken the big new’ wagon and paint shop building of Thompson & Warner’s, and in that case, it would almost certainly have taken all the residences on the west side of the street clear to the oil w’ell, and hard work would have been necessary to have kept it from cleaning out the east side also. Without the waterworks we would have had a $20,000 fire surely, and two or three times that, very likely. At the waterworks station both pumps were started as soon as the alarm was sounded, and direct pressure was used, the pressure being kept at 100 lbs. to the square inch. The new well was not lowered more than 7 or 8 feet. The firemen, owing to the difficult places they had to work in, together with some haste and excitement, were nearly all soaked with water and impregnated with smoke, and as many of them had on their Sunday clothes, they suffered considerable loss in that way. Some of them were pretty nearly’ use up, physically, from soaking with cold water, breathing smoke, etc. As to the origin of the fire, if anyone knows anything about it, they do not divulge. As young boys have been allowed to play in the mow at will, *the most likely theory is that some of them lit a match, and so started the fire. Possibly, however, it started in ashes or rubbish in a rear room used as a sort of back kitchen and storage room by Mr. Phegley’s family.