Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 36, Number 48, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 February 1904 — Elegant Residence Burned. [ARTICLE]

Elegant Residence Burned.

6. W Michaels’ Fma New Brick House Totally Destroyed. Prof. G. W. Michaels, present owner of the former Fatka farm three miles southeast of town, □ow has another disastrous fire to add to tbe many be has sus ained in years past. The elegant brick veneer bouse be has bad under construction on the above named farm since early last fall, is now only a heap of smouldering ruins The building which was undoubtedly tbe finest farm residences Jasper county, and up to-date in architecture, and with all modern convenience was almost eompleted. It was ready for the finishing coat of plaster, and all the material for the interior finish was in the building except the inside doors. As it stood it represented an outlay of $4,000. Fires were kept in the building to keep tbe plastering from freezing, both in a furnace and in stoves. Saturday night Mr. Hurley, tenant on tbe farm, remained in tbe building until midnight and then, according to Mr. Miobaels’ instructions put fuel in the stove and furnace, closed them and. went to his house, some distance away. About 130a.m. he looked out and saw the new bouse was on fire, and the slimes bad gained such headway that nothing could be done to check them, and the building was soon totally destroyed. Mr. Mioheals attributes the fire to an explosion. A baseburning stove was used with a coke fire. After it was refilled and closed at midnight, Mr Miohaeisihinks gas in large quantities collected in tbe stove, and then exploded with force enough to blow the stove to pieces and thus set the building on fire. The scattered fragments of the stove confirm this theory. The building was insured for only $1,700, or about two fifths of its value. It is Mr. Michaels' intentions to rebuild it on the original plans, at onceProf. Michaels bought this 300 acre farm last year of Mr. Hurst, and became a resident of Rensselaer last fall, He has long been a prominent educator in high and normal school work, and also once own-d a large college at Logansport, known as the Smithsonian college. He has been particularly unfortunate in tbe matter of fires, this being the sixth time be has suffered serious loss from that cause. Tbe college building burned in 1896. Much of the furniture and equipments was saved and stored in bis large barn. Two weeks after the college burned, tbe barn caught fire also, and all be saved from the college was then lost, He also lost a fiue residence in Logansport, and another fine winter home, in Poco, Florida. His lose at tbe college fire alone was $27,000 above the insurance. It was an SBO,OOO building to start with.