Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 36, Number 49, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 February 1904 — Had Another Fire. [ARTICLE]

Had Another Fire.

There was another fire of some considerable magnitude in town Wed night About 4 o’clock in the morning, Night Watch Dillon, Joe Jackson and others discovered fire in the new frame building on Washington street, near Cullen, occupied by E J. Murray, the steam-fitter as a shop. The fire had such a good itart when discovered and spread so fast that the building was practically clear gone by toe time the firemen got a stream of wa er running. The building stood between two other similar ones, one occupied by McKay’s laundry and the other by Lee Jessup’s carpenter shop and roofing and paint sto e, and with on ( y narrow passages between. Both these buildings were on fire along the whole sides next to the burning building, but it took only a few minutes to entirely extinguish the flames, on both buildings, and without very extensive damages to either. All the machinery and fixtures in the laundry were taken out, which was a wise precaution, although. as it proved not necessary, for the fire did not get inside this building at all The Jessup building suffered worse, and was burned through along the whole side next to the laundrv. He had oils and paints enough in the rear part of his place to have made an ugly blaze had they got on fire. Mr. Murray is the principal loser by the fire He bad a very complete and a expensive set of steam-fitting and plumbing tools and appliances, as well as considderable stock of piping, and all of which the heat seems to have entirely ruined He estimates his loss at SI,OOO, and has SSOO insurance. He will resume business as soon as he can i-ecure another shop. John Makeever estimates his damage on the three buildings at $550, partly insured. He expects to rebuild at once.

The fire alarm was very slow in sounding, as the night engineer was wheeling out cinders at the time, and did not hear the tele-phone-bell. The firemen got there as soon, perhaps, as could have been expected, under the circumstances, although host cart No. 1, the only one used, was pulled down mostly by citizens.* The .fire was in the rear end of the building when first seen, and its origin is a mystery, especially as there was no stove in that part of the building The laundry equipment was all back in place and running as usual, before noon.