ANOTHER BLAZE - July 1901

COATES, HOMAN, ROEHL

Posted By: Cheryl Locher Moonen (email)
Date: 1/6/2017 at 14:53:09

Dubuque Daily Herald, July 5, 1901

ANOTHER BLAZE
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FIRE DISCOVERED ON THE THIRD FLOOR
HOMAN & ROEHL’S
FURNITURE SHOP
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Grand Union Tea Co. Suffers Much
Damage from Water – Fire
Quickly Extinguished
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The fire department was certainly having their share of work during the hot weather, as the fires of Tuesday and Wednesday night would seem to show. About 11:10 Wednesday night, fire was discovered in the third story of 823 Main Street, occupied by Homan & Roehl’s furniture dealers. The Telegraph fire has not ceased to be a topic of conservation when another downtown fire was discovered twenty-four hours later.

When the firemen arrived smoke was discovered issuing from the third story window of No. 823 and back on the alley side of the building through the third story windows could be seen a mass of flames. A ladder was raised and several firemen went up with a hose. After the water had been turned, on about ten minutes, the fire was gotten under control and soon extinguished, after which the firemen remained for nearly an hour searching for a smoldering blaze that night have escaped their notice.

The origin of the fire was in the rear of the third story which is occupied by the upholstery department of the Homan & Roehl Furniture Company, and it was here that the blaze were confined. It is not known how the fire started as no one had been in the building during the evening. The entire second and third floors are occupied by Homan & Roehl. The damage by both fire and smoke is considerable on the third floor. The fire did not reach the second floor but the water dripped through and damaged the stock stored there.

The ground floor of No. 823 is occupied by the Grand Union Tea Company, while Homan & Roehl occupy the ground floor of No. 831 in the same building. The Grand Union Tea Co. sustained a heavy loss from water. Their stock was more susceptible to loss from water than that of the furniture company and a great amount of water came through from the second floor, ruining much of the tea’s company’s stock. The exact amount of loss sustained by both companies cannot be stated until the damaged goods can be looked over. The building is owned by Frank Coates and the damage to this, especially in the third story, is considerable.

Much credit is due to the firemen for the prompt action in getting at the fire. A fire in the third or fourth story of a building is always hard to fight, but once the fire laddies had located the blaze it took them only but a short time to get a stream of water on it. The fire appears to have secured a fairly good start when the department arrived and if much more time had been allowed it the men would have had a fire of serious proportions on their hands.