Jesse E. Townsend (1873-1939)

TOWNSEND, WILSON

Posted By: Dorian Myhre (email)
Date: 8/7/2021 at 21:25:44

From Nevada Evening Journal February 1, 1939 (page 1)

Nevada Man Lost Life When Home Burned Early Today

J. E. Townsend, 66, retired Northwestern section foreman, died in a fire which destroyed his home at 1429 Third street, early today. The badly burned body of the man was taken from the burning building, from the bed after it fell through the floor from the second story room.

When is was possible to reach the body on the bed which had fallen through the dropping floor of the upper story, there was only the badly burned head and torso, the feet and hands all being burned from the limbs.

Mr. Townsend was in the northwest room of the second story of the house which he owned and where he had been living. The Wilford Dunahoo family had moved from the house yesterday and Mr. Townsend had been making arrangements during the afternoon for another tenant.

He had been down town during the evening bur had returned to his home about 10 p. m. Neighbors had noticed him outside of the house during the storm, after his return home.

The fire was first noticed about midnight by Mrs. Askeland, who lives a block away and the called the Steward pool hall on the on the phone. Officer Dickenson and a group up of men drove up to the house, found it afire and turned in the alarm.

According to Marshal Dickenson, who with John Hartman and Howard Beal drove to the fire immediately upon the call down town, the fire was in the roof of the south wing of the house, just over the stairway. The two boys started upstairs in an effort to locate Townsend, but were driven back by flames and their calls were not answered, which would seem to indicate that the man was unconscious from the smoke at that time. Failing to reach the man from the stairway, the boys later made an effort to reach the room through a window from the south roof, but were again driven away by the flames.

The fire was well under way when the truck arrived and it was not known for some time that there was anyone in the house.

By the time it was decided that Mr. Townsend was in the home, the fire was too far along for anyone to reach the upper rooms and it was not until a heavy chimney toppling over broke down the upper floor joist and allowed the bed upon which Mr. Townsend had been lying to slide partially down to the lower floor, that the body was available.

While the cause of the fire is, of course unknown, there are those who hold that is started in the southeast room on the lower floor and was driven upward by the wind, while others are of the opinion that is started from a kerosene stove in the room in which the man was sleeping.

In any event, it is thought that the man was suffocated from smoke and gas before the flames reached him to practically cremate parts of the body.

The house, a six-room, story-and-a-half frame building, was ruined by the fire, the flames of which were whipped by the stiff southeast wind which was blowing at the time.

Mr. Townsend was born in Lynn county, had lived in Story county the greater part of his life. He lived in Nevada when first married but afterwards lived at State Center and Maxwell, returning to Nevada in 1920. He worked for the Northwestern railroad company as a section foreman until about a year ago when he retired on a pension and has since divided his time between his home here and visiting with his children and other relatives.

One son Charles died in 1921 and Mrs. Townsend died June 9, 1932. He leaves his daughter Mrs. Lela Wilson of 1236 Ninth street, Nevada, a son Ray of near Iowa Center, and another, Floyd of Oklahoma City, where he holds a position with the Equitable Life Insurance company.

He also leaves a brother, Joe, in Cheyenne, Wyo., and another, Ralph at Center Point, Iowa.

Coroner Mills was down this morning and after looking over the situation, decided that an inquest was not necessary. Because of the condition of the body early burial was necessary. The body will be interred in the family lot in the Nevada cemetery this afternoon with a brief prayer service at the grave. The relatives are arranging for a funeral service later.