Tipton received a severe blow in 1870, from

A DESTRUCTIVE FIRE.

Pg 463

         On Sabbath evening, April 17, 1870, Tipton was visited by a disastrous conflagration, which totally destroyed one central corner, leaving the buildings in ashes for almost half a block on either street, among them the finest in the place.

         The fire started at 9 o’clock, in the livery stable owned by Heaton & Boynton, and occupied by Hamilton & Merriam, situated on the north side of Fifth street, near the middle of the block, and directly in the rear of McNamara & Co.’s three-story brick, which occupied the corner, fronting Cedar street. Between the brick and livery stable stood a small, one-store frame building, owned by Millhouse & Snyder, harness makers. North of the brick corner was J. L. Rowell’s frame building, one room of which was occupied by his jewelry store, and the other by Miss Tillie Miller’s millinery store. The Palmer House came next, a three-store frame, with one store room occupied by the boot and shoe store of J. L. Masterson. These, with a barn and outbuildings, belonging to the hotel, were all destroyed.

         The fire originated in the rear of the hay mow of the livery stable, and was first discovered by Mr. C. S. Hamilton, who immediately gave the alarm, and all the horses—including Ansel, a valuable thoroughbred—were saved.

         The fire soon communicated to the hotel stable and to the harness shop, on the east. These buildings, being all of wood, burned so rapidly that all hope of saving the hotel was abandoned, and the crowd began removing the goods and furniture from all the buildings in danger.

         The block west was in great danger of being burned, and all goods were removed from the buildings; but the progress of the fire was stayed when the buildings on that corner were consumed.

         The losses were as follows:

         Hotel, owned by Amos Stanley, $8,500; insured $1,250 each in the Union and State Companies, of Des Moines. Goods of Mr. Stanley, $600 (this was the ninth building and third hotel of Mr. Stanley’s lost by fire within four years, and the only one insured). McNamara & Culbertson’s building, $5,000; insured for $2,000, on McNamara’s share only. McNamara & Lyle, stock of drugs and medicines, $4,000; about one-fourth saved, in a damaged condition. Heaton & Boynton, livery stable, $1,500. Hamilton & Merriam, livery stock, $2,000; insured $800. James L. Rowell’s building, $1,500; insured for $800—stock all saved. Millhouse & Snyder, shop, etc., $250. J. L. Masterson, loss and damage to stock, $1,000; insured $3,000. Mrs. Mary Palmer, loss on furniture, $600. Masonic Lodge, $1,500. Miss Miller’s stock, $100. J. T. Culbertson, F. P. Dean, William Dean & Co., and Casad & Gilmore, loss by removal of goods, from $50 to $300 each. S. V. Landt, furniture, stored over Masterson’s store, $300. William M. Wilcox, boarder at hotel, $200. Total, according to these estimates, $26,550; of which, $6,100 was covered by insurance.

         Although some were very much crippled, financially, most of those who suffered by the fire were able to resume business; and the ugly blot is now entirely erased by the elegant brick blocks which cover that locality.