FIRE BURNS LUTHERANS’ OLD CHURCH

Frame Building Is Destroyed

Firemen fought a blaze at the Estherville Lutheran church on South Tenth street from 9:30 yesterday morning until 4 p.m. but the blaze destroyed the building and left only the belfry and front of the structure standing.

An overheated furnace is thought to have caused the fire, which started in the east end of the basement near the furnace.  The janitor, Lan Center, had gone downstairs in the church to ring the bell, he told the firemen, when a Sunday school teacher opened the kitchen door of the church and discovered the floor ablaze.  She called Center who ran across the street to the Harry Cox residence to turn in a fire alarm.  When he returned to the church, the fire was raging so that he could not enter to recover his overcoat.

The fire was reported by four different persons, a telephone operator said.

Difficult To Fight

As the fire was burning between the outside walls and plaster of the building when firemen arrived, they had no way to reach the blaze with water until the flames broke through.  Firemen concentrated on the, bell by keeping a steady stream of water pouring over the belfry and keeping the bell coated with ice most of the time.

Only furnishings saved beside the bell were a few pews, a baptismal fount, and the silver from the kitchen, which was stored in steel cabinet and was not badly damaged. The fount and the pews are marred by smoke and water and will have to be refinished.

There were no services in the church at the time the fire was discovered, but had the fire occurred half an hour later, children would have been there for Sunday school. The Rev. L. A. Mathre was conducting services at the State Line church yesterday morning, and had planned only Sunday school and an evening church service for the church here.

Save Church Bell

When firemen arrived at the church, the basement already was so full of smoke that they could not enter. When the flames had burned the top of the tower they turned a stream of water over the bell in an attempt to save it. The Lutherans were planning to move the bell to a new church being constructed.  Although it had not been tested today, the Rev. Mathre said he is quite sure the bell is undamaged.

Erection of the new Estherville Lutheran church, started during the last year, will be speeded up to provide a meeting place for the congregation.  Until a furnace can be installed in the new church and the basement finished, the congregation will meet in the city hall auditorium.

Both the church and its furnishings were insured, but an adjuster has not yet appraised the loss.

The church was built in 1888 during the time that the Rev. H. Engh, now living at Spring Valley, Minn., was pastor.

Among the furniture that was ruined was a piano and an organ on the second floor, pews and kitchen equipment.  A piano on the first floor of the church was not burned but probably ruined, the Rev. Mathre says, by the two feel of water in which it stood nearly all day yesterday. 

An annual meeting of the congregation of the Estherville Lutheran church will be held in the city hall auditorium at 7:30 tomorrow night. Immediate plans for work on the new church building probably will be made then. The new structure has been built only as fast as the money for materials has been raised. It had been hoped to keep the building debt-free.

To Meet in City Hall

For the next few Sundays' services will be held in the city hall auditorium at the regular hours.  The pastor's confirmation class will meet in the city hall at 9:30 on Saturday.

Many of the Estherville churches offered their buildings to the Estherville Lutheran church for services, the Rev. Mathre said, but he decided to have the services at the city hall so that the time of services may remain unchanged.

At present no interior work has 'been completed on the new $40, 000 Estherville Lutheran church.   The Rev. Mathre said, however, that the basement interior could be finished probably within five or six weeks. As the basement is large,

It can be used for services.

Source:  Estherville Daily News, Estherville, Emmet County, Iowa; January 6, 1941.