This completes the list of buildings, eleven in all, not very large in size, but all within the fire limits and cannot be replaced except with brick. It swept the whole block on our main street except two on the corner owned by W. S. Waldron, and M. L. Bergen's brick manufacturing shop. The side of Mr. Waldron's next to the fire and only about twenty feet from it, was veneered with a four inch brick wall. By the aid of that and keeping the roofs wet these were saved, although the roof of one was several times on fire. The occupants, Mrs. Burgess, with millinery and dress making, Mr. Dayton, with jewelry, clocks, &c., &c., and Mr. Erickson, with tailoring, moved nearly everything out of the buildings, causing considerable damage, but no great loss other than that.
Messrs. Otis Briggs, Goldsberry, S. J. Mills and D. F. Whipple are the heaviest actual losers. The loss to others was the result of moving stock, and in breakage.
This is Mr. Nelson's, Carhart Bros. and McCall & Thompson's second burning out in little over a year.
Carhart Bros have rented the old post-office building of Mr. Beatty and moved their stock into it.
Mr. Whipple moved his stock into the building just south of the Presbyterian church.
D. D. Brigs takes Otis Briggs old drug store building, next to Mr. Ringheim's.
The express office, which Mr. Mills kept in his building with Mr. Nelson's drug store, experienced some loss, but as he happened to have the books home with him for the purpose of making monthly settlement, it was not great.
The origin of the fire is not definitely known, but the best judgment seem to indicate that it was the result of a defective chimney in Mr. Milt's express building. If not that, it must have been set on fire, but as yet no one knows of any cause for incendiarism.
The whole west side of the street of the business part of town, excepting Alderman's and Waldron's buildings, have now been burned in a little over a year.
Where will it strike next?
Railroad engineer McCormick on a freight train going west stopped his train on the track and whistled until he aroused all of the north side of town.
Mr. R. G. Nelson, we understand, will probably not open out again in town but return to Eddyville.
The fire company was out, but for want of water were unable to stop the fire's progress till the block had been consumed.
The express office will be at the depot till Superintendent W. J. Hancock arrives and re-locates it.
Among the incidents may be mentioned that of Henry Armstrong getting a small piece cut off of the end of his thumb.
In recapitulating, the various losses may be put as follows, besides the damage in moving