THE REPUBLICAN POST

January 29, 1914

 

CHURCH BURNED BY FIRE

 

Blaze in Furnace Room of Baptist Church, Extinguished –

Breaks Out in the Roof –

Loss, $6,000; Insurance, $3,800.

 

            The First Baptist Church of this city is a wreck, the result of a fire that started in the furnace room.  Misses Jeanette Houseman and Kathryn Baldwin discovered the fire and gave the alarm.  The company responded quickly but the fighting city horse succeeded in breaking a harness and caused delay.

            After the fire was supposed to be extinguished it was found that it had worked upward near the ventilation flue over the furnace room and was flashing out from nearly the entire surface of the roof before it could be reached by a stream of water.  The walls of the basement and some floor joist may be saved but the work of clearing the wreck will be equal to the value of what may be saved.

            H. P. Peterson carried the insurance in two policies in the Queen Insurance Company of America for $3,600 on building and $200 on furniture.  Considerable furniture was saved.  This is a heavy blow to the congregation as the church had recently been remodeled at a cost of over $4,000 and was a most convenient church for all present needs.  The society will rebuild at once.

            The cause of the fire is a mystery as only a small fire was kindled in the furnace to warm one room where the ladies held a meeting in the afternoon.  About four-thirty C. C. Chandler closed the furnace and saw that all was in perfect order about the furnace room.  It was about 9:30 that fire was discovered in the basement. It was about 11 o’clock that fire was discovered in the walls and emerging from the roof.