SouthSide Fire of 1882
The RushvilleTimes
Thursday, January 12, 1882
RUSHVILLE IN FLAMES!
TERRIBLE CONFLAGRATION!
West half of the South SideBusiness Row in Ruins.
ESTIMATED LOSS $40,000!
Summary of Losses as Givenby the Losers.
THE PARTICULARS AS PICKEDUP ON THE SPOT.
The Greatest Illuminationever Witnessed in Rushville.
{From the Citizen.}
Fire!Fire! The long expected and frequently predicted alarm has been sounded.On Wednesday morning about 12:30 a.m., the city of Rushville was awakenedto the fact that the south side of the square was in flames. The welkinrang with cries of Fire! Help! and before 2 o’clock the entire westhalf of the south side business row was enveloped in flames.
The fireoriginated in the southeast end of the A. H. Seeley furniture building,and was under great headway before discovered. THE CITIZEN interviewedMr. A. H. Seeley, yesterday morning, and he advanced no positive idea asto how or where the fire originated, but stated that the flames, when hecame out of his residence, which stood just south of the store, were climbingthe east side of the building, and that it must have been burning sometime.
Dr. Harveystates that he came from his residence, upon hearing the alarm, and enteredhis office, which is on the second floor at the head of the stairway inthe south end of the building, but only secured one book, the heat andsmoke being so intense and dense, that to remain was impossible.
Nothingcould be done at this stage of the affair, but to carry goods from thebuildings. And never did Rushville present such a busy scene. Men, womenand boys were converted into conveyers of burdens, and never such a willingnessto work has been manifested. One by one the buildings were emptied in rotationin advance of the flames.
At onetime it was thought that the entire south side would inevitably be consumed,but by the well directed stream of water, supplied by the bucket brigade,the flames were held at bay, when Nell’s hardware store was reached.
The heavysnow that fell during the day, Tuesday, which lay upon the roofs, servedto check the demon in its course.
SUMMARY
The Seeleybuilding was a three story frame, owned by E. H. O. Seeley; total loss,$4,000; no insurance; west side occupied by A. H. Seeley, furniture stock,some of which was saved; loss estimated at $3,500; no insurance. East side,first floor, by Alex. Howell, drugs; totally destroyed; fully covered byinsurance J. B. Metz, representing the British America and German, of PeoriaInsurance Companies, had a $3,000 risk, $1,500 in each. One room in secondstory was occupied by Dr. J. A. Harvey, for office purposes. Loses.
The northroom of the third story was the Masonic Hall, loss sustained on furnitureand blue lodge regalia, estimated at $200. The Chapter paraphernalia, recordsof both blue lodge and Chapter, were saved. The remainder of the secondand third floors not otherwise occupied as has been stated above, wereused by A. H. Seeley as furniture ware rooms of the various classes. Theware house in the rear, a large and commodious apartment, used for unfinishedwork was also well filled. The residences of A. H. Seeley, two story frame,was seriously damaged; the weather boards on the north side, being entirelyburned off; loss estimated at $200; no insurance.
The buildingon the east of the Seeley building, was a one story frame, owned by E.H. O. Seeley, loss about $3,000; no insurance; occupied by Henry Nieman,barber; all the furniture saved but somewhat damaged.
A. H.Seeley owned the next building, which he valued at $500; no insurance;occupied by Alex. Montgomery, drugs; a portion of the stock saved; lossestimated at $700 tp $800; no insurance.
Wilson& Graff, dry goods and groceries, two story frame; building owned byThos. Wilson, who rented the building and warehouse at $2,000; no insurance;grocery stock valued at $10,000. insured for $4,500, in the American Centralof St. Louis for $2,000, and North America of Philadelphia for $2,500.The second story was occupied by Miss Roberts, milliner, a portion of herfurniture destroyed. Loss $30.
The buildingadjoining Wilson & Graff, on the east, known as the bank building,owned by Thomas Wilson, two story brick, originally cost $5,000; no insurance.
The abovebuilding was occupied by Geo. Hanna, jeweler, a portion of the stock saved,but damaged; insurance $1,500.
The secondfloor was occupied by Edwin Dyson, Times printing office, who savedvery little material. His office furniture was removed, a cabinet of typeand nearly all the “body” type. But unfortunately for the publisher, printingmaterial after handled by a force of promiscuous, excited assistants undersuch circumstances, is worth little more than “py.” The presses, consistingof a nine column Washington hand press and a quarto-medium Gordon job press,remained to be consumed. Will not fall much short of $1,200. And what ismore disheartening to our neighbor is that he had no insurance.
The abovelast mentioned building was the last building in the row consumed.
AugustusNell at one time would have taken a meagre sum for his elegant two storybrick, which was built summer before last, but by extraordinary good managementand almost superhuman efforts on the part of his numerous friends and wellwishing fellow townsmen, together with a favorable, low wind, succeededin saving the building, though somewhat damaged. Mr. Nell estimates hisloss on buildings, including a frame ware house that stood in the rearend of the lot which was entirely consumed with its contents, at $1,000,and stock damaged by moving, at $500. The stock was insured for $3,000,the building for $2,500, by J. W. Morris, in the Home of New York, on stock$1,200, building $1,000; North America of Philadelphia, on stock $1,000,on building $1,250.
JacksonBros., sustained great damage to stock, estimated at $4,000, and on buildingabout $300; the new addition took fire in the rear and made it necessaryto tear off the roof. Stock insured for $7,000, Etna, $2,000, representedby J. W. Morris.
WellsBrothers, clothing store, was emptied of its stock, which was considerablydamaged, but they were better prepared for the calamity than others, asthey had just invoiced and had insurance to more than cover all loss, andthe brothers are grateful.
The CityHotel was emptied of its contents, which was more or less damaged; lossestimated at $300, on out buildings about $200.
Fox Bros.,blacksmith shop, on corner of the alley, south of the City Hotel, was entirelyconsumed, loss about $100.
Farmersliving seven or eight miles away, state that the light was seen at a greaterdistance, and that the illumination revealed to them a terrible calamityhad befallen Rushville.
Therewere none engaged in the work of fighting the fire or otherwise engaged,who sistained any mentionable injury, except Mr. Augustus Nell, who hadhis right eye bandaged the next morning. He thinks the heat and smoke wasthe cause.
The sceneon the south side of the square was an interesting one on Wednesday morning.The contents of ten buildings lay strewn and piled in a heterogeneous mass.The morning sun broke through the fleecy clouds and lent his congenialrays to warm and comfort the busily engaged denizens in removing the scatteredand damaged goods.
By noon,the buildings that had escaped, had been filled with their respective stocks,and the street on the south side was lined with spectators all day long.
This isthe most extensive fire Rushville ever witnessed, and the loss falls heavilyupon those who had no insurance. Especially Mr. A. H. Seeley, who, whenwe called at his residence, we found him as cheerful as if nothing hadoccurred, seemingly, and when asked if he had any insurance, braced himselfup as is his wont, and without any ifs or ands, said: “No, I never hadany.” He contemplated building this year and this may hasten it.
All whowere losers by the conflagration bore their loss with manly courage.
The RushvilleTimes, usedby permission.
Copyright 2003 Robin L. W.Petersen; all rights reserved. For personal use only. Commercial use ofthe information contained in these pages is strictly prohibited withoutprior permission. If copied, this copyright must appear with the information.
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