Marion on Monday night at about 11:45 suffered the most disastrous fire it has had for some time when a business building located west of the C&EI tracks at the bridge on West Main Street burned to the ground. Three store rooms were contained in the building, burned, one room being owned by W.J. Walker and the others by Will Perry. In the building were located F. Pipie’s Saloon and Will Perry’s general merchandise store. Saloon fixtures occupied the other room.

The total loss has not been figured. The heaviest loss is suffered by Mr. Perry who carried an insufficient amount of insurance both on his building and his large stock of merchandise.

The fire is of mysterious origin. It is said to have developed a short time after Pipie had locked up his saloon and left. It broke out in the saloon and the explosion of something in the saloon is about the first warning given. By the time the first persons reached the scene the building was enveloped in flames. Not a thing could be saved.

The room owned by Mr. Walker was used as a storage room by the Terre Haute Brewing Company which paid Mr. Walker a monthly rent on it and kept some saloon fixtures stored there.

The next room, the middle one, was occupied by Mr. Pipie, while the east room was occupied by Mr. Perry, the owner of the two east rooms. He carried but $1,500 on his stock of goods and this will not replace the loss by one third. His stock was a very large one. Among other things to burn were $500 worth of shoes which he was preparing to ship back to the factory because of alleged failure to ship him what he had ordered. The shipment came in Monday. After seeing the mistake he replaced them and prepared to send them out that afternoon but they were not loaded up and then when closing time came they were taken back into the store and left there over night.

Pipie states he carried $2,000 worth of insurance. The building burned is located immediately over the West Marion Creek. For this reason as soon as the floor burned through the fire had a good draft and it burned furiously and rapidly.

The department arrived but hard work stopping it before buildings on either side were destroyed. As it was some damage was done to them.

Ward Brothers meat market suffered a loss of some $300, fully covered by insurance and the Isis Theatre suffered a small loss.

(Extracted from the Egyptian Press and compiled by Harry Boyd, posted at  http://www.marionfire.us/ )