Fire discovered at 9:45 pm in the basement of the Chapman-Bruce Auto Supply Co. building on N. Market Street gutted the basement and ground floors of the building and broke through into the residence apartments on the second floor before it was finally brought under control about midnight. S.J. Chapman said Tuesday morning it would be impossible to estimate the loss which was but partially covered by insurance. Some of the occupants of the apartments upstairs escaped from the building by running down a smoke filled stairway to the street. Led by Arthur Foran, Misses Pauline and Lola Parkhill and Violet Trovillion joined hands and ran down the steps through the smoke when the only other means of escape was blocked by flames. Occupants of the apartments upstairs included Mr. and Mrs. S.J. Chapman, Mr. and Mrs. Paul Clayton and Miss Helen Downing who were away from home. Arlie Ing, assistant fire chief discovered the blaze from a window of the fire station a hundred yards from the rear of the Chapman building. At that time, Ing said the building looked as if the whole interior was in flames. As soon as the fire pumper was hooked up it was seen that outside help would be needed and the Herrin fire department was called. Shortly afterwards a call was sent out for the department at Carbondale. Both departments sent pumpers here to help fight the blaze. Considerable difficulty was experienced in fighting the blaze because of the intensity of the smoke which belched from the basement. The difficulty was increased when the floor of the first story began burning. Firemen were repeatedly forced back from the flames by the intensity of the heat and the dense smoke. A fire appeared to burn more in the center of the building and it was there that the blaze first broke through the floor from the basement. Most of the floor fell into the basement as the supporting timbers were burned away. Entering the second story the firemen fought the flames from above through holes cut in the floor and finally quelled the flames but not before they had burned through in two places from the blazing interior of the auto accessory store room below. The walls of the apartments were damaged by smoke and water. Firemen watched the ruins during the remainder of the night and were forced to fight the fire again when it broke out anew about four o’clock Tuesday morning. No one was at home in the Chapman apartments when the fire was discovered. Mr. and Mrs. Chapman were at the Fox-Orpheum Theatre when they were told of the fire. The large stock of automobile accessories carried on the first floor appeared to be almost totally lost after the fire. Much of the stock which escaped damage in the fire was of such nature that it was badly damaged by water. It was said however that some of it can be salvaged. An automobile service car parked in the rear of the sales and store room was badly damaged by the blaze as were fans, motors and other things stored in the work shop. “Nig” pet dog of the Chapman family who slept downstairs died in the fire from suffocation. The dog was a favorite of the Chapmans in whose family he had been kept for nearly fourteen years.

(Extracted from local newspapers and compiled by Harry Boyd, posted at  http://www.marionfire.us/ )