Removal of Cox Building 1963
A drag line bucket being used to tear down the fire ruins of the Cox Hardware and Furniture building is making slow progress again today. Instead of knocking the walls down as the crane, owned by the L.D. Fern Construction Co. did the first time, the operator is using the bucket to take bites of the west wall and move the charred rubbish to the ground.
The procedure is more safe. Officials say the building will be leveled to the ground. In the mean time some businesses on narrow Franklin Ave. adjacent to the Cox building are closed.
The Daily Republican is operating although one employee did not come in to work today. Although the danger is not considered to be serious at the present time, entrance to the Republican building is restricted to the steps from College Street. Miss Lora Bruce, operator of Speed’s Confectionary said today that she would try to re-open Monday if safety allows.
The café has been closed since the wall fell Wednesday night. Because of the danger of falling brick, the entrance to Franklin Ave. has been roped off.
(Extracted from local newspapers and compiled by Harry Boyd, posted at http://www.marionfire.us )