Just thirty minutes past midnight of Fire Prevention Day, the day observed throughout the country as the fifty-second anniversary of the great Chicago fire of 1871, in the basement of the Cline-Vick drug store was discovered a fire that caused $180,000 damage before it could be extinguished.
The sun rose Wed. morning and cast its rays through the glaring windows and the seared walls of two buildings on the east side of the public square which at midnight housed two of the biggest business houses in the city.
The Benson and Cline buildings in which were located the Cline-Vick Drug Store, Hub Clothing Co. and the offices of Dr. I.C. Walker, Dr. D.H. Harris, Dr. H.L. Wohlwend and the Griggs-Sullins Realty Co. were smoldering ruins in spite of six hours of valiant fighting on the part of the fire dept. Only the walls of the Cline building were left standing.
The first floor of the Benson building remained intact though the second floor was entirely destroyed and the ground floor covered with water and debris.
Early Tuesday morning the police roped off a large area surrounding the building to prevent persons getting too close to the brick wall which threatened to fall at any moment. Few citizens knew that while they were sleeping the greatest fire in the history of the city was raging and in the cold of the early morning, water drenched fireman from three city fire depts. were fighting to keep the fire from destroying the entire business section. The fire was confined in the two buildings fronting on the square, although for hours it seemed that the entire block would go.
The alarm was turned in at the fire dept. about 12:30 and Fire Chief Swain and Assistant Chief Tom Hester immediately got the fire truck underway and reached the square in a few minutes with several volunteers. Assistant Chief Hester entered the basement wearing a gas mask but the heat was so terrific that the firemen could make no headway there. There was no chance to combat the seat of the fire in the basement according to the firemen and all efforts were directed to prevent the blaze from gaining headway in the store rooms above the ground.
From 12:45 to nearly four o’clock, local firemen with volunteers held out, keeping four streams of water playing on the flames. There was a cry for more men. From the crowds gathered on the square, as many as twenty-five volunteers were recruited at times. Fire Chief Swain sent calls to neighboring cities for assistance and in a short time the depts. in Herrin, Carterville and Carbondale had sent assistance.
The Herrin firemen arrived with their big truck and equipment but their hose connections did not fit the fire plugs here and the Herrin men returned home. Although the Carterville and Carbondale men were unable to offer any assistance with equipment, they stayed until the blaze was extinguished about six o’clock Wed. morning. After the fire truck was sent back to the department to guard against the possibility of another fire, one stream of water was kept on the smoldering ruins to prevent it from breaking into flames.
As to the origin of the fire, there is much speculation. It was first discovered in the basement of the Cline-Vick Drug store when smoke was seen issuing from the grating in the side walk in front of the store. Manager Spelman of the drug store said the store was closed at ten o’clock Tues. night and that everybody was gone from the store shortly after 10:30. One of the clerks was in the basement at 10:30 o’clock but at that time there was no visible evidence of a fire, he said.
There are the possibilities of the fire having originated from the spontaneous combustion of the coal stored in the basement, from defective wiring or from the furnace in which there had been a small fire earlier in the day. Chief Swain said that it did not appear that the fire started in the coal, but seemed to have started in the rear of the basement and swept toward the street, catching the coal.
The total damage to the drug store is estimated at approximately $35,000. The drug stock is said to have amounted to nearly $20,000 and the entire stock and fixtures were destroyed by the flames.
Though the fire never broke through into the Hub Clothing Store next door, the entire stock of that store was ruined by smoke and water. The office rooms above were completely destroyed and the fire hose laid several inches of water over the ceiling of the store. The water later poured into the room below.
Mr. Peffer carried about $40,000 stock which was partly insured. The Hub was just planning its annual fall sale and at the time of the fire had the bills advertising the sale stored in the building. Mr. Pfeffer and the store clerks worked until 10:30 on Monday night trimming the windows in preparation for the sale. A new shipment of goods for the sale estimated at between $700 and $800 arrived a few days ago and was damaged with the rest of the stock. Mr. Pfeffer was unable to get into the building Wed. morning to determine the extent of his loss. About $500 worth of new fixtures had just recently been installed.
Above the Hub, the offices of Dr. D.H. Harris, Dr. Wohlwend, and the Griggs and Sullins Realty Co. were destroyed with all their contents. Dr. Harris estimated his loss at $1000 for office equipment alone. He carried $350 in insurance.
Dr. Wohlwend estimated his damage at $3000 of which $1000 was covered by insurance.
The office equipment at Griggs-Sullins Co. was valued at $1000. The books of the company and papers were valued at from $5000 to $7000 were destroyed.
A small amount of insurance was carried. Dr. I.C. Walker had probably the heaviest loss on the second floor of the building. He had the entire suite of rooms above the Cline-Vick Drug store having recently taken over the rooms vacated by Dr. Fowler who moved to the Marion State and Savings Bank. Dr. Walker had probably the most complete set of equipment of any doctor in Marion including two x-ray machines. One of these outfits had just arrived this week and had just been installed in his office. He states that the fixtures and equipment cost him approx. $15,000 but that it would cost nearly $30,000 to replace it now with the advance in costs. Dr. Walker carried $5000 in insurance. Dr. Walker takes the fire very good naturedly saying that he guesses he lost ten thousand dollars. He said that he was asleep when someone knocked on his door and told him the place was on fire so he dressed in his best suit and started down the stairs. He said he had to feel his way down the stairs, through the smoke and just as he got to the foot of the stairs, the hose happened to turn that way and he took a bath. Dr. Walker says that explains why he wore a clean shirt, collar and new shoes that day. He saved nothing but the clothes on his back. Some of his equipment was saved. He had about $50 in cash in a metal safe which is said to have withstood the fire.
The John Alexander Store adjacent the drug store on the south was badly damaged by smoke. Mr. Alexander estimated his damage at $18,000. He carried insurance for that amount. Joseph’s Store on the corner also suffered heavy damage from smoke and water. The water ran through into the basement, damaging a large stock of clothing kept there. Mr. Joseph estimated his damage at around $25,000. His stock was fairly well covered by insurance. When it was feared the entire block would be destroyed, an attempt was made to carry out part of the goods in Joseph’s store and a small part of the stock was carried out but the danger became so great that Mr. Joseph refused to permit anyone to enter the building to try to save anything more. The secured goods were stored in the B.B. Tea Room.
The Cosgrove offices and the offices of the Marion and Eastern Rail Road in the building at the south end of the block were threatened by the fire during the morning and books and records were removed. Considerable smoke got into the rooms but the fire did not reach that part of the building.
The two buildings which were practically destroyed are valued at approximately $20,000 each. The one occupied by the drug store is owned by Mrs. Alice Cline and the one occupied by the Hub Clothing Co. is owned by J.A. Benson of Des Moines, Iowa. The fire on the east side of the square Wednesday morning is the third fire which has caused heavy damage in the same block. The first was in 1898 when the entire block of frame buildings was destroyed.
In 1903 a second fire occurred and again the entire block was burned. The second time the block burned the storeroom occupied by the Cline-Vick Drug store previous to the last one was occupied by the Cline Drug Store and Mr. Canton’s store was located in the room occupied by the Hub Clothing Co. While water was still being played on the fire, the Cline-Vick Co. leased the Kerns building at the northwest corner of the square and prepared to reopen their store in the next few days.
A telephone was installed Wed. and trucks sent to other stores of the company in surrounding cities to bring in supplies to restock the store here. Dr. I.C. Walker announced on Wed. that he had leased seven rooms in the new Hughes building on W. Main Street where he will establish his offices. It will be few days before the rooms are complete but by the first of next week he expects to be installed. He will purchase new office equipment throughout. Wed. morning following the fire, Dr. D.H. Harris and Dr. Curtis formed a partnership and will make their offices in Dr. Brown’s rooms in the Marion State and Savings Bank.
The Stone Decorating Co. located in the basement of the Joseph building and was damaged to the extent of several hundred dollars.
(Extracted from local newspapers by Harry Boyd)