A warehouse between the Illinois Central and Iron Mountain tracks on N. Van Buren St. was burned to the ground in a very spectacular fire on Sat. night. The building and contents, which are a total loss, belonged to the Bracy Supply Co. The origin of the fire is unknown.

The fire dept. was called at 10 pm and fought the fire until nearly 2 am Sunday before it was sufficiently under control for them to leave. Charles Bracy, owner of the building, states that they had had a great deal of trouble with robbers breaking into the building and loafing there and it is his belief that the fire probably originated in that manner.

Fire Chief Swain said that when he arrived on the scene, he found the fire burning in the old office room, used as a storage room for coal buckets. The fire had burned up into the ceiling then. He laid a stream of hose from N. Market St. and entered the building but the hose brought poor pressure and he was not able to throw the water on the ceiling twenty feet or more above his head.

The fire rapidly spread and was soon beyond control. Mr. Bracy estimates the building and contents at $15,000 with almost $8,000 insurance.

The building was originally built forty years ago as a tobacco warehouse and later was changed into a poultry warehouse.

In recent years it was used for all kinds of storage. The main contents were coal buckets, carbide, hay and straw with many other things not as bulky. The carbide made it very difficult to fight the fire, as more water thrown on it, the hotter the blaze.

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