Fire, believed to have started from defective wiring, started a blaze in the New European Hotel on W. Main Street Sunday evening which destroyed the hotel, Cole and Sons Garage, threatened to destroy the Hughes building and the K.P.I.O.O.F. buildings and resulted in the death of Lester Madden, 21 of Chicago. The loss to the building and contents was only partially covered by insurance.
The building was owned by Cole and Sons and I.C. Swan and was valued at $45,000. Conservative estimates Monday morning placed the total loss at approximately $90,000 with nearly $50,000 insurance. The fire, the fourth of a series of four on Sunday, was discovered by persons passing the building and according to the Marion Fire Dept. was breaking through the roof when they arrived. From all indications the blaze started between the ceiling of the hotel and the roof of the building near Room 7.
First reports said that the blaze started from the explosion of a gas water heater which they had trouble with some time ago. The heater however, was in Room 8 and was not turned on Sunday evening. The blaze, starting in the rear of the building soon ate its way to the front and downward at the same time, and before it was brought under control had destroyed all of the contents, except office fixtures, records and new cars in the Cole and Sons part of the building. After the roof caved in, a stream of hose was taken on top of the Hughes building to throw the water down into the building.
As the wind was from the south, it made the handling of hose difficult and volunteer firemen were holding their hands in front of the stream to keep their clothing wet and prevent the blaze from blistering them. One of these volunteers, Lester Madden of Chicago, evidently not realizing the force of the stream of water, stepped in front of the full stream and was knocked from the building, falling to the sidewalk. His neck and both arms were broken in the fall and he was rushed immediately to Herrin Hosp. where he died ten minutes after arrival.
The New European Hotel was owned and operated by Mr. and Mrs. I.C. Swan and had 35 rooms including four apartments from which nothing was saved, except a bird cage belonging to Mrs. Grace Holland and five paintings belonging to Mr. Swan. Mr. Swan had been interested in fine paintings and had expended $1,800 for some valuable pieces. He had been visiting in the country and was returning home when he saw the building on fire. Despite warnings of the fire department that he should not enter the building, he dashed up the stairway when the blaze was lapping up a desk six feet from the head of the stairway. He kicked in the door of their apartment and rescued five of the most valuable paintings.
Monday morning Cole and Sons were open for business at the Texaco filling station but later in the day opened for business in their own building, just south of the destroyed building that was previously used for garage work and storage. During the fire, with superhuman effort, three men moved the large steel safe from the burning building leaving it on the street but Monday morning six men were unable to move it to their new location. Big metal desks were handled by two men during the fire but it required four men to handle them on Monday.
Officers and members of the Knights of Pythias and Odd Fellow lodges kept on duty throughout the night and helped save their building not only from the fire but from water damage. The electric lights were turned off during the fire and they had to work in the dark except for light furnished by the burning building. Some of the men mopped up surplus water as other extinguished blazing window frames. Pulley Bros. grocery in the lodge building suffered considerably from water damage.
The ten inch brick wall on the west side of their storeroom, was so hot at times it would almost burn your hand. Their damage, which will amount to several hundred dollars was covered by insurance. The Marion Recreation Club suffered some loss from water and from smoke but was not seriously damaged. None of their pool or billiard tables were damaged. They carried no insurance.
E.W. Nix who operates a two chair barber shop in the basement of the building moved his chairs when the fire became threatening but he suffered no loss until the east wall of the Cole building was pulled down and threw brick into his shop. The Hughes building for E.B. Jackson is the receiver will probably have to be re-roofed and will require nearly a thousand dollars worth of plate glass in the front of the building. The window frames will have to be replaced and some shades and screens will have to be replaced. Mrs. Mae Hogan has the upper floor leased.
A large tree in front of the Joab Gray property, just west of the Hughes building helped save that frame structure where Mr. and Mrs. Howard Moake as well as the Grays live. Their building was on fire in six different places at one time and it was with considerable difficulty that the building was saved at all.
Howard Moake gives credit for saving their building to Arthur Kays, a Herrin mail carrier. The Garrison Tire Co. in the Hughes building was in constant danger, throughout the entire fire but suffered a very slight loss except to the front and window display. There was no damage to stock as all of the tires had been moved to the rear of the building out of all danger from fire and heat. The Shell, Texaco and Standard Oil stations, which were in close proximity to the blaze caused undue fear in the minds of many.
All of these companies have their gasoline tanks buried deep in the ground with valves that seal from heat and it is claimed that you could burn a building over the top of such a tank without the gasoline becoming ignited. The stations were closed when the fire started. Luther Horsley, who was fighting the fire on top of the Cole building had a narrow escape from death.
When it became evident that the roof was going to fall in, everyone ran for the ladder but Horsley was the last one to the wall and he jumped into the tree at the Standard Old Filling station just as the roof went down into the seething cauldron. Rev. Clyde Bailey of the Assembly of God, who was conducting a revival on West College Street gave up the evening service as soon as the fire started and lowered the tent to the ground to prevent sparks damaging the canvas should the wind change.
(Extracted from local newspapers and compiled by Harry Boyd, posted at http://www.marionfire.us/ )