Fire in Manning, 1882

WETHERILL, MARSCH, WHEALAN, STOCKERMIT, GERSTENBERG, HOFFMANN, SCHOOP, WRIGHT, MCQUAID, HAMBLETON, FREELOVE, WEB

Posted By: David Reineke (email)
Date: 5/19/2007 at 16:32:49

I translated the following article from Der Carroll Demokrat, a German-language newspaper published in Carroll, Iowa, between about 1874 and 1920. It was originally published on Friday, 14 April 1882. Any information in brackets or notes at the end are my own explanations. It reads as follows:

The Fire in Manning!

Thirteen Business Buildings in Ashes!

Loss Probably $35,000, with about $16,000 Insurance.

Blood red cones of fire climbed into the southwestern night sky last Sunday. It was about 8:30 and soon the population of Carroll was informed as to the cause, that an entire business district of Manning was in flames. The fire bells rang and in a few minutes the Carroll Fire Department and its pump was at the train station in order to rush to the aid of our neighbor town, and a locomotive was already standing prepared to bring them speeding there when the report arrived that they had already overcome the fire. It had broken out in Heintzelmann and Moody’s dry goods and grocery store and, as reported, was discovered there.

When the fire was discovered in the back part of the store, it was not possible to save anything. The inventory was mostly new and the loss of goods and household items is estimated at $7000.

The entire population of the town was occupied, using all their might, in trying to overcome the flames and save property, during which time, the usual pilferers who are present at such opportunities were not absent, and an appropriately watchful eye was kept on them. The next building from that where the fire broke out was Collamore & Priest’s. The loss to this firm in building and goods was estimated at $3000.

The third building which was taken by the flames was the hardware building of Wetherill & Marsch. The building was worth $1600 and the goods $3000. Insurance was $3100. Many of the goods were rescued.

Whealan Brothers had a large stock of groceries. Value of the building and goods was $5000, with only $300 insurance.

The Stockermit butcher shop lost $200.

The Gerstenberg tavern lost its building and contents. The value was $2200 with insurance of $1500.

The flames then took the store of Hoffmann & Schoop. They lost between $2000 and $3000 in goods. The building was the property of Dr. Wright who had it insured for $1500.

The post office burned down but all of the mail bags were saved. The postmaster suffered a loss of about $200 in candy, etc.

McQuaid & Hambleton had an inventory of about $2300 in groceries, of which they saved a great deal. Insurance amounted to $1400.

The next three buildings belonged to M. B. Freelove and had a value of $2500, of which $1100 was insured.

Web’s beer tavern and boardinghouse was the last taken by the flames. The value of the building was $2500. The insurance of $1000 belonged to the man from whom he had purchased the building.

There was no loss of life, but a few were injured by falling beams and chimney stones.